Cooking with Beer Recipes

Beer Bitty

Fresh Blueberry Sauce with Wild Ale

08.10.14

Fresh blueberries abound at the Farmers Market right now. There were tables filled on my visit last week, even as the market was closing for the night. I picked up a few pints and have been putting them on yogurt, in smoothies, mixed into ice cream.. needless to say, there’s a lot of blueberry goodness happening in my apartment right now.

The best recipe to come out of my blueberry bounty: a quick and easy fresh blueberry sauce made with wild ale and lemon zest.

It’s mildly sweet, pleasantly tart, slightly earthy, and goes well with just about any dessert or breakfast. While blueberries are certainly the star here, the beer also plays an important role. For this recipe, I used Trois Dames L’Amoreuse Blanche, a dry saison made with freshly squeezed grapes. It’s slightly sweet and acidic, which compliments the sweet berries, and the dry malt bill rounds it all out. Another dry saison or wild ale would also work well, but choose one that’s tart with little to no brett funk. Or, to amp up the sweetness, reach for a bottle of framboise which will add fruity complexity.

Fresh homemade blueberry sauce

Ingredients

  • 6 ounces beer
  • 1 tsp. lemon zest
  • 1 1/2 cups blueberries
  • 3/4 cup sugar

Steps

Add beer to a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once beer begins to boil, add blueberries and sugar. Bring back to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened. Allow sauce to room temperature before serving. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Note: This recipe can also be made with blackberries or raspberries, but would need to be pressed through a fine mesh strainer to remove any seeds. This would result in a sauce with a smooth consistency.

Fresh homemade blueberry sauce

Pictured with homemade basil ice cream.

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