Pairing Craft Beer with Valentine’s Day Dishes

Valentine’s Day is known for high-priced meals and equally high expectations, but let’s face it, what this holiday really boils down to is sharing dessert and bubbly with your special someone. Why not forgo the pricey meal and head straight to dessert? Pair it up with delicious craft beer and you’ve got yourself the sweetest Valentine’s Day beer tasting ever.

To make planning easy, check out our four-course dessert menu. It starts with Mini Neapolitan Bundt Cakes that are as delightful to look at as they are to eat. Light and delicate, these cakes are topped with a bright pink fluffy icing that doesn’t overwhelm the sublime flavors of the cake.

Of course, Valentine’s Day wouldn’t be the same without chocolate, and although our bundt cakes have a layer of chocolate, our Red Velvet S’mores Blossom Cookies take care of any remaining cravings. For starters, these cookies are a breeze to bake, thanks to the devil’s food cake mix called for in the recipe. They come out soft and chewy and are layered with a pillow of gooey, seared marshmallows and melty Hershey’s Kisses.

Peanut brittle is the opposite of melty, but it is so tasty with the beers we have lined up. For all three of our offerings so far, stouts and porters are the way to go. The peanut brittle and the bundt cakes are perfect when paired with Samuel Smith’s Organic Chocolate Stout. Pairing it with the peanut brittle is like adding a chocolate peanut butter cup to the menu. It also has a light touch, which brings out the chocolate in the cake without overwhelming the other flavors and texture.

Bayhawk Ales brews a chocolate porter that paired well with the cookies and the cakes, but it was Pelican Brewing Company’s Tsunami Stout that got our vote when pairing the cookies. It is jet black and strong, like a good cup of espresso. The beer tames the sweetness of the cookie and exudes roasted notes that harmonize beautifully with the caramelization of the marshmallow.

Don’t forget to save room for pie! Our Mixed Berry Love Note Pie appears to have been delivered by Cupid himself. Sealed with a heart, it is the sweetest way to send a message of love.

A dark coffee-style stout or porter could be paired with this treat, but we found quadrupels to be the real showstoppers. Ommegang Brewery’s Three Philosopher’s Quad and Avery Brewing’s The Reverend Belgium-Style Quad were our picks. They impart a mild sweetness with just a hint of stone fruit, which partners well with the buttery crust and juicy fruits in the pie.

Now that you’ve got a plan in place, complete with recipes and beer tasting ideas, all you need is your special someone to make Valentine’s Day sweeter than sweet.

Individual Neapolitan Bundt Cakes

Ingredients

For cake:

Nonstick baking spray, such as Baker’s Joy

2 ¾ cups cake flour, sifted

1 ¾ cups sugar

4 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

⅔ cup butter, softened

1 ¼ cups room temperature milk, divided

2 teaspoons vanilla

5 fresh egg whites, room temperature

Red food coloring

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 tablespoons water

¼ teaspoon baking soda

Frosting:

2 fresh egg whites

1 cup sugar

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

⅓ cup water

⅛ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Several drops of red food coloring

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Thoroughly spray the insides of each cavity in a mini bundt pan with nonstick baking spray.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter, half of the milk, and all of the vanilla. Mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes, occasionally stopping to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Mix in the remaining milk and the egg whites. Beat for 2 more minutes.

Divide the batter into 3 separate bowls, in 3 equal portions.

Leave one portion white.

To the second portion, blend in a few drops of red food coloring until the batter is dark pink.

To the third portion of the batter, blend in the cocoa, water, baking soda, and a few drops of red food coloring, until the chocolate is slightly pink.

Starting with the white batter, spoon about 2 tablespoons into the bottoms of each of the bundt cake cavities. Over that, gently and as evenly as possible, spoon about 2 tablespoons of pink batter. Don’t mix the batters. The pink should just sit on top of the white.

Finally, spoon about 2 tablespoons of the chocolate batter on top of the pink.

The bundt cake cavities should be no more than 2/3 full to allow the cake room to expand without overflowing. There should also be about half of each color of batter left to make 6 more cakes.

Bake the cakes for 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes in the pan and then remove the cakes to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

When the mini bundt pan is cool again, repeat the process of adding the batters to the pan to create the next six cakes.

Make the frosting:

Once the cakes are cool, place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat until the egg whites are thick and foamy, but before they hold a peak. Set aside to prepare the sugar.

Combine the sugar, cream of tartar, water, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Once the sugar has dissolved, boil the syrup – do not stir – for 2 minutes, or until the syrup reaches 240°F on a candy thermometer.

