Spent grain goodies

Jonathan's recent interest in home brewing not only produces a plethora of homemade beer, but also something called spent grain.  Spent grain is the byproduct of the grain used during the brewing process and boy oh boy is there a lot of it. Not being once to waste a resource Jonathan discovered some awesome looking spent grain recipes, two of which I've tried, and have been pretty happy with. 

"Spent Grain Cheddar Scones" was my first attempt at baking with these unique hearty grains and my second at scones.  My first scone attempt, a few years back, resulted in what we fondly refer to as "scoffins" (not quite scones, but not quite muffins... aka fail). Thankfully I've learned my scone lesson and took a little more care in making these savory beauties.  As per the recipe's recommendation I added some finely diced jalapenos which contributed just enough heat to complement the savory cheddar.  In addition, per usual, I used an eyeballed, less-than-tablespoon of vinegar added to milk to create a buttermilk substitute to avoid buying an excessive amount of buttermilk. Its rare that I follow a recipe to the T, so I figured I could, and did, get by without "official" buttermilk.  Another recommendation was to add bacon, but I thought the salt factor might be a little overwhelming and decided to go without.  Not only did they look like real scones, but their texture was spot on and they were quite scrumptious.   (Recipe below courtesy of http://brooklynbrewshop.com/themash/recipe-spent-grain-cheddar-scones/)


The second recipe in which I used spent grains was a graham cracker/spent grain crust for a key lime pie.  I've never made a key lime pie before, but was quite satisfied with the outcome.  Admittedly, since key limes are a rare find in Phoenix, per the recipe, I used a substitute of quality lime juice, so I cannot "officially" call what I made "key lime", but so be it, the result was mighty tasty nonetheless.  The grain was processed with the graham crackers and mixed with butter to form the crust.  I enjoyed the underline savory richness that the spent grain contributed to the sweet graham crackers, but I'd recommend pulverizing the spent grain a bit before adding in the graham crackers since on occasion an unprocessed grain could cause quite the texture interruption. Having never made this type of pie before I opted to go big or go home and used an Emeril Lagasse recipe in its full, rich glory.  The pie definitely improved in texture and flavor from one day to the next, but seeing that the pie plate is now vacant, I'd call it an overall success.

Two for two so far... not half bad.

Spent Grain Cheddar Scone Recipe:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup Spent Grain, dried
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 1/4 cup (6 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 large egg

What You Do

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, stir together flour, spent grain, baking powder, sugar, and salt. With a pastry blender (or using two knives), cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in the cheese to combine.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg. Add it to your dry ingredients, stirring just until the dough comes together.
4. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and gently flatten into an 8-inch round. Use a knife to cut the circle into eight triangles. Transfer scones onto the sheet pan and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve hot and with butter!