If I was slightly more awesome than I am, I'd always post about things right after they happen. Sadly, that's not the case. You can only be as awesome as you already are. That's my excuse for not posting about this awesome chocobeer party I had like a month ago, like, a month ago.
Anyway, according to yours truly as quoted in the Chicago Sun-Times (also, of course, several weeks ago), all you need to have a chocolate and beer pairing are the chocolate, the beer, "a small bouquet of flowers, and napkins." A bizarre quote indeed. And also according to me in the article, these 4 items will entertain a group of 2 or 20.
That said, I pulled together most of the above items (minus the bouquet of flowers) to host a chocobeer party at the office of my friends/clients at Street Attack in Boston. And we had around 20 people or so, so I guess I was right. There were 6 different kinds of chocolate and 7 different kinds of beer. I paired each chocolate with a different beer - some pairings were based on past tastings, others were being tested out for the very first time. I stuck with Belgium for all, and featured Cote d'Or chocolate and several Belgian beers (and one Belgian-style that's made in the US):
Ommegang + Cote d'Or Milk: Ommegang is the Belgian-style beer that's made in the US. I've talked about this pairing a lot before. It's not new, but it's so good that I incorporate it to my chocobeer tastings as often as possible. The combination is just incredibly complementary. The sweetness of the beer connects with the warmth and caramel flavor of the chocolate. Ommegang makes an excellent beer pairing with sweet milk chocolates in general.
Westmalle Tripel + Cote d'Or Lait Intense: This was something of a non-pairing. The beer and chocolate didn't really clash, but didn't complement each other in any way either. It's almost like they were ignoring each other. I wouldn't recommend this pairing at all. Totally boring. Separately though, they're each quite delicious. The problem when you put them together is that the Trippel is too light and tart to meet the chocolate halfway. One taster mentioned that the Trippel has some floral qualities that would pair well with an Earl Grey-infused dark chocolate. Interesting idea. I haven't tried it.
Westmalle Dubbel + Cote d'Or 54%: The Dubbel, with a lower alcohol content than the Tripel, has a heavier mouthfeel and sweeter flavor. It's flavor is deep and soft. It was an awesome pairing with the 54%. The two mellowed each other out. The pairing was smooth and pleasing.
Rochefort 6 + Cote d'Or 70%: Another Trappist ale with a similar alcohol content to the Dubbel (around 7.5 ABV), the Rochefort 6's flavor profile did not mesh with the dark chocolate we tried it with. The beer was spicy and tasted a bit like root beer. The pairing was bizarre and random. One taster pointed out that it would be a fabulous pairing with white chocolate. I could definitely see that. It'd be like a rootbeer float. But here's the thing, a few tasters really liked this pairing. They felt that the beer mellowed out the bitterness of the chocolate - I was totally shocked, but it just goes to show that everyone's tastebuds are different.
Lindemans Raspberry Lambic + Cote d'Or 86%: I've talked about this awesome pairing so many times that I'm completely sick of writing about it. See an indepth description of what this pairing is like in this previous post. A big hit at the party, that's for sure!
Delirium Tremens + Cote d'Or Orange: I chose this pairing because the Delirium has an orange, piney taste to it that I hoped the orange bar would connect with and potentially mellow out a bit. Overall it was an excellent pairing. The beer, which has quite a bite to it, softened when it was combined with the chocolate. The orange came through both the beer and the chocolate beautifully. Deliriously delicious!
Overall, the Ommegang and Dubbel pairings are my top picks. And I continue to be convinced that mixing good chocolate and tasty alcohol is one sweet way to make friends. Check out a few more photos on flickr.
ps. I created the super cool stylized pic at the top of this post on befunky.
I just added a new category to my blog. It's called "Best Day Ever." I added it in honor of this past Sunday, which was the best day ever. It was such a great day because I spent most of it either (a) in a car with seat warmers (b) eating chocolate (c) drinking beer or (d) eating ice cream - all things that I greatly enjoy.
First Stop: The Lake Champlain Chocolate Factory in Burlington Vermont.
