Local caterers are doing just that for a special dinner Friday at the Acorn

By JANE AMMESON - H-P Correspondent

Published: Wednesday, November 4, 2009 1:12 PM EST

As the glories of an Indian summer give way to bare trees and falling temperatures, our food thoughts often turn to sustaining edibles - drinks and meals that offer comfort and sustenance for getting through the cold weather.

And what better way to do so than to combine the heartiness of well-brewed beer and the last of what our local farmers have produced this year with other dishes designed to give us more than enough burnable calories to ward off what the weatherman has in store.

That's one reason why two local chefs, Drew and Lauron Turnipseed, owners of the catering business Two Turnips, are working with Greenbush Brewing Company, a soon-to-open microbrewery in Sawyer, to create a five-course beer dinner at the Acorn Theater in Three Oaks.

The dinner, at 7 p.m. Friday, includes roasted butternut squash soup with smoked cod, beet oil and microgreens served with a bock beer brewed by Greenbush; coffee and thistle honey braised short ribs with roasted barley Johnny cakes and Greenbush's Bacon Peanut Brittle Porter; and, for dessert, a caramel pot de crème accompanied with Cherry Stout Gelee.

Tickets, only available to those 21 and older, are $75 and are available by calling 756-3879 or visiting http://www.acorntheater.com/.

"Planning a beer dinner is deceptively complex, says Drew Turnipseed, who earned his culinary degree at the Art Institute of New York City, completed a certificate from New York University in Food and Beverage Operations and also graduated from The International Wine Center in New York City with a certificate in Wine and Spirits. He is originally from Alabama.

"In our opinion, beer does not get enough credit. As a chef, the idea is to write a menu that allows the beer to express its full potential. Though I am a wine sommelier by trade and Lauron is the beer expert in the family, I do love beer. Our goal with this dinner is to let the beer express its attributes, and there are many positives where the Greenbush Brewery in concerned."

And though creating a beer dinner menu can be challenging, Turnipseed says that cooking with beer can be fun.

"Beer is a very versatile cooking medium," he says. "For example, you can braise or grill meat, craft a delicious sauce or use it as a main component in a marinade.

"As for the Greenbush beer dinner, we will be using byproducts of the brewing process - such as toasted barley, hops and beer wort - and incorporating them in our menu."

The Turnipseeds met in New York City and have worked both in the United States and with winemakers Helen and Michael Affatato of Chateau La Gatte in Bordeaux, France.

Lauron, a St. Joseph native who graduated from Hunter College with a degree in English, has learned on the job. She is the beverage consultant for the couple's consulting business and runs the in-house duties for their catering company.

They now live in St. Joseph and own and operate Two Turnips LLC, an in-home catering and restaurant consulting business.

Besides teaching classes at Perennial Accents in downtown St. Joseph, they also have been coordinating dinners with the Acorn Theater, and done cooking segments for WNDU in South Bend, ABC 7 in Chicago and Fox 28 in Elkhart, Ind.

The couple describe their culinary style as classically simple.

"Our goal is to open an upscale, French country-style restaurant on the Michigan Wine Trail," says Turnipseed, who worked in such New York restaurants as Stone Park Café, W Hotels of New York, Five Front, Devin Tavern and The Redhead.

"We enjoy this area and all that it has to offer and love being part of it. It is our goal to raise the food bar and to help in creating a culture that celebrates the incredible natural resources of our area, specifically the wine and fruit that is made and grown here.

"There is no reason that we can't grow and become respected as a wine-growing region, and world-class food goes a long way in getting Southwest Michigan that recognition."

The following recipes are from the Friday dinner at the Acorn Theater provided by Two Turnips.

Roasted Barley Johnny Cakes

1/2 cup flour

1 cup roasted barley (processed in a blender until resembling

cornmeal)

1 to 2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 cup hot milk

1 tablespoon shortening

Roast the barley by placing on a sheet tray, spread out, in a high heated oven for 7 to 10 minutes or until golden. It should have a slightly nutty smell.

Mix the dry ingredients, then stir in the remaining ingredients. Drop or pour on the hot, greased griddle or drop in iron skillet and fry to golden brown on both sides.

Serves 4 to 6.

Coffee and Michigan Thistle Honey Braised Short Ribs

8 center cut beef short ribs

2 large red onions, large dice

3 stalks celery, large dice

3 carrots, peeled and cut into large dice

4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

8 cups of veal stock (beef stock can be substituted)

1 cup coffee

3/4 cup of Michigan thistle honey

Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 225 degrees.

Bring the veal stock to a boil.

Season the short ribs generously with kosher salt and pepper. Sear the ribs in a large sauté pan, in batches, until evenly browned on all sides and reserve. Deglaze the pan with coffee and add the onions, celery, carrots and garlic; cook until well caramelized.

In a shallow roasting pan, place the seared short ribs, caramelized vegetable mixture and thistle honey. Pour the hot veal stock into the roasting pan until the ribs are almost covered; do not completely submerge the meat with stock. Cover the pan tightly with foil and place in the oven and bake for 7-8 hours, or until the meat starts falling off the bone. Remove from the oven and leave ribs in the stock mixture until ready to serve

Enjoy with a hearty red wine.

Pairing food and beer

Matching beer with the foods you serve doesn't have to be difficult, says Drew Turnipseed of Two Turnips.

"When pairing any beverage with food, the most important thing is to drink what you like," he says. "Given the amazing craft beers that Michigan is brewing up these days, food pairing can be very exciting. Some of our favorite pairings are a crisp, toasted lager with caviar or oysters, an abbey-style ale with stinky cheese or a rich coffee stout with dark chocolate."

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