Let's get drunk on food

Instead of posting about the most recent recipe I brought to cooking club, I thought I would start with the very first thing I brought almost two years ago.

The theme was "Cooking with Alcohol" and I actually brought two dishes (wow I used to be an over achiever)

Pears in Red Wine (from Chefs.com)

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
6 servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup plus 3 Tbsps. granulated sugar
2/3 cup plus 2 Tbsps. water
2/3 cup plus 2 Tbsps. red wine
1 lemon, zest peeled
1 orange, zest peeled
2 cinnamon sticks
2 cloves
6 ripe pears, peeled
whipped cream, to serve

Directions:

Combine sugar and water in a saucepan over a low heat. Cook stirring until sugar has dissolved. Add wine, lemon and orange zest, cinnamon sticks and cloves. Simmer 4-5 minutes. Add pears to syrup and poach, covered, 8-10 minutes or until pears are tender. Remove pears,strain syrup and serve with cream.

Beer Bread (from CDkitchen.com)

Ingredients:
3 cups self-rising flour*
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
12 ounces beer (or substitute non-alcoholic beer)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and thoroughly grease the inside (bottom all four sides) of a single loaf pan. Reserve. In a large mixing bowl, sift flour and sugar together. Add grated cheddar cheese and chopped green onions. Thoroughly mix all ingredients together. Add beer and stir until the ingredients are uniformly moistened. Spoon bread dough mixture into a well-greased loaf pan. Bake for approximately 1 hour, or until the loaf is golden brown and emits a hollow sound when tapped. Cool on a wire rack, and store in an airtight container. May freeze for up to 90 days. Slice to serve.

*Or you may substitute with 3 cups all purpose flour, 3 teaspoons baking powder and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.

love from the kitchen, becca