Beer and food, two of my favorite things. I have to admit I did get a fair sampling of both over the weekend while down in NY. I had a chance to sample a few different styles of food including a great evening at a German Restaurant to help celebrate a friend’s birthday. I am a little biased about how German food should taste, the Jaeger Schnitzel (schnitzel with hunter’s sauce) was tasty, however it wasn’t as delicious as the one my wife makes. But that is to be expected since she’s from Germany and is a good cook.

What I did enjoy with that dinner besides the “Gemuetlichkeit” was the choice of beers that were offered. I started out with a nice Warstiener Dunkel (dark) with the sausage appetizer and moved over to a lighter lager with the main course, dessert consisted of a round of Jaegermiester along with some Pear Schnapps (no Obstler was available, dang)

What does all this have to do with my cooking blog?]



Well it reminds me once again how beer and food are a great match. It has also made me start planning my beer and food dinner party menu. There are many wine pairings that are offered at restaurants and now some are now offering beer pairings as well. Its about time.



Although I do enjoy a nice glass of wine and can appreciate the subtle differences in the different vintages and varietals, the different types of beer now available make cooking and eating an enjoyment as well.

My plan is to offer a full dinner party with each course prepared with beer in the recipe as well as a recommended beer to accompany it. But the great part of this is that even if you are not adventurous and only drink a light beer from St. Louis, you can still enjoy the food and beer!

I am working on fall menus and expect to see the beer offering next month. However, one of the things I did promise to post for a friend is a delicious chocolate cake made with Stout beer. This can of course be the dessert served with a beer dinner, but it makes a delicious anytime cake or a St. Patrick’s Day dessert as well.

With this cake, they are two types of frosting that can be made, I prefer the chocolate ganache, however if you are looking for a for a beer presentation experience, then the cream cheese frosting does make it look a little like a glass of Guinness with foam.

Enjoy the food and the beer.


1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter MAKE SURE YOU USE UNSALTED
3/4 cup Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream
6 ounces good semisweet chocolate chips, I prefer Ghirardelli
½ cup heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon instant coffee granules

Cake

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter or spray a bundt pan well with cake spray Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
Drink remaining 4 oz of stout
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in large bowl to blend.
Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend.
Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer cake to rack; cool completely in the pan, then turn cake out onto rack for drizzling ganache.

Ganache

For the ganache, melt the chocolate, heavy cream, and coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. Drizzle over the top of cooled cake You may use microwave as well, just be careful to heat in 10-15 sec stages. You may also substitute a shot of Kahlua for the coffee.