Dessert

Gingerbread Ale Pudding with Beer Whipped Cream & Fall Beers for Non-Pumpkin People

13.10.2014 11 Comments

Gingerbread Ale Pudding with Beer Whipped Cream & Fall Beers for Non-Pumpkin People

By the time October rolls around, Pumpkin ALL The Things has hit it’s crescendo. Pumpkin beer lists have been made, all the Top Ten have been analyzed and disputed, and frankly, most of us have pumpkin weary palates. Thankfully there is a mountain of non-squash related beers that fall has to offer.

Barrel aged beers are starting to be released after spending most of the summer aging in liquor barrels they finally see the inside of bottles and are shipped to your nearest bottle shop. A few to seek out:

Surly Brewing – Barrel Aged Darkness

Founders Brewing – Backwoods Bastard

The Bruery – Black Tuesday

Brooklyn Brewery – Black Ops

Fresh hop beers have a very small brewing window. The vast majority of beer is made with either hop pellets (that look a bit like bunny food), or with hop flowers that have been dried for storage. The few weeks between late summer and early fall when hops come into season and the yearly harvest begins, is the only time that brewers can use a fresh hop right off the bine (yes, it’s spelled "bine"). Once picked, fresh hops run the risk of going bad if not dried fairly quickly making this time of year a golden window for some exceptional beers. A few to seek out:

Barley Brown – Tank Slapper

Sierra Nevada – Harvest Series

Bale Breaker – Piled High Imperial Fresh Hop

Rogue Farms – Wet Hop Ale

Brown Ales don’t get enough airtime. A nice smooth transition from the session IPA’s of summer to the deep roasty stouts of winter, the brown ale is your bridge. The perfect fall beer when you aren’t quite ready to accept that snow is on it’s way but you want something deeper than a pale ale. A few to seek out:

Bell’s Beer – Best Brown Ale

Cigar City – Cubano Style Espresso Brown

Sixpoints – Brownstone

Mankato – Leaf Raker

Then we have these one of a kind beers. Like this Gingerbread Ale from Bison Brewing that just tastes like fall and scarcely has competition in it’s category. With beautiful spice flavors of fall and a deep rich color and flavor, it’s perfect for those who want to indulge in fall beers but would rather eat their vegetables than drink them.

I, of course, took it one step further and made an easy ten minutes pudding that would also be brilliant as a pie filling. But serving it out of half-pint glasses works too.

Gingerbread Ale Pudding with Beer Whipped Cream

Print Recipe

Ingredients

¾ cup sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp Vietnamese cinnamon
1 ¼ cups heavy cream
1 cup gingerbread ale pumpkin ale or brown ale will also work
2 large egg yolks
3 tbs unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Whipped Cream:
1 cup heavy cream
½ tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup powdered sugar
3 tbs gingerbread ale pumpkin ale or brown ale will also work

Instructions

In a saucepan off heat stir together the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk in the cream, beer, and egg yolks until well combined.
Add the butter and vanilla, add pan to medium high heat. Stir constantly until butter has melted and the mixture has thickened, about 6 minutes.
Pour evenly between four small serving dishes. Chill until cooled and set, about 1 hour.
Just prior to serving add the cream, vanilla and powdered sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on high until soft peaks form. While the mixer is still running, slowly add the remaining 3 tablespoons beer, continue to beat until cream stiffens up. Top pudding with whipped cream.

Notes

To make a pudding pie, just pour pudding into a pre-baked and cooled 9-inch pie shell. Top with whipped cream just prior to serving.

Pretzel Crusted Chocolate Beer Fudge Cookies

29.09.2014 12 Comments

I’ve never really been the girl with the sweet tooth. I’ve had a meat tooth. A salt tooth. A beer tooth. I could eat my weight in guacamole or tater tots and it takes a small act of God to get me to stop eating sushi. But sweets don’t give me the mad rabid cravings that get me to lose my mind. I love chocolate, and pie and cake, and I’ll always eat dessert if it’s around. I’ll take a small slice of every single pie at the Thanksgiving table, but those late night cravings that come after a few IPA’s are almost always of the salty variety.