So here's the thing, The Lake Champlain Chocolate Factory isn't really open on Sundays. But the Factory store is, so that's where we went. Lake Champlain is a fabulous company. While I was there, I sampled truffles (both their classic truffles and a newer, smaller line that uses more exotic flavors called Small World truffles that I haven't had before) and stocked up on 5 Star Bars, which are some of the most amazing candy bars I've ever had. Though I couldn't take a tour of the factory like I hoped, I did get to peek through the window and see where all the action happens (that's me peeking in the pic at left).
Second Stop: Magic Hat Brewery in South Burlington, Vermont
I got so drunk at the Magic Hat brewery that I forgot to take pictures. Just kidding. I only got a little bit drunk. But still, I forgot to take pictures so I'm including a nice picture of a Vermont tree instead. While I was at the brewery, I got to taste a bunch of beers that they only have in-house, and that you can't actually buy anywhere except for at the brewery itself. I'm feeling a little ambivalent about posting about them... because, as I said, it's really just a tease since you can't even get them anywhere. Here's my favorite of what I tried:
Magic Hat Thumbsucker: An incredible Imperial Stout that pours almost black with notes of dark chocolate and black cherry. This would make an awesome pairing with a classic dark chocolate truffle flavored with cognac - but is a little heavy for purposes other than tasting or pairing.
Third Stop: Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory in Waterbury, Vermont
Our stop at Ben & Jerry's was short and sweet. First we walked up some stairs to watch a mooo-vie (some people chose to use the Vanillalator instead of the stairs...) where we learned that Ben & Jerry met in gym class in 7th grade and then took an ice cream making class that cost $5. Then we looked into a big room where they make ice cream and then we went to another room where we had a delicious sample of Ben & Jerry's most popular ice cream flavor, which is Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. (Note that Cherry Garcia is a close second.)
A quick sidenote: While we were in the Lake Champlain Chocolate Factory store, I made friends with the lovely girls who worked there, who made us a Vanilla Latte with real whole vanilla beans. We were such good friends that they clued me in on to how they make it. They use vanilla milk as their base - here's how to make vanilla milk at home:
Vanilla Milk
2 pints of whole milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean
Pour the milk into a heavy bottom saucepan. Slice the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape the seeds into the saucepan, then put in the vanilla bean's outer skin as well. Add the sugar, stir around a bit, and then scald to 150 degrees over med-low heat stirring constantly. (See note on scalding from this previous post.) Once that's all done, either use it right away or allow the milk to cool slightly, pour into a separate container, and keep in fridge until you want to use it. Remove the pieces of vanilla bean pod before using.
Vanilla milk doesn't have any specific uses - but it's quite delicious. I might use it for as a base for a particularly aromatic hot chocolate, froth it to top a cappuccino, add it to coffee or tea instead of regular milk, or just drink it, hot or cold.
More from the Fluff Festival that I went to last week... As I mentioned in my previous Fluff post, a bunch of us met up and went to the Independent, a bar next door to where the Fluff Festival was. They had a bunch of especially Fluffy bar and menu choices. In case you were thinking of having your own Fluff party at home, here are a couple recipes that we tried at the Independent to get you started:
Fluff Royale: Pour a shot of Creme de Cassis into a wine glass, pour Champagne over it until it's about halfway full. It doesn't matter what kind of Champagne you use because it will be mostly overpowered by the cassis anyway. Then spoon a dollop of Fluff on top. The Fluff will react with the Champagne and get all fizzy and expand to the top of the glass (see pic above).
Apple Fluffernutter Sandwich: To make this gourmet Fluffwich, get two slices of fresh sourdough bread, spread a layer of peanut butter and a layer of cream cheese on one piece of bread, top with a layer of thinly sliced macintosh apples, and then spread a layer of fluff on the other piece of bread and put it all together. For added effect, you can toast the bread beforehand.
