Jax Molten Chocolate Cake

Sometimes it is really nice to take a break from thinking up new recipes. It is also really nice when other people send you theirs. This time around, I was asked to recreate this beautiful Molten Chocolate Cake (with a truffle center) from Chef Ricky Myers of Jax Fish House in Fort Collins and pair a few beers with it. Normally when I think of Jax Fish House, I’m craving their amazing oyster happy hour. As it turns out, they are great at cooking things other than fish, too. If you need proof, this recipe is it. Though I did manage to sneak a little beer into it, I also found that it pairs perfectly with quite a few different brews. For my dessert, I decided to go with the Imperial Java Stout by Santa Fe Brewing Company and even poured a 1/4 cup into the truffle center. This beer is named after coffee but I think it gives off more smooth chocolatey vibes rather than a bitter bite. Since the cake recipe has dark chocolate – which is on the bitter side – the beer paired with it like a match made in heaven. Other great pairings include: Dragon’s Milk by New Holland Brewing (if you want to double down on the richness), Vanilla Bean Buffalo Sweat by Tallgrass Brewing (if you want to keep things on the lighter side), and Shake Chocolate Porter  by Boulder Beer Company (if you’re addicted to chocolate).

What are you waiting for? It is almost Valentine’s Day which means you better get your butt to the grocery store so you can whip this chocolate goodness up for someone you love.

Birthday Macarons

Today the blog is one year old and as a (somewhat) gift to myself, I made macarons. This was a great gift because I love these amazing little French cookies but this gift was also a terror. After a year of cooking with beer, I’ve gained quite a bit of confidence in the kitchen although at times, it may be better labeled as hubris. For example, I told myself that I would be able to execute making macarons successfully on my first try. Ohhh no no no. I should’ve known these tiny devils were going to give me a hard time and totally mess up my kitchen. Nevertheless, I refused to give up and finally made perfect macarons on the third attempt (let’s not talk about what happened on the fourth). The end result was a chocolate filled dream.

Clearly there is a moral here and the moral is don’t give up. I want to say thank you to all my followers for not giving up on me during this year with Drink and Spoon. Like the first rounds of macarons, my first blog posts were messy and weird. The pictures were not good and half the time the recipes didn’t even include beer. Now, I can’t even belief some of the stuff I have been able to create. While there are still quite a few screw ups in the kitchen, Drink and Spoon has become something really great. Cheers to that.

PorchDrinking.com | Religious Experience Cookies

 

Merry Christmas, y’all! Since the most celebrated religious holiday of the year is currently happening, I’ve decided to commemorate the occasion with a big batch of sweets. I don’t care if you’re spiritual or not, you’ll definitely be praying for more after you eat these Religious Experience Cookies. For this recipe, we’ve invited The Reverend by Avery Brewing to help us find salvation. With its caramel tasting malts and strong stone fruit flavors, it is the perfect way to marry two cookies into one giant sandwich. Happy holidays and enjoy your cookie feast!

For the recipe, visit the link below!

http://www.porchdrinking.com/cooking-beer-religious-experience-cookies/

Chocolate Pretzel Pie | PorchDrinking.com

“As the days grow shorter and we get closer to Thanksgiving, the need for pie recipes becomes vitally important. During this glorious time of year, it becomes socially acceptable to eat pie at all times of day and as many times a day as you damn well please. So to keep with the spirit of things and kick off your pie binge early, I have brought you a Cappuccino Stout Chocolate Pie with a Pretzel Shortbread Crust. To keep it short, let’s call it the Chocolate Pretzel Pie….”

To read the rest of this article and get the recipe, head over to PorchDrinking.com 

 

Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Stout Cheesecake

 Dark chocolate cream cheese + raspberry filling + caramelized ginger snap crust + Feast of Fools by Magic Hat Brewing = YUM

I recently received a bottle of Feast of Fools from the ever so gracious Magic Hat Brewing. Although I was tempted to immediately drink the entire bottle of the raspberry stout, I knew I was supposed to be cooking with it. Of course, if you send beer I will cook with it but if you send a raspberry stout, it is truly hard to resist drinking too much. Luckily, I was able to suppress my urges until I came up with this cheesecake recipe. To be honest, this is literally the first cheesecake I have ever made. It might also be the last cheesecake I ever make since it is so damn good. How could something cooked with a raspberry stout not be good? It has a caramelized ginger snap crust and a raspberry filling to balance out the richness of the dark chocolate cream cheese. I’ll let you be the judge but I’m thinking this is a total WIN! Thanks Magic Hat for creating something so delicious as Feast of Fools!

 

 

Walnut Butter Cookies topped with Xocoveza Chocolate

As soon as the temperature outside starts getting cooler, my oven starts to warm up! Fall marks the beginning of cookie season and what better way to kick it off than with my new favorite beer by Stone Brewing Company, Xocoveza. This brew is a chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg, chile pepper and coffee-infused milk stout. If this is hard to wrap your head around, just think about drinking a glass of chocolate gold. It really is that amazing. I’ve had other chocoloate-chile beers but none that compare to Xocoveza. I think the trick is that there isn’t an overpowering spiciness but rather just the wonderful flavors of the chiles minus the kick. Go find yourself a bottle to see what I’m talking about. If you can spare a little bit to cook with, try out these Walnut Butter Cookies that are topped with a Xocoveza Chocolate sauce. Please, don’t limit yourself to just topping cookies with this chocolate goodness – it would be great on ice cream, muffins, cupcakes, etc. You can thank me later.

Pecan Caramel Apple Crisp | PorchDrinking.com

My latest recipe over on PorchDrinking.com is a Pecan Caramel Apple Crisp – made with Abita’s Pecan Harvest Ale. Here’s a sneak peak of the recipe…. click here to see the rest!

 

Cooking with Beer | Southern Tier Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

PorchDrinking.com Article:

Chelsea Mitchell uses Warlock and Pumking by Southern Tier Brewing Company to whip up some Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies in this edition of cooking with beer.

Double the beer = double the yumz. My latest recipe is up on PorchDrinking.com

 

http://www.porchdrinking.com/cooking-with-beer-southern-tier-pumpkin-cheesecake-brownies/

Double Chocolate Stout Poptarts

 

Serving Size: Makes 6-8 Poptarts, depending on how good you are with dough. If you want to make more, just double the dough. You should have plenty of chocolate filling.

Köttbusser Ketchup Meatloaf

Warning: It is really hard to make meatloaf attractive. Trust me that it is delicious.