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Saturday, June 18, 2011

A New Belgium Menu



Zach and I have been ardent fans of New Belgium Brewery for quite some time - perhaps even since before New Belgium became quite as trendy and famous as it is now, although this may be simply wishful thinking. At any rate, given how much we admire all of the beers from New Belgium (especially, I might add, our dearest favorites, the Trippel Ale, Abby Ale, Mothership Whit, and 1554 Black Ale), you can likely imagine how the conversation went when I informed Zach that Foodbuzz and New Belgium Brewery were so kindly providing us with a stipend with which to create a dish that either features or pairs well with New Belgium Beer. I will spare you the actual quotes, because we were both so excited that some words were used, in the height of our astonishment, which may not be exactly family friendly. Suffice to say, many "guess what's?," "seriously?" and "Awesome's" were exchanged, as well as instantaneous, rapid-fire ideas for our dish, and of course, the proper showcasing menu and event.

There was only one hiccough in our glorious plan. By the time our stipend had arrived oh so generously from New Belgium, we had already moved to Ohio, and, *gasp* New Belgium beers aren't currently available in Ohio! Never to be deterred by mere logistics, however, we simply waited patiently until the occasion of Zach's graduation brought us back to Georgia, and then carefully transported a generous quantity of New Belgium Trippel and Abbey Ales (the most difficult of our New Belgium favorites to find, even in Atlanta) on the return trip to Ohio.



At last, we were able to devote our full attention, and the creation of a menu, to New Belgium beer. For the purposes of the event we decided to focus on one New Belgium beer, and create an entire menu designed to pair with the beer at hand. The Trippel Belgian Style Ale, which we selected, is beautifully balanced, both hoppy and fruity, smooth and complex, with just a hint of coriander.



Naturally, we began the evening with a cheese plate for a session of beer and cheese pairing. New Belgium's webpage suggested a Manchego sheep cheese to pair with the Trippel, so I selected the cow's milk Mantoro as an alternative twist, having never before tried this domestic version of a Manchego. The Mantoro paired brilliantly with the Trippel, possessing just enough piquency to stand up to the Trippel's complex layers without overpowering the beer altogether. We also experimented with the bold sharpness of an 8 month aged raw milk cheddar, which Zach felt stood alongside the beer with even greater success. Playing with the fruit and spice notes in the beer, we added quince paste with the cheeses, and the cohesive combination was utterly sublime - My first taste of the Mantoro and quince followed by a sip of Trippel is truly, in all its perfect simplicity, one of my most memorable food experiences!



We kept our entirely original recipe entree and side dishes fairly earthy and rustic, which I worried might begin to overpower the beer, but the combination was far more perfect that I had ever imagined - the bold earthy flavors of barley bread, meatloaf, Swiss chard, and especially spelt risotto accentuated the Trippel's crisp, refreshing spiciness and its deep rich creaminess. With our tastebuds still heightened by this culinary marriage of beer and cuisine, I foresee many more beer pairing menus in our future... Thank you, New Belgium Brewery!





Barley Bread

1 3/4 cups water
1 T salt
2 T honey
1 tsp yeast
2 3/8 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 + 1/3 cup barley flour

~ In the microwave or on the stovetop, heat the water until just barely warm (approx 110 degrees F).
~ In a large bowl, gently stir together the warm water, salt, and honey.
~ Even more gently, stir the yeast into the water mixture.
~ Watch the yeast for a few moments to make sure it foams. When it does, stir in the whole wheat flour and barley flour until you have a sticky dough. Knead by hand or with a dough hook until you have a smooth dough. Turn your dough into an oiled bowl, cover the bowl, and let the dough sit for 2 hours or so, until doubled in size.
~ Punch the dough down, then let it rise once more until doubled in size again, 1 to 2 hours this time.
~ Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Turn the dough onto an 8x8" baking pan coated with cooking spray, shape it into a loaf with your hands, and bake for approx 40 min - until a nice, dark golden brown crust has formed.
~ Let it cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing... If you can resist... ;-)





Rustic Meatloaf

1 lb ground beef OR 1 lb tofu crumbles, such as Morningstar Farms brand
1 lb ground pork OR 1 lb sausage style soy crumbles, such as Morningstar Farms brand
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 slices whole wheat bread, cut into 1/4" cubes
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
3 T milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
4 egg whites, beaten

~ Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat 2 5X9" loaf pans with cooking spray.
~ Stir together the ground beef or tofu crumbles, ground pork or soy sausage crumbles, onion, bread cubes, parsley, milk, salt, and rosemary.
~ Mix in the egg whites until well combined.
~ Divide the mixture in half, shape into 2 loaves, place in the prepared loaf pans, and bake for 45 min - until an internal temp of 165 is reached if you're using meat, or until golden brown if you're using vegetarian ingredients.
~ Let stand for 10 minutes before serving!





Spelt Risotto with Sauteed Swiss Chard

1 onion, chopped
2 T olive oil
2 cups spelt berries
6 cups vegetable broth
Splash of balsamic vinegar
1 tsp lemon zest

1 lb swiss chard, roughly chopped
2 T olive oil
2 T lemon juice

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup fat free Greek yogurt

~ In a pressure cooker pan, saute the onion in the olive oil over medium high heat until the onion is limp and translucent.
~ Stir in the spelt for a few seconds, then stir in the broth and balsamic vinegar.
~ Bring to high pressure over high heat, decrease the heat a little to maintain high pressure, and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Bring the pressure down, remove the lid, place the pot back over low heat, add the lemon zest, and simmer until all the excess liquid is absorbed.
~ While the spelt is simmering, warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and saute the swiss chard until just tender, adding the lemon juice towards the end of the cooking time. Remove from the heat, and cover to keep warm.
~ Once all the broth has been absorbed by the spelt, keep the pot over low heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted, then stir in the Greek yogurt and heat again until just rewarmed. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
~ To serve, plate a layer of the spelt risotto, and top with Swiss chard!




4 comments:

  1. Love New Belgium beer and the trippel is very tasty. I would say the 1554 Black is my favorite but I haven't tried them all :)

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  2. I love Belgium beer, but New Belgium is new to me (heck, I didn't even know there was a difference...). I'm sure I would love it though, as there are very few beers I don't love :) Your bread sounds wonderful, by the way. I bet it paired nicely with the generous gift of BEER!

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  3. I love that you based your whole menu around beer! So creative! I want a huge hunk of that bread!

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  4. I discovered this post while researching New Belgium for my marketing class. You have single handedly made me hungry and thirsty. The next beer I raise to my lips is in thanks to you. Cheers!

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