In my last post, I outlined a pairing session in which we tested out the full range of Lindemans Lambic beers with 6 different Cote d'Or chocolates. The goal of the pairing session was to develop 3 'perfect' pairings to present at the All Candy Expo in Chicago (which was last week). Below are the 3 pairings that I decided on, along with in-depth tasting notes and a summary of reactions from the hundreds of people who tried them at the expo. In general, I have tasters go from light, sweeter chocolate to darker, more intense chocolate:
Lindemans Pomme (Apple) Lambic with Cote d'Or Lait Intense: The Lait Intense features a layer of dark (54%) chocolate encased in milk chocolate. The bar has notes of warm caramel that come through quickly. The sweet, light cider-like apple lambic has it's own gentle caramel nuance. Together, the caramel notes in both elements connect for an explosive 'caramel apple' combined flavor. Milk chocolate has a lower melting point than darker chocolate, and therefore the chocolate begins to coat your palette immediately; it's flavor and sweetness come through really quickly - you don't have to wait for anything, it's really instant gratification. This pairing was an ideal one to start with because it was instantly convincing to the many tasters who came by who had never imagined that chocolate and beer could be a good pairing. Also note that this pairing is the least subtle of the 3 that were being presented.
Lindemans Pomme Lambic with Cote d'Or Noir Orange: With this one, I chose to pair the same lambic we had in the first pairing with a different chocolate to demonstrate that a different chocolate will change the taste of the beer altogether. That said, most people who tried this second pairing were extremely surprised that the beer was the same one that they had just tried. When a particular chocolate and a particular beer are paired, they combine, interact, and change each other and become a single flavor experience. So rather than connect with the caramel warmth as the Lait Intense did, the Noir Orange, which is a 64% bar with candied orange peel, interacted with the bitter notes of the lambic and highlighted its tartness. The pairing was light, tart, extremely crisp, and quite summery.
Lindemans Framboise (Raspberry) with Cote d'Or Brut 86%: The raspberry lambic has a heavier mouthfeel and fuller body than the apple. The dark berry flavor of this lambic also has more depth, and can stand alongside an extremely dark chocolate such as the 86%. The 86% has a much slower melting process than the Noir Orange and (certainly) the Lait Intense. It needs something that will last alongside it with a flavor that will measure up and not be easily overpowered. The raspberry lambic at once softens the bitter notes of the 86% without covering up the cacao flavor. It also brings out some of the very subtle dark berry nuances that are inherent in the 86%. This pairing was velvety and rich.
Reactions: People's overall response to the pairings was (1) surprise at the concept that beer and chocolate could be paired together, (2) surprise at how caramel-apple like the first pairing is, and how quickly and clearly the tastes come through, (3) surprise at how different the very same beer tastes with a different chocolate in the second pairing, (4) surprise at how gentle yet deep the cacao flavor of the 86% is in light of the softening effect of the raspberry lambic. Since the expo was for buyers and retailers, many people asked how they might hold such a chocolate and beer tasting at their respective boutiques. A lot of people also commented that all of the beers in the pairing were quite sweet, asking if that's why the combinations were so complementary. My response to this is that in addition to the sweet lambics, dark, rich, and/or malty beers that have notes of molasses, honey, and/or caramel have great potential to make beautiful pairings. The beers that won't go so well are the light, tart ones.
And people's favorite pairing was split pretty evenly between the 3 pairings. Each person identified with the flavor set that best matched his or her style and preferences. Personally, my favorite pairing is the 3rd one.
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A couple weeks ago I held a Cote d'Or and Lindemans Lambic pairing session with a bunch of friends to test out some ideas for my Cote d'Or presentation at the All Candy Expo, which was this past Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. In this post, I'm going to go through all of the pairings that we tried during the first pairing session. In my next post, I'll go through the final pairings that were presented at the Expo, more in-depth tasting notes, and so on.
A Lambic is a spontaneously fermented beer that can only be made southwest of Brussels in Belgium. As a matter of fact, it's one of the oldest styles of beer in the world. And by spontaneously fermented, I mean that within around a 20 mile radius in that region, there are wild yeast cultures in the air that descend upon the brew all by themselves. The yeast is never actually added, Lambic breweries pretty much just leave the windows open and things happen all on their own. As I learned this past Sunday while I was at 'beer school' in a bar in Chicago with Brian Van Zandbergen, an incredibly knowledgeable beer expert from Lindeman's importer, Merchant du Vin, Lambics are 60% wheat, 40% barley, and are made with "aged" (also known as stale) hops. Most of the Lambics that I tested out in our pairing session two weeks ago were fruit Lambics - such as apple, raspberry, and cherry - all quite sweet, though with varying levels of depth and body. Brian explained that Lindemans, one of a handful of Lambic producers in Belgium, adds their fruit (in puree form) after the fermentation process is complete, so that the sweetness of the fruit is preserved. Another Lambic producer that I tried a couple months back, Mort Subite, adds their fruit before the fermentation process, so you get more of the tartness and much less of the sweetness of the fruit. That said, overall, the Mort Subite line of Lambic beers does not make a very good pairing with chocolate, while the much sweeter Lindemans pairs extremely well. Tartness (in beer, wine, or other spirits) quite often goes sharply against the taste of chocolate.
