Whiskey and Chocolate Pairing June 2016

Extending the Beer and Chocolate pairings, Larder & Cupboard next offered a Whiskey pairing with Chocolate and I just knew I had to take Patience!

We started with a lighter whiskey, Rieger's Kansas City Whiskey paired with Chai Tea Truffles. I can't get enough of those truffles!

Chai Tea Truffle with Rieger's Kansas City Whiskey

Next we tried three whiskeys from Chicago, a Koval Rye Whiskey, Koval Four Grain Whiskey, and a Koval Bourbon. The Rye was paired with a Peanut Butter Bon Bon (amazing!)...

Peanut Butter Bon Bon with Koval Four Grain Whiskey

 ...while the Extra Dark Bark was paired with the Four Grain. I preferred the Rye as it seemed a lot smoother than the bolder Four Grain.

Extra Dark Bark with Koval Four Grain Whiskey

Another favorite from a previous class, Cherry Pates de Fruits in Chocolate (pronounced Pot de Fwee), which was paired with the bourbon.

Cherry Pates de Fruits in Chocolate with Koval Bourbon

Kakao's most popular chocolate, the Sea Salt Caramel, was paired with the Pinckney Bend Rested Whiskey. This whiskey won double gold and the rested refers to the time spent in a barrel aging.

Sea Salt Caramel with Pinckney Bend Rested Whiskey

Last was the creamy goodness of the American Spoon Fudge Sauce with a (not really local) Glenfiddich 12-Year Scotch. Lots of floral notes on the nose.

American Spoon Fudge Sauce with Glenfiddich 12-Year Scotch

I'm sure you can tell that I'm biased towards the chocolate and I can't wait for more of these (chocolate) classes!

Resources:

Larder & Cupboard = http://www.larderandcupboard.com/

Kakao Chocolate = http://www.kakaochocolate.com/

Photos by Patience Scanlon

Beer and Chocolate Pairing June 2016

You knew I would attend more Beer and Chocolate Pairing classes at Larder & Cupboard didn't you?!

Now that Patience is home, I also wanted to give her a chance to attend in person as well since she is a bigger beer lover than I am.

I was thrilled to get to taste more of the Lavender Truffle since that was one of my favorites from last time! Patience loved the Old Bakery Porter as she prefers the heavier beer styles.

Lavender Truffle and Kickstart Granola with Old Bakery Porter

Or was the Marshmallow Pie my favorite? It's still so amazing. Paired with the very smooth Charleville Karate Kick. I stole this photo from Cindy since I ate mine so fast!

Marshmallow Pie with Charleville Karate Kick

The Mango Habenero Truffle was new to me left a slight tingle on my lips, although other people said they barely could taste any heat. Good thing it was paired with the 4 Hands Divided Sky Rye IPA to cool things off just in case. Also featured is the melt-in-your-mouth Seed Geeks Chocolate Creamed Honey.

Seed Geeks Chocolate Creamed Honey and Mango Habanero Truffle with 4 Hands Divided Sky Rye IPA

The Dipped Strawberry Rhubarb was super delicious with a fruity, gummy treat in the middle of the chocolate! The sweeter dessert needed something sweet to go with it - Boulevard Hibiscus Gose. This sour beer was just tart enough that I could probably couldn't do much more than a tasting of it.

Dipped Strawberry Rhubarb

As for Kakao's best seller, the Pecan Caramel paired well with the Piney River Black Walnut Wheat.

Pecan Caramel

Then we got to have a bonus round! Here is a homemade marshmallow and a new beer that Larder & Cupboard just got in, Hobby Farm from Piney River.

Homemade Marshmallow

Hobby Farm Beer

Can't wait for more chocolate and beer pairings!

Resources:

Larder & Cupboard = http://www.larderandcupboard.com/

Kakao Chocolate = http://www.kakaochocolate.com/

Fondue Class at Larder and Cupboard

As the STLCheesegirl, I am sad to report that I have never had fondue before. In fact, no one has ever taken me to the Melting Pot for my birthday! So I was thrilled when Larder & Cupboard hosted a (second) fondue class that I could attend.

How can you go wrong with dipping food in cheese sauce!

Yet, I learned that there are actually formal recipes for fondue and you don't just sticking a brick of Velvetta in the microwave!

We started off with a "Classic Swiss Fondue", which also includes a cup of dry white wine and Swiss cheeses such as Gruyere, Emmentaler, and Appenzeller, not to mention a tablespoon of cherry brandy! (Let's just make this a drink!)

Unfortunately, I was so busy dipping fruit, veggies, and bread that I forgot to take a picture of the first pot! But here was our selection for dipping...

Fruits, veggies, and bread for dipping.

Next up was a "Beer Cheese Fondue"...even more brilliant! This time we used beer from Pickney Bend and two cheddars, a mild version (Marcoot Tipsy Cheddar) and a sharp one (Milton Old Style Cheddar).

This fondue was a little darker in color and had a little more bite in taste as well.

Beer Cheese Fondue

The third fondue was Caraway Gouda Fondue made with Gouda cheese and caraway seeds.

