Veal Meatloaf & Shiner Helles

Here's my attempt at recreating the amazing meatloaf I had at the Flying Fig in Cleveland. I got close but while my version wasn't dead-on, it was still delicious and made for excellent leftovers. I combined organic ground veal, sautéed oyster mushrooms, breadcrumbs, eggs, etc. and cooked it as a free form loaf on a sheet pan. This has the benefit of maintaining a light, not packed texture as well as permitting most of the fat to run off. I made 3/8" slices with a sharp knife and then seared the slices in a hot pan with a bit of butter. I chose to serve it with some stewed plums and roasted squares of sweet potato. The juice from the plums was reduced down and poured over the meatloaf. Even if you've been scarred by school cafeteria meatloaf full of gristle and various fillers, I think this is a recipe that you'll love.

As I've said before, sometimes the right wine is a beer. And I was excited to see the latest anniversary beer from the good folks at Shiner. I've had the 96th, 97th, and 98th anniversary beers, though for some reason didn't write about them here. This is the Shiner 99 Munich Style Helles Lager, a wonderful lager with a lot more body than your average Coors or Bud. Great hops and malts from a Texas brewery with deep German/Czech roots. It's a good combination of authentic microbrew spirit with macro distribution. (If you want to see what serious beer tasting notes look like, check out the reviews at Beer Advocate.) I'm tempted to make a visit to the Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, Texas for the centennial celebration. And from my previous trips to the Lone Star State, I can tell you that cold Shiner Bock from the tap is the perfect thing to take the edge off a hot summer day.