Anyway, here's a brief rundown of what we tasted during the first pairing session. We were pairing the Lambics below with the Cote d'Or Lait, Lait Intense, Noir 54%, Noir 70%, Brut 86%, and Noir Orange:
Lindemans Pomme (Apple) Lambic: The general consensus with this one was that it paired very nicely with the Cote d'Or Lait Intense, a bar with a layer of dark chocolate encased in milk chocolate, and with the Cote d'Or Noir Orange, a 64% cacao bar infused with candied orange peel. It was not a good match with the darker chocolates, the 70% and the 86%; and it was ok (but not spectacular) with the 54%, and the Cote d'Or Lait.
Lindemans Peche (Peach) Lambic: This one was pretty good with several of the bars in the line, but not remarkable with any one of them. Almost everyone preferred this one with the Lait Intense layered bar, a couple of us liked the darker (70% and 86%) pairing, and a couple of us liked the Lait pairing. Looking at my notes today, it looks like no one really liked this Lambic with the 54%.
Lindemans Framboise (Raspberry) Lambic: This one was fabulous with the 86% (I'm familiar with that pairing from past sessions... and it was still just as good), and quite good with the 70% and medium good with the 54%. I thought it was horrible with the layered Lait Intense, but some people in the group liked that pairing, much to my surprise.
Lindemans Kriek (Cherry) Lambic: So, the Mort Subite Lambic I had a month ago that I mentioned above was also a cherry Lambic. It was incredibly tart and sour and made a 100% terrible pairing with the 86% bar I was hoping to pair it with at the time... so, having not yet been to beer school and not understanding the difference between different Lambic production processes, I thought that the Lindemans Cherry would be terrible as well.... but that wasn't the case at all! As a matter of fact, it was an all-around favorite. It went beautifully with practically everything in the Cote d'Or line, but the star pairing was with the Noir 54%.
Lindemans Cassis Lambic: This one went best with the 54%, but was too odd and tart for the lighter milk chocolates and went bitterly against the 86%. Not an ideal pairing either way.
Lindemans Cuvee Rene Grand Cru Gueuze Lambic: So this Lambic doesn't have any fruit added to it. Gueuze is a blend of one-year and two-year Lambics that then go through a second fermentation in the bottle. The taste is incredibly crisp and tart with notes of green grape skins and granny smith, which, while rather interesting all on its own, made a pretty terrible pairing with the chocolates we were trying. The only one that was somewhat tolerable was the Cote d'Or Lait. But 'tolerable pairings' weren't quite what we were going for.
Photographs of Lindemans Lambic Beers from Merchant Du Vin website.
Not one, but two chocolate desserts found their way onto a plate right in front of me this week:
Pots de Creme at The Beehive: I've been wanting to check out The Beehive ever since it opened in Boston's South End a couple months ago. The space is theatrical and cavernous, full of velvet and exposed brick (pic above). We liked it a lot there, at least until the music started... which was great, but it ended our conversation pretty much instantly. Thankfully, by that point, dessert had arrived and we just focused our attention on the earthenware crock of chocolate pot de creme in front of us. A bit of a twist on the smallish "pot" that this French dessert usually arrives in, the Beehive's version seemed pretty huge in comparison (though it's not like it was that big, just bigger than the norm - and anyway, we were sharing it between the two of us). After an exhaustive search through a mountain of homemade, barely sweetened whipped cream sprinkled with nutmeg (don't get me wrong, the whipped cream was fabulous... there was just a little too much of it), we found the chocolate part of the dessert. It was dense, stiff, and rich - much stiffer than classic pots de creme. The chocolate flavor was intense but not bitter at all, on the sweet side with notes of caramel.