Carway Gouda Fondue

Good thing I followed my friend Beth's lead and not over do it on the first three fondues (it was so hard!!) because the best was definitely saved for last!

Say hello to Raclette, a semi-hard cow's milk cheese that is commonly used for melting. Even more specifically, it's a Swiss dish based on heating the cheese and scraping off (racler) the melted part.

Check out this contraption that was used to heat the top of the Raclette wheel!

The Raclette wheel being heated

You can see the melted cheese being scraped off once it gets melty enough!

Scraping the melted cheese

Here the Raclette is spread on top of roasted potatoes...

Raclette topping roasted potatoes

Raclette topping roasted potatoes

Amazing huh?!?!

Want to make fondue yourself? All these cheeses can be found inside Larder & Cupboard for one stop shopping.

Resources:

Larder & Cupboard = http://www.larderandcupboard.com/

Beer and Cookie Pairing with Jonathan Bender

On a chilly February evening in Kansas City, I celebrated my brother's 40th birthday at a brewery. That night I was introduced to one of his friends, Jonathan Bender, who wrote for one of my favorite foodie magazines. He told us he was in the middle of writing about a book about pairing beer and cookies.

Beer and cookies?!??!?! What?!?!?! I think I actually said that out loud.

Fast forward to a year later while hanging out at Larder & Cupboard, Cindy announces that THE Jonathan Bender would be coming to the store to sign books and...you guessed it...pair local beers with freshly made cookies!

I immediately cleared my schedule.

Let's just say that pairing beer and cookies together is a wonderful invention and I gave Jonathan Bender a few hugs that night. Mostly because it was so nice to see him again and not just because he inspired one of the best classes thus far at the store.

In addition to "Cookies & Beer", Jonathan has also written a "stock and broth" themed book. Not only are there instructions for the stocks, but also soup recipes that you can cook from the stocks.

We kicked off the pairings that night  by keeping it light with a Snickerdoodle and an Old Bakery Citrus Wheat. It's rare that I like a cookie that doesn't have chocolate in it, but this cookie was so light and sweet.

Snickerdoodle with Old Bakery Citrus Wheat

Another happy surprise for me was Nana's Molasses cookies with a Piney River Bronzeback Pale Ale. This combination just reminded me of Christmas all the way around with the ginger in the cookie and the bubbles in the beer.

Nana's Molasses with Piney River Bronzeback Pale Ale

The next pairing was definitely all about breakfast since a Maple Toasted Oatmeal Cookie was paired with Charleville Karate Kicks Coffee. These heavier cookies were able to stand up to the beers easily without one overpowering the other.

Maple Toasted Oatmeal with Charleville Karate Kicks Coffee Stout

The last two pairings were full flavor though...

Pastry Chef Anne Croy brought her Rye IPA Apricot Crumble Bars (yes...beer was IN the bar), and of course paired with the same 4 Hands Divided Sky Rye IPA. You really needed that big, heavy fruit flavor to take on the hoppy taste of the beer.

Rye IPA Apricot Crumble Baras with 4 Hands Divided Sky Rye IPA

The best pairing was definitely saved for last as Chef Amy's Chocolate Chip cookie was paired with Boulevard Brewing Company's Bourbon Barrel Quad. Ok...I admit the beer was quite intense and probably a bit too strong for me, but those cookies were to die for!

Check out those huge chocolate chunks!! They were acutally Kakao's chocolate buttons!!! You'll never want to use regular chocolate chips again!

Chef Amy's Chocolate Chip with Boulevard Brewing Company's Bourbon Barrel Quad

Both books make excellent gifts... these scored points for me at Mother's Day!

Books by Jonathan Bender

And I got mine signed...

Jonathan Bender signing my books!

Let's hope Jonathan writes more books so he can come back to St. Louis and share some yummy treats again!

Resources:

Larder & Cupboard = http://www.larderandcupboard.com/

Kakao Chocolate = http://www.kakaochocolate.com/

Cookies & Beer by Jonathan Bender = http://www.amazon.com/Cookies-Beer-Bake-Pair-Enjoy/dp/1449470882/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Stock, Broth & Bowl = http://www.amazon.com/Stock-Broth-Bowl-Drinking-Nourishing/dp/1449472664/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Beer and Chocolate Pairing

I'm not sure why there aren't more beer and chocolate pairings. I thought this was a brilliant idea! So thank you to Larder & Cupboard and Kakao for joining forces to make this happen!!

This was also made possible by Larder recently acquiring its liquor license so you can now purchase an array of unique spirits and beer. (Why yes, there WILL be an upcoming spirits class called "Cocktails From the Cupboard" this month! Click here for more info!)

Here is the pairing list and you'll notice that the first piece of chocolate, Irish Stout Truffle, was all by itself since it was MADE with beer. Let's just say it melted in my mouth and I was already in heaven.

Menu

I didn't know how the other chocolate would be able to compete, but immediately after tasting the Lavender Truffle, I was blown away again. I had never had anything like that before and you could see the small slice of lavender carefully placed with tweezers by a dedicated employee. Just beautiful.

