Stout for me is a community drink. A strong and flexible brew for the masses. There are images stuck in my mind with men drinking stout and playing a game of dominoes or clutching a bottle of the dark brew while dancing to a pulsating reggae beat.

Stout in Jamaica is definitely thought of as a male beverage. Perhaps its bitter aftertaste is more preferable to the masculine palate. Jamaican stout is defined by the brand Dragon, which established itself on the market in 1920, and was created by Red Stripe. It’s internationally known as a top stout from the tropics alongside Lion of Sri Lanka.

There are several categories of stout, a classification of a type of beer, which contains hops, malt and roasted barley where the distinctive dark colour comes into play. These are milk or sweet stout, imperial, oyster, oatmeal and chocolate. Our local stout is considered a sweet variety, and the alcohol content is slightly higher. Dragon Stout Spitfire is the latest local stout product made by Diageo, which retails for the same price as a regular Dragon Stout.

Dragon Stout Spitfire is full-bodied, slightly sweeter and smoother than its sister stout, with less carbonization, therefore a smaller head of froth appears in the glass when poured. Like wine, it is aged and is the perfect mixer. This surely is a stout which non-stout drinkers will appreciate as it has a pleasing nose and is not harsh on the palate. Diageo recently challenged me to create recipes using this product, three of which I was proud to demonstrate last Thursday on TVJ’s Smile Jamaica. Apart from beverages, as a food writer and chef I was also fascinated with its culinary uses, and I’ve had a fun time recipe-testing in my kitchen.

Although Stout loves to be mixed with cream and chocolate, these beers are also great for meat dishes and cheeses. Spicy foods are also teamed well with this beverage. Jamaicans love to mix stout with oats, milk and peanuts, for example. Carrot and soursop juices can also be combined with stout. I’ve even tried it with cream-style corn, such is its flexibility. It is supposedly good as a tonic and many men believe that drinking a stout helps to make them stronger and puts “oil in the back”. In fact, once when I was feeling low, I was given a hot stout by a bartender who claimed it would put some “iron back in the blood”.

Today, it is my pleasure to share with loyal Thursday Food readers the recipes I created for Dragon Stout Spitfire.

Orange-Scented Stout Raisin Bread

This raisin bread is dense and chewy in texture. Eat on its own, toasted with butter or jam or spread with creamy cheeses.

Ingredients:

1 cup wholewheat flour

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Grated zest and juice of 1 orange

1 cup of raisins

Generous helping of nutmeg, grated

1tsp ground cinnamon

3 tbsps Jamaican honey

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 bottle (250ml) Dragon Stout Spitfire

Method:

Add the fresh-squeezed orange juice and zest to the raisins to soak for a few minutes.

Preheat oven to 350ûF.

Grease loaf pans.

Sift wholewheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg into a large bowl.

Add honey, oil, raisins and Dragon Stout Spitfire and mix until a stiff batter forms.

Pour mixture into loaf pans.

Bake for 40 minutes or until the centre comes out clean when you test with a toothpick.

Dragon Stout Spitfire Brownies

These brownies are a sweet chocolate treat with a hint of stout in the aftertaste. This batter should yield 20 brownies.

Ingredients:

10 ozs baking chocolate, broken into pieces

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup white granulated sugar

2 tbsps brown sugar

4 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 bottle Dragon Stout Spitfire

2 tbsps Gold Label Rum

1 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup mixed nuts

Butter for greasing pan

1 tbsp cocoa powder, for dusting pan

Method:

Preheat oven to 325ûF.

Line baking tin with butter, and dust with cocoa powder.

Melt chocolate and butter together in a large saucepan.

Beat eggs, sugar, and vanilla together in a separate bowl until sugar dissolves.

Add the stout and rum to the bowl.

In another next bowl, sift flour and salt.

In stages add stout mixture and flour to the chocolate and whisk until fully combined

Add the mixed nuts.

Pour batter into prepared baking tin and bake for an hour.

Allow to cool down and then cut into squares.

Banana and Chocolate Stout Milkshake

This is a delightful adult shake for when you want a sugar fix with a bit of oomph factor. This recipe yields 2 generous servings.

Ingredients:

1 bottle Dragon Stout Spitfire, chilled

1/4 cup chocolate syrup, plus extra for drizzling

1 ripe banana

4 scoops vanilla ice cream

1 cup 1 per cent low-fat milk, well chilled

Whipping cream (optional)

Method:

In a blender add all the above ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy.

Pour into two glasses, garnish with extra chocolate sauce and whipped cream if you desire.

Serve immediately with straws.

Dragon Stout Spitfire Cocktail

Stout is traditionally marketed at men. Dragon Stout Spitfire can appeal to the feminine palate as well. This is a smooth concoction I’ve created for the ladies. Serve in a large martini glass. This yields one serving.

Ingredients:

3oz Dragon Stout Spitfire, well chilled

1oz heavy cream

1oz dark rum

1oz caramel syrup

Grated chocolate for garnish

Method:

In a shaker add shots of dark rum, caramel syrup and heavy cream; stir until mixed.

Add chilled Dragon Stout Spitfire, cover shaker and shake until combined.

Pour into large martini glass.

Last but not least, grate some chocolate over the drink and serve immediately.

Jamaican Stout Shandy

The reason I’ve named my Shandy “Jamaican” is that the two ingredients are local. Typically shandies are made with lager and lemonade. The combination of both main ingredients is great as a refreshing cooler for a summer lyme with friends.

Ingredients:

1 part Dragon Stout Spitfire

1 part Jamaican Ginger beer

Lime juice, to taste

Method:

Combine equal parts Dragon Stout Spitfire and Ginger beer into a large jug.

Squeeze a little lime juice in the drink or serve with wedges of lime.

Serve well chilled.

Dragon Stout Spitfire BBQ Pork Ribs

Summer is grilling season and this robust stout sauce goes very well with pork.

Ingredients:

1 large pack of pork ribs

1 fat sprig of thyme, leaves stripped

Ginger, grated, to taste

Pimento, crushed to taste

Garlic, to taste

Salt, to taste

Stout BBQ Sauce

Ingredients:

1 large onion, chopped

Vegetable Oil

2 Tbsps Apple Cider Vinegar

500ml Original BBQ Sauce

2 Tbsps Brown Sugar

1/2 Tsp Chilli Powder

250ml Dragon Stout Spitfire

Salt to taste

Method:

Season pork ribs overnight or for a few hours with thyme, ginger, pimentos, garlic and salt to taste.

To prepare sauce, sauté chopped onions in a little vegetable oil until soft.

Add the remaining ingredients, and bring to a boil, and lower heat to a simmer and cook until sauce is reduced by half and thickened.

Slow-roast seasoned ribs in the oven at 325ûF for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Remove from heat, and cover ribs with half of the sauce, (reserve the rest to serve with the finished ribs).

Next, grill ribs for between 12 to 15 minutes, turning over at half the time or until nicely glazed and brown.

Dragon Stout Spitfire Marinade for Steaks

This marinade adds wonderful flavour to steaks. Remember beer, like wine, acts as a tenderiser to meat.

Ingredients:

1 Bottle Dragon Stout Spitfire

50ml Worcestershire sauce

50ml low-sodium soy sauce

50ml vegetable oil

2 tbsps brown sugar

3 garlic cloves, minced

Two stalks escallion, green part only, finely sliced

1 Scotch Bonnet pepper, deseeded and chopped fine

Cracked black pepper

Method:

Whisk all these ingredients together and let stand for at least an hour for the flavours to blend before you add it to your meat.

Contact me at info@juicychef.com

Bon Appétit