Two Sundays ago I decided to go all out in the kitchen, and one result was my Chocolate Java Head Stout Truffles. I love their richness and how they melt in your mouth. My fellow BeerCampPhilly folks also enjoyed them, along with some others from IndyHall. That’s how chocolate should be.

Chocolate Java Head Stout Truffles

Truffles Ingredients
8 oz chocolate (I used a blend of semi-sweet, bittersweet and unsweetened, only because that’s what I had available)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup stout syrup

Stout Syrup Ingredients
1/2 cup Tröegs Java Head stout
1/4 cup sugar (I used my homemade vanilla bean sugar*)

Directions
Put the chocolate in a heat-save bowl and set aside.

Over medium high-heat, stir together sugar and beer for the syrup. Stir regularly to keep mixture from burning and reduce until the syrup slowly drips off the spoon. This will yield about 1/4 cup.

Once the syrup is made, heat the cream in a pot over medium-high heat until it comes to a simmer. Stir occasionally. Add the stout syrup a few tablespoons at a time, stirring to incorporate.

Once all the syrup is mixed into the cream (you can use less if you’d like), pour the hot mixture over the chocolate. If you have a lid for the bowl, put it on and let the chocolate and cream sit for 3-5 minutes, undisturbed. Then mix together.

If you have some unmelted chocolate lumps, microwave the mixture in 15-20 second bursts, stirring well after each time.

Refrigerate mixture for 2 hours. Once fully chilled, scoop out truffles with a melonballer, firming up the shape in your hands. However, I was having no luck with this method and spent more time with chocolate on my hands. I googled “truffle shaping tips” and came across this gem from Chowhound, in which you line a container with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. For me, this was less messy and headache inducing. However, when I went to cut the truffles into squares, the chocolate began fracturing where it wanted. Thus, my truffles look like thick, dark chocolate bark, but let’s see who complains.
(Inspired by Sweet Fiend at Endless Simmer, with the basic truffle-making directions adapted from Simply Recipes.)

*The vanilla bean sugar is super easy to make. I followed the directions from A Year from Scratch, but than took it a step further. I used the leftover vanilla bean pod from when I made a vanilla bean finishing salt. I followed AYFS’ directions (so easy) and basically forgot about the sugar for 5 days. Once I remembered, I pulled the slightly mummified vanilla bean pods out of the sugar and finely ground them in my spice grinder. Then I added my sugar (it was about 1/3 cup or a little more) into the grinder to incorporate. The mixture is fragrant and can be used in a variety of applications.

Craft Beer, Recipes Comments Off

Are you a food and/or drink blogger? Do you reside within the Philadelphia Metro area? Do you like other food and/or drink bloggers?

If you answered yes, then contact me via email at

melomel82 at gmail dot com

I’m helping Wendy of La Phemme Phoodie find all you interested folks so we can plan a blogger meetup. You game?

Miscellany Comments Off

This morning, the lovely Suz, or Beerlass as many know her, put out the call on Twitter for stories on how some of the IPA beer clubbers fell into love with craft beer (a propro for Valentine’s Day, right?) So I jumped on her request and sent her a little something of a short, silly story.

Check it out and feel the love.

Miscellany 1 Comment »

Ray drinking 2-Year Cask Aged Wee Heavier at Nodding Head for the Wood'ja event.

On Saturday, Feb. 12 Ray and I decided to combine our annual Anti V-Day dinner (which is always at Nodding Head) and the brewpub’s Barrel-Aged Beers event, Wood’ja.

This was not your typical bourbon barrel event; instead, these were beers that rocked out in some funky barrels, providing attendees with something sour to think about. Nodding Head featured 3 sours and had 2 special guest beers on tap:

• Cask Two-Year-Old Wee Heavier (9.5% ABV): Strong, Scottish-style ale that has been aged in a wooden cask that once held Calvados brandy, and more recently JW Lees Harvest Ale. This ale is very dark in color, and full-bodied with a roasty character and sweet malt flavors. The menu also read “Crazy sour … not for the faint at heart.”

• Pho-Tay (7% ABV): NH’s O-Tay aged in the Phunk Barrel. This beer started  as a golden ale brewed with 84 pounds of organic buckwheat and Belgian yeast, giving it a unique spicy character. After barrel-aging, it picked up oak and brett characteristics.