Irish Stout Truffle and Lavender Truffle

The Lavender Truffle, along with some Kickstart Granola (I always buy a canister to eat for breakfast), was paired with the Piney River Old Tom Porter. Thick liked you'd expect and I picked up a couple of these beers for Patience.

Just when you think it can't get better, I had my first Marshmallow Pie...let's just say orgasmic if you are chocolate lover. It's like a S'more but without the graham cracker getting in the way. Just a mess of chocolate and marshmallow soft goodness.

The Cowboy Candy (or pecan chipotle brittle) had a kick to it and the American Spoon Fudge Sauce was nice, but these were mostly ignored by me. All of these were paired with a Charleville Karate Kick. There really wasn't a kick per se as it was more of a light coffee stout.

Marshmallow Pie / Cowboy Candy / American Spoon Fudge Sauce

The real kick came with the Mexican Bark, which was paired with the citrusy Piney River Mo Mule IPA. (Did you know the Mule is the Missouri state animal thanks to Cindy's grandather?)

Seed Geek Chocolate Creamed Honey was paired as well and I could eat a whole jar of of it in one sitting. I used to spread it on my toast in the morning in place of peanut butter. Almost as good as Nutella!

Mexican Bark / Seed Geeks Chocolate Creamed Honey with Piney River Mo Mule IPA

A Mint Bark followed and it's a top seller come Christmas time. I loved the crunch factor of this chocolate! This was paired with a sweet and crisp Shiner Ruby Redbird.

Mint Bark with Shiner Ruby Redbird

Last but not least is Kakao's best seller, the Caramel with sea salt, which was paired with the Piney River Black Walnut Wheat. Both items had a mild flavor as to not overpower the other. Very well balanced pairing.

Caramel with sea salt with Piney River Black Walnut Wheat

Everything you see in these pictures are for sale at Larder & Cupboard and obviously the chocolate can be purchased directly from Kakao. You better believe I purchased almost all of the chocolates to share with Patience.

Resources:

Larder & Cupboard = http://www.larderandcupboard.com/

Kakao = http://www.kakaochocolate.com/

Beer and Cheese Tasting at Larder & Cupboard

As a big fan of Larder & Cupboard, I was thrilled to find out on Facebook that they would be hosting a beer and cheese tasting class at the store after hours.

The event was one in a series that was put on by The OG: St. Louis Women's Craft Beer Collective, along with another female-centric beer group "Femme Ferment". The first event in the series had been a home brew demo at O'Fallon Brewing. The last event will be to taste the "home brews" made that night.

This second event was more educational as Karen King of Side Project Brewing led the all-female class in a sensory panel of seven beers. After that, Robin Wheeler of Larder & Cupboard, guided us through a beer and cheese pairing.

I really appreciated the tall bottle of water and note cards!

Even though small, plastic cups were probably not the best for smelling, they did hold plenty of beer and I hated to leave so much leftover beer behind. We certainly got our money's worth tasting seven beers in the first round and then four more with the cheese.

Beers!

Each person had two place mats, one without names and one with. The first seven beers were passed out and were in order from lightest to darkest. And just like with wine, Karen King walked us through the tasting by having us discuss the color, whether the beer was clear or hazy (unfiltered), and then finally the smell. Of course we tasted at the very end and tried to make our best guess of the beer's style.

Starting at the top and going down in a zig zag pattern, here are the beers:

1) Morgan Street Brewery - Citrusy Lemon Beer

2) Morgan Street Brewery - Golden Pilsner

3) Urban Chestnut - Snickelfritz

4) Schlafly - Pale Ale

5) 2nd Shift - Art of Neurosis

6) Civil Life - Brown Ale

7) Deschuettes - Black Butte

As for the second round, we worked our way through several cheeses, pairing a few with each beer.

Cheese!

1) Civil Life - Oatmeal Stout = Paired with sharp cheeses, granola, and another with an expresso rub.

2) 4 Hands - Black IPA = Paired with bigger cheeses like a cheddar, blue, and chocolate honey.

3) New Holland - White IPA = Paired with more creamy and buttery cheese and a fresh sheep's milk. The IPA really helped to cut through the cream. Also paired with spicier items like salami and peppers.

4) Dupont - Saison = The lightest beer was paired with Baetje Farms semisoft cheese and the fruit/nut press.

If you follow Larder & Cupboard on Facebook, hopefully there are more classes to come!

Resources:

Larder and Cupboard = http://www.larderandcupboard.com/

The OG = https://www.facebook.com/theogstl
https://sites.google.com/site/ogwomen/

Femme Ferment = http://www.femmeferment.org/

Side Project Brewing = http://www.sideprojectbrewing.com/

Morgan Street = http://www.morganstreetbrewery.com/

Urban Chestnut = http://www.urbanchestnut.com/

2nd Shift = http://www.2ndshiftbrewing.com/

Civil Life = http://www.thecivillife.com/

Deschuttes = http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/

Schlafly = http://schlafly.com/

4 Hands = http://4handsbrewery.com/

New Holland = http://newhollandbrew.com/

Dupont = http://www.brasserie-dupont.com/

Baetje Farms = http://www.baetjefarms.com/