Cocoa Bean Souffle at Oleana: Oleana is one of my favorite restaurants. Last night, four of us sat outdoors at a little table in their beautiful enclosed garden. We ended a really delicious dinner with a frozen cocoa bean souffle with a cocoa hazelnut tartlet topped with cocoa sherbet. We paired it with a late harvest Cabernet Sauvignon by Coturri Winery in Sonoma Valley. It was incredibly interesting - an exploration of the vast flavors and textures of the cacao bean. The souffle was mild and gentle on the palette, yet it had a lot of flavor. The smoothness of the souffle was a big contrast to the extremely crunchy, lively texture of the tartlet, which was intense and explosive. And the sherbet was just barely sweet, a little bitter, and had a focused, even, deep cacao flavor. Overall, the dessert made a pretty good pairing with the Cabernet, which was rich and port-like, though the souffle got somewhat overpowered and would have been better with a gentler, airier wine.
Pairing red wines and pure dark chocolate can be tricky – in general, I’ve found that big, medium to full-bodied, jammy reds work well, while tart, light-bodied reds do not (though there are always exceptions). Even before you taste, you can often pick out a red that will go well with chocolate purely by smell. Sweet aromas of ripe, sweet fruits such as cherries and raspberries as well as rich aromas of cocoa, black plums, and dried figs are tell-tale signs of good pairing potential.
These past few months I've had the great pleasure of working with Belgium's Cote d'Or to develop some interesting wine and spirit pairings for their Experiences line and their Petits. It's been quite an enlightening task thus far. My favorite bar in the Cote d'Or line is the Noir 70%. Here are a some tasting notes for the Noir 70% as well as a Shiraz and a Zinfandel blend that make extremely interesting pairings:
Cote d'Or Noir 70%: A real asset to the Cote d'Or line, this 70% is nicely-balanced with a smooth, even texture, a strong snap, and aromas of red fruits that open into flavors of raspberries and cherries as the chocolate melts.
This past Wednesday, I had the pleasure of leading a Cote d'Or chocolate pairing at Foreign Cinema in San Francisco. The people that were part of the tasting are all deeply involved in gourmet food in one way or another (or several ways), and I was able to get some really interesting feedback from an array of sophisticated palettes.
One of the tasters asked if I had ever paired chocolate and aged tequila - and no, I had never tried it before. Nearing the end of the tasting, we tested out the idea:
Gran Centenario Anejo: This tequila is aged between 18 and 36 months. It is smooth on the tongue with aromas of pine and bitter orange, and flavors of orange and candied fruits.
Cote d'Or Noir Orange: We all agreed that the Cote d'Or Noir Orange bar would (and does) make a good pairing with the aged tequila. Cote d'Or Noir Orange is a 64% cacao bar with candied orange peel. As often happens with spirits with such a high level of alcohol, the first half second of the pairing was sharp and somewhat jarring. I've also found that this occur with certain cognacs that I've paired. But that initial phase fades quickly, moving on to an interesting blending of flavors. The piney, orange flavors of the tequila act as a springboard for the orange flavors of the chocolate, adding a subtlety that changes and softens the overall experience of the bar to an earthier, woodier orange taste.
Last night I was at The Butcher Shop in Boston's South End. I was hoping to order some wine and something sweet, but we got there just after the kitchen was closed, so I had to settle for wine by itself. To get my sweet fix, I ordered a tasting flight of three Banyuls dessert wines. Banyuls dessert wines are produced in the appellation of Banyuls in the Pyrenees region of Southwestern France.
2004 Banyuls Domaine du Traginer Rimage: Deep purple red color, dark berry aromas. Flavors of blackberry and blueberry with undertones of cocoa and licorice.
2001 Banyuls Traginer Blanc: Medium amber color. Aroma and flavor of apricot. Undertones of vanilla, mango. Light and buttery.
1999 Banyuls Rimage Mise Tardive: The lightest aroma of the flight. Reminiscent of port. Flavors of spice, honey, and molasses. Earthy undertones.
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