But every once in a while something will hit the right note. Like this toffee that I ate the entire batch of before I could share and then lied and said it fell on the ground when really it just fell into my mouth. The perfect combination of sweet and salty will get me every time. A little sea salt sprinkle on a danish before it’s baked, or salted caramel, or candied bacon, it’s hard for me to really fall in love with a dessert that doesn’t kick me some salt. Which is why pretzels seem to make it into my desserts more often than fruit does. Maybe you like this too, after all, chocolate and pretzels go perfectly with beer.

Pretzel Crusted Chocolate Beer Fudge Cookies

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup bread flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
½ tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp espresso powder
¼ cup granulated sugar
10 wt oz about 1 ¾ cups, chopped good quality dark chocolate (60% cocao)
4 tbs unsalted butter cut into cubes
2 tbs vegetable oil
1/2 cup black IPA stout or porter will also work
1 large egg plus 1 yolk
2 cups mini pretzels
2 tbs golden brown sugar

Instructions

In a bowl add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, espresso powder, and sugar, mix until well combined. Set aside
In a microwave safe bowl add the chocolate, the butter and the oil. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, stir and repeat until melted. Don't over heat or the chocolate will seize.
Stir in the beer.
Add the chocolate mixture, egg and yolk to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined, some lumps are OK.
Cover and refrigerate until the dough as has set, about 1 hour and up to 36.
Preheat oven to 350.
Add the pretzels and brown sugar in a food processor. Process until pretzels are broken up but large pieces still remain.
Using a cookie dough scoop, make balls just a bit smaller than golf balls, roll into shape with your hands. Place dough balls into pretzel mixture, press until pretzels are coated.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, add cookie balls
Bake cookies at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until the edges have set but the center is still soft. Cookies will firm up as they cool. Don't over-bake or the cookies will be dry and crumbly.

Caramel Apple Brown Ale Cake

03.09.2014 17 Comments

I was once asked to write a piece about apples for a print magazine. Seems easy enough, I did grow up on a farm flanked by apple orchards. But here’s the problem: I tend to be a bit opinionated about certain things. Most issues bring out a very "live and let live" spirit in me, but ask my opinion and I’ll tell you.

For instance, this exchange happened recently:

I was at Nordstroms Rack recent perusing the discounted designer shoes and a woman had her foot stuck into a particularly hideous pair of white and black slingbacks. "You look stylish, can I ask you a question?" She asked as I tried to squeeze past her. I said yes, of course. "Do these look good on me?"

As any man can tell you, the immediate answer should be "Of course, you look fantastic, no one has ever looked better in mid-range kitten heels!" But I’m not typical, and I never want to hear that. I want the truth, sorry Jack Nicholson, I can handle it. So I assume if you ask a complete stranger—rather than the man whom you’re letting see you naked on the regular— you want the actual truth. If you don’t, don’t ask me.

"No, those are terrible." I said, in a sympathetic tone.

She looked genuinely shocked, as if she’d cobbled them herself in an elf-infested cottage. "They aren’t flattering to your toes, they don’t seem to fit well and the pattern looks dated. Try these." I said, grabbing her a slightly higher heeled pair with a more muted pattern and a larger opening at the toe. They were also a half size bigger.

"But I’m not a 7 1/2." She said as she slid her foot into the perfect fitting pair of shoes.

"Yes you are, just try them on. No one can see the size." They looked great on her, "See, your legs look longer, your toes look smaller and that shoe goes with more things."

"Oh, wow. Thank you." She bought them. And to this day I imagine her saying a silent thank you to the girl in the discount clothing store for talking her into buying them every time she gets compliments on her favorite pair of shoes.

I’m going to do this for you right now with apples, like I did for that print magazine.

Don’t ever, under any circumstance, ever, ever, cook with a Red Delicious apples. It’s a giant mistake and your baked goods will suffer. Like a vapid 22-year-old in a mini skirt holding a cosmo at a trendy bar: all the good qualities are on the outside. Sure they look good, but nothing on the inside is worth the stunning good looks. The flesh of a Red Delicious is mushy, mealy, and breaks down during cooking.

What should you use? I’m so glad you asked. You need an apple that can take a punch. You need one that has a bit of a sour bite to balance the sugar in your recipe. I love Honey Crisp, although some can tend to be a touch sweet and occasionally mushy (but that’s rare and usually for an overripe apple), SweeTangos are fantastic but hard to find. Granny Smith is an easy go-to, although a bit more sour than other varieties. However, the flesh stands up to baking, and the tartness is a great balance to the sweetness of a baked good.

Just don’t ask my opinion about your shoes or produce unless you’re prepared for the truth. But then again, I think you can handle it.

Caramel Apple Brown Ale Cake

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the caramel layer:

3 tbs butter
1 cup white sugar
¼ cup brown ale
2 tbs cream
2 large SweeTango or Granny Smith apples sliced

For the cake layer:

1 1/3 cup AP flour
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 large egg
2/3 cup brown ale
1/4 cup heavy cream
¼ cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

Add the butter, white sugar and brown ale to a saucepan over high heat. Stir until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Allow to boil without stirring until dark amber color, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the cream, allow to cool until the bubbling stops.
Arrange the apples slices in a cake pan or deep dish pie pan that has been well greased.
Pour the caramel over the apples.
Ina large bowl stir together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, salt, white sugar and brown sugar.
Make a well in the dry ingredients, add the eggs, beer, cream, melted butter and vanilla, stir until just incorporated.
Pour batter over apples.
Bake at 325 for 45 minutes or until golden brown and top springs lightly when touched.
Wait precisely ten minutes, invert on a serving plate to remove from pan.

Pumpkin Porter Beer Brownies Sundaes

29.08.2014 13 Comments

Pumpkin things are upon us.

Of course we have those pumpkin spice lattes that the weather is far too warm to warrant, and the overly orange plastic pumpkins that Target is trying to push on us, but it’s the beer that gets me most excited. It can be a triple digit August afternoon when a package of pumpkin porter arrives and I’ll still break into it as soon as I can open the box.

As early as July those hotly anticipated squash infused brews start to hit bottle shops and brew pubs across the land. From a pale lager to a deep stout, every style of beer has had a tryst with a pumpkin. Every brewer has a different take. Some like to spice it up, others favor a drinkable pumpkin pie, while some want the flavor to be a subtle background note you should have to work at identifying. Whatever you prefer when it comes to this super special release category, there is a beer that will suit your mood.

A box of He Said Baltic Porter brewed with pumpkin and spice arrived on my door step last week reminding me that the days of driving with the windows down and eating ice cream outdoors are rapidly coming to a close. So I did what any rational person would do: I made brownies. But, somehow, that didn’t seem like enough. So I made a pumpkin porter infused chocolate sauce and added in the more weather appropriate giant scoop of cold ice cream. Which makes this the perfect transitional recipe from the heat wave afternoons to the fireside evenings. It’s both pumpkin and ice cream, regardless of the weather in your town, this recipe fits.

Porters are a great vehicle for the flavors of pumpkin. The deep earthiness is delivered well with the roast notes of the darker beers and this beer is no exception. The flavors of pumpkin in He Said are perfectly mild in a way that I prefer, these beers can often be treated heavy handed. This Baltic porter delivers the flavors of pumpkin and spice without molesting you with them, it’s more seductive. It’s a deep, smooth porter that draws you in. And, apparently, makes you bake things. Or maybe that’s just me.

Pumpkin Porter Brownies Sundaes

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the brownies:

1 ½ cups unsalted butter cut into cubes
10 wt ounces 60% chocolate about 2 cups
1 cup pumpkin porter
1 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup bread flour
½ tsp cinnamon
2 tsp espresso powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

For the Sundae:

10 wt oz dark chocolate 53% cocoa
2 tbs light corn syrup
1/3 cup pumpkin porter
1 quart vanilla ice cream

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400. In the top of a double boiler, or metal bowl set over (but not touching) gently simmering water, add the butter and the chocolate. Stir occasionally until just melted. Remove from heat, stir in 1 cup pumpkin porter and vanilla extract.
In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the eggs on high until light and frothy, about 2 minutes. Add both kinds of sugar and beat for 6 full minutes. Add the pumpkin puree, stir until combined.
In a separate bowl add the flour, cinnamon, espresso powder, salt and cocoa powder, whisk until well combined.
While the mixer is on low, add the chocolate mixture to the eggs. Mix until well incorporated, stopping to scrape the bottom of the bowl to insure the batