Decadent desserts made with beer

Bringing two delicious vices together

Fondling a frosty mug or two full of cold crisp beer is one of the best ways to spend an evening…savoring a delicious dessert after a good meal is just as bliss. Just think of the edible ecstasy created when these two vices are combined. Dessert made with beer – an up and coming trend that has a special showing at the annual Philly Beer Week, held this year March 7 through March 16.

Brewing up the best of desserts

Bringing the beer and dessert trend to center stage is executive pastry chef Dan Pino at Nineteen (XIX) café, bar and restaurant located on the 19th floor of The Park Hyatt at The Bellevue at Broad and Walnut Streets. Chef Pino will be brewing up Sticky Toffee Pudding with Malted Weyerbacher Old Heathen Stout Ice Cream, Coffee Mascarpone Cream and Brooklyn Brown Braised Pineapple; Milk Chocolate Mousse with Red Hook Ale Sorbet, Spiced Mango Cream and Apricot Marmalade; Macerated Raspberries with Sly Fox O'Reilly's Stout foam, Sesame Powder and Shaved Dark Chocolate; and a selection of beer ice creams and sorbets.

Opt for magnificent micro-brews

First and foremost, when chosen correctly, a great beer can enhance the taste of a decadent dessert. Note that the mass-produced beer you chugged in college is not going do a dessert any justice. However, the well-crafted microbrews – and there are plenty to choose from – will pair best with a sweet treat as well as be the best choice to use as an actual ingredient for an ale-centric dessert.

Creative combinations make dazzling desserts

Choosing the right beer is truly a matter of tasting and testing. The array of microbrew flavors gives you a near endless opportunity to combine dessert and drink. Chocolate stout, oatmeal stout, and pumpkin ale are dessert-like just to drink but imagine them respectively added to your favorite chocolate cake, oatmeal cookie, or pumpkin pie recipes. Yum! And don't forget the fruity or honey ales – they add a nice depth of flavor to a standard fruit pie. In baking, a good rule of thumb is to substitute your favorite brew for half the liquid called for in your dessert recipe.

Beer is truly a natural for baking

Another consideration is texture. Thick, darker beers have a good body for heavier desserts like chocolate cakes and pies. Lighter beers, such as Belgian wheat beers are better suited for lighter desserts like ice cream or vanilla cakes. Regardless, the inevitable carbonation in beer can act as a leavener and lighten up dense desserts and make lighter sweets even lighter.

Even if you cannot attend the Philly Beer Week events, you can create your own dessert-beer decadence at home.

Craft brew dessert recipes

All recipes courtesy of Chef Dan Pino, XIX Restaurant

Macerated Raspberries with Sly Fox "O'Reilly Stout" Foam and Shaved Dark Chocolate

Makes 4 servings

Stout foam:
2-3/4 cups milk
2-3/4 cups cream
1 cup sugar
2-3/4 cups your favorite stout

Directions:
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk, cream and sugar and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Transfer to a mixing bowl and chill, about 2 hours. Add the stout and whip mixture with beaters until foamy, about 5 minutes. Chill until ready to use.

Macerated raspberries:
2 pints raspberries
1 tablespoon sugar
Pinch kosher salt

Directions:
Puree and strain 1 pint of raspberries with the sugar and salt. Toss the second pint of raspberries with the puree.

Grated chocolate:
8 ounces 73% dark chocolate

Directions:
Grate chocolate on a box grater.

Assemble:
Spoon about a 1-ounce puddle of stout foam onto a plate. Gently arrange the macerated raspberries in the middle of the foam. Sprinkle the grated chocolate generously over and around the raspberries. Serve immediately.

Belgian Abbey Dubbel Almond Brittle Milk Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
2 cups finely chopped almond brittle (recipe below)
2 quarts heavy cream
1 quart whole milk
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1-1/4 cups milk powder
2-1/4 cups sugar
28 egg yolks
3 bottles Flying Fish Belgian Abbey Dubbel
2 cups roughly chopped almond brittle
1 cup milk chocolate chunks

Directions:
Combine almond brittle, cream, milk, corn syrup, and milk powder in a large saucepot and heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved and temperature is 140 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar and egg yolks until mixture is a uniform yellow color. Slowly stir the hot cream into the egg mixture then transfer mixture back into the saucepot. Cook the mixture until the temperature reaches 185 degrees F. Chill for 24 hours.

Add the Belgian Abbey Dubbel. Pour this mixture into an ice cream machine and process according to manufacturer's instructions. When ice cream is made, fold in the rough chopped almond brittle and the milk chocolate chunks. Freeze until firm.

Almond Brittle

Ingredients:
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
1 cup corn syrup
12 ounces slivered almonds
Pinch salt
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:
Combine water, sugar, and corn syrup and cook in a large saucepot to 250 degrees F. Mix in nuts and salt and cook to 295 degrees F, stirring constantly. Take the pot off the flame and mix in the butter, baking soda, and vanilla extract. Stir until the butter is melted. Pour mixture onto a well-buttered cookie sheet. Let cool and harden then coarsely chop. Brittle can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.