• Saison De La Tete (6% ABV):A blend of a young saison, and a sour barrel aged, low alcohol, hoppy pale ale. The flavors from the brettanomyceys and oak add some punch to the slightly funky saison character.

Special Guests
• Russian River Consecration (10% ABV): A Belgian-style Dark Strong Ale aged in American oak Cabernet Sauvignon barrels. Kicking up the funk Russian River uses Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus, and Pediococcus, and adds currants to the beer while it barrel-ages. This beer was served still (though the menu did not point this out, and it should have).

• Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Grand Cru (9.2% ABV): A blend of barrel-aged Bigfoot, Celebration and Pale Ale.

Ray had the Wee Heavier and Pho-Tay, while I ordered the Consecration and Saison de la Tete. I wish Nodding Head had let attendees know that the beer  would be served still, because it was a major shock to my senses. I didn’t quite care for it (I picked up notes of nail polish remover mid-way through), but Ray liked it. Ray also has a better tolerance for high alcohol beverages, whereas my senses get shocked severely.

I found the Wee Heavier to be very interesting, and the Saison de la Tete was very balanced and refreshing. Pho-Tay surprised both of us; I had ordered O-Tay a week ago and hadn’t really cared for the finish, but Pho-Tay hit everything right on the nail.

For the Anti V-Day portion of our night, Ray ordered the Duck BLT with boursin and cranberry ail, while I had the mussels specical, which was served in a coconut curry broth. It was delicious. Ray tried his first mussel (didn’t like it), but agreed that the broth was top-notch. He ordered a cask conditioned Goldihops (very hoppy light bodied golden ale (4.75% ABV) with tons of hop flavor and aroma without high alcohol or bitterness), while I had the Belgian Chocolate Stout. The stout was excellent, but I think Flying Fish’s Exit 13 Belgian Chocolate Stout still takes the cake for me. Mmmmm chocolate!

Brewpubs, Craft Beer 2 Comments »

I’ve been getting my bake on a lot (check out my new venture, Cupcake Friday), so when I came across a recipe for Ale and Pretzel Soft Caramels from Sprinkle Bakes, I knew I had to try it with some of our Extra Fancy Brown Ale.

Extra Fancy Brown Ale Pretzel Caramels
(adapted from Sprinkle Bakes original recipe)
Ingredients
1 12 oz. bottle of Extra Fancy Brown Ale
2 cups sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup light corn syrup
1 8 oz. package pretzel rods, broken into 1 inch sections
Kosher or sea salt for light sprinkling
wax paper for wrapping caramels

Directions
In a small saucepan bring 1 cup of brown ale to a simmer and reduce to approximately 1/2 tbsp. This will take about 15-20 minutes and yield a concentrated ale flavoring. Set aside.

Butter a 13 x 9 inch pan and set aside. Combine remaining beer and all other ingredients except ale reduction in a heavy pot—I used an 8 quart stock pot to give the caramel plenty of room. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Butter will melt and mixture will begin to boil.

Continue to cook until candy thermometer reaches 244 degrees, this will take about 30 minutes.  You can test your caramel in a bowl of ice water to check the consistency.  It should form a firm ball.

When the correct temperature has been reached, stir in the ale reduction and remove from heat.  Pour into prepared pan and top with pretzel bits. Sprinkle lightly with salt.

Cool for several hours or place in fridge until firm.  Remove caramel block from pan and turn pretzel-side up on a cutting board (if refrigerated, let caramel block warm up a little for easier cutting).  Cut around the pretzels into 1″ pieces.  Wrap caramels so they keep their shape.

This was my first time making caramel and it was pretty easy, though I don’t think I have true soft caramels—you have to hold them in your mouth a bit to get them to soften, but the flavor is nice. Not too sweet … I wonder if the brown ale helps with that at all?

As you can see in the photo to the right, I had a 9×13 brick of caramel with pretzels submerged. I had to do a bit of fighting to dislodge the caramel, then slowly but surely cut them into individual candies. Ray brought a container to IndyHall today, and I have a container for my coworkers, so it’ll be interesting to get their opinions on my confections.

Homebrewing, Recipes 1 Comment »