Once the sugar syrup is ready, start beating the egg whites again. Immediately, and carefully, pour the sugar syrup into the egg whites in a slow stream, beating constantly. The mixture will thicken.

When the syrup has been added, stir in the vanilla and red food coloring to tint the icing pink. Continue to beat until the frosting is thick and holds a peak.

Spoon the hot frosting on top of the cooled bundt cakes, swirling decoratively.

Makes 12 mini bundt cakes.

Mixed Berry Love Note Pie

Ingredients

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar, heaping

½ pound cold unsalted butter (2 sticks)

3 ounces cold water (6 tablespoons)

1-2 cups blackberries, blueberries, or strawberries, or a mixture

The juice of half a lemon

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Sparkling sugar

1 egg white

Directions:

In a food processor, combine the flour, salt, and sugar. Pulse briefly to mix. Dice the butter and scatter it over the top of the flour mixture. Pulse until the mixture forms coarse crumbs about the size of peas.

Drizzle the ice water in 2-tablespoon increments over the flour and butter mixture while pulsing the food processor, until the dough starts to come together. If the dough sticks to itself but not to your hand, it’s ready. If not, add a little bit more water.

Lay a large piece of plastic wrap on a work surface. Transfer the mixture onto the plastic wrap. Bring the mix together into a ball. Cut the ball in half and form two separate discs. Wrap each disc in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, up to 24 hours. (Dough can be frozen up to a month.)

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place one of the disks of dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll it out to about 1/8^th-inch thick, or 11-inches round. Using a pizza cutter or knife, create a square or rectangle by cutting off the rounded edges. Set the scraps aside for later.

In a bowl, lightly stir together the berries, lemon juice, sugar, and flour. Spoon the filling evenly onto the center of the dough, leaving a 2-inch border uncovered around the edge.

Fold each corner of the crust to the center of the berries to create the envelope. Dab some egg white on each corner to seal them in place. It doesn’t have to be perfect and gaps in the seams are preferred to allow air to escape. Don’t worry if a little juice from the berries seeps out while baking—it adds color.

Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, create a heart with the piecrust scraps. Brush the back of the heart with egg white and secure it to the center of the envelope. Brush the pie, including the heart, with more egg white and, if desired, sprinkle with sparkling sugar.

Bake until the filling is bubbling and the pastry is golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool slightly before serving.

Makes 2 pies.

Peanut Brittle

Ingredients

Butter for greasing cookie sheet

1 cup light corn syrup

2 cups sugar

½ cup water

2 cups roasted peanuts

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Grease 1 cookie sheet with butter and set aside. Combine the corn syrup, sugar, and water in a heavy saucepan and stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to high and boil without stirring for about 10 minutes, or until a candy thermometer registers 260°F.

Reduce heat to medium-low and add the peanuts. Stir constantly for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until a candy thermometer registers 295°F. Keep stirring while adding the butter, baking soda, and vanilla. The mixture will foam up as you do this.

As soon as the butter, baking soda, and vanilla are mixed in, immediately pour the brittle onto the greased baking sheet and spread it as evenly and thinly as possible. It will immediately start to set up and harden. Let stand until it is cooled completely.

Red Velvet Smores Blossom Cookies

Ingredients

1 package Devil’s Food Cake mix

2 eggs

¾ cup butter, softened

Red food coloring

1 package large marshmallows

1 package Hershey’s Kisses

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a couple of cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Mix the cake mix, eggs, and butter together on low in the bowl of an electric or stand mixer. This can also be done by hand. As it starts to become a paste consistency, add enough red food coloring to tint the chocolate deep red and mix well.

Scoop out about a tablespoon of cookie dough and roll it between your hands to create a ball. Space each ball about 2 inches apart on the parchment lined cookie sheets. You should have 24 cookie balls.

Bake for 9 minutes. The cookies will spread, and when cracks form on the top, the cookies are ready.

Remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Unwrap 24 Hershey’s Kisses and count out 24 marshmallows.

Move a rack in the oven to the top, closest to the broiler and turn on the broiler.

Return the cookies in a single layer to the cookie sheets. Top each cookie with a marshmallow. Place under the broiler for a few seconds, turning the cookie sheet to brown and melt the marshmallows evenly. If the tops are getting too dark before the marshmallows have melted on the bottom, remove the pan from the oven, flip the marshmallows over, and repeat under the broiler, until all the marshmallows are slightly browned and squishy.

Immediately press a Hershey’s Kiss into the top of each melted marshmallow and serve.

(All photos courtesy of Sherry Dryja)