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Stocking
Stuffers for the Stout-Hearted -
Cocoa
Pete's Adventures in Chocolate!
Tuck
a collection of very special chocolates into the stocking of your
stout-hearted sweetie.
Pete
Slosberg, a former brewer and founder of Pete's Wicked Brewing Co.,
last year launched a line, "Adventures in Chocolate", now
available for sale online at www.ecoexpress.com
or call (800) 733-3495 to order by phone. Try a sampling of each of
the four flavors with Bantam Bites (nuggets that are each about the
size of a truffle), or get all four in a Bantam Bar, which is three
truffle-sized rounds dunked in chocolate together.
The flavors:
Maltimus
Maximus - As a craft brewer, Slosberg sampled the wonderful malt
balls made by the Briess malt company of Chilton. His version, Maltimus
Maximus, features crunchy bits of real brewer's malt wound around
a smooth, melted chocolate base.
Nuts
So Serious - Milk chocolate with roasted hazelnut paste (gianduja)
and chopped pistachios. While studying at the Culinary Institute of
America, Slosberg found this recipe in a 50-year old cookbook.
Berry,
Berry Dangerous - Dark chocolate studded with chewy dried strawberries.
Hallowed
Grounds - Dark chocolate with a luscious soft coffee-caramel center.
A selection of these yummy chocolates would make a great stocking
stuffer.
Pete
also writes to beercook, "Just wanted to let you know we did
our first chocolate and beer pairing as well as using our chocolates
as ingredients in a multi-course dinner at the 21st Amendment Brew
Pub in SF.
It was
really fantastic and the attendees loved it. I spent a good deal of
time with Shawn, the brewmaster ahead of time and got some incredible
combinations of beer and chocolate, for example, with our four chocolates,
we paired Maltimus Maximus with an IPA. Berry Berry Dangerous (dark
chocolate and organic strawberries) with their Red Ale, Hallowed Grounds
(soft caramel and a hint of coffee in dark chocolate) with their Imperial
Stout, and Nuts So Serious (hazelnut paste/pistachio with milk chocolate)
with their Barley Wine.
These
were really magical and we also had other beers for sampling and found
that Ommegang and the Berry Berry was even better....
For dinner,
Eddie, who is an amazing chef, used our chocolate in a Black Bean
Soup; a salad with bitter greens, walnuts and Reggiano with Aceto
Balsamico DiModena; in a Risotto with Mixed Mushrooms; a beef stew
with stout/chocolate/ and burgandy; buttery long noodles dusted with
cocoa powder (the dusting was brilliant!); and then a delicious chocolate
"pudding" pie which was actually based on an old recipe
I came across.
I always
thought this could work, but
it took an actual event to show how incredible it actually can be.
Hoppy
Holiday! Pete
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