Ever since Patricius was released in December I thought it would be a perfect beer to cook with; it would add just the right amount of flavour and substance to any meat or dessert. Every time I took a sip of that delicious beer I imagined not only how well it would pair with a thick stew or a chocolate cake; but how well it would work as one of the main ingredients.

So…I waited, and this past weekend while visiting the parents not only did I have a bit of time to actually cook, I found a rabbit (!) waiting to be braised and pears waiting to be poached and Patricius Irish Stout up to doing the job of both!

Now the first time I had rabbit when I was an innocent inner-city living 7 year-old visiting my dad’s friend from college on his farm, I took one look at “Thumper” on my dinner plate and promptly turned into a vegetarian for 14 years. So to say the least I was a bit wary of not only eating rabbit, but actually cooking with it even though I’ve been back to loving meat for the past 10 years. A few sips (okay maybe more than a few) of Patricius gave me the liquid courage and before I knew it I was off to the races; oh and I started with making dessert first.

The dessert…Patricius Poached Pear Pie

I’ve never been one for recipes or for that matter following instructions, so here’s something of what I did…

Half a bottle of Patricius mixed with a bit of honey and brown sugar with small pieces of about 6 pears on low for 25-35 minutes until it slightly thickens and pears are soft.

I made a nice oat and brown sugar crumble crisp on top and enjoyed the rest of the bottle of Patricius while it baked.

Now on to the rabbit…Patricius a la Provence braised Rabbit and Shallots

When you are cooking in your mother’s kitchen it is always a good idea to involve her….so she googled away and found a fun recipe (from perfectlyprovence.co) that we thought we would try, substituting the wine for beer of course. It turned out really, really nice, with just the right amount of richness; it was the perfect storm day dinner and not only did I not turn back into a vegetarian, but I’m kind’a in love with rabbit…

• 1 large rabbit jointed into 6 portions or 6 large chicken thighs
• 3 large Shallots finely sliced
• 2 tsp Plain Flour
• 50 gr Butter
• 1 tsp olive oil
• ½ cup of Patricius (the rest is for you!!)
• ½ cup Dijon Mustard
• ½ cup of water
• 2 sprigs Fresh Thyme

Melt the butter and brown the rabbit (about 10 minutes), add shallots and brown, then add beer, thyme and mustard, high heat for 5 minutes, then cover pan with lid and simmer for 40 minutes and enjoy the rest of your Patricius.

I can’t wait to try more recipes with Patricius…stayed tuned for St. Patrick’s day cooking fun!

Happy Cooking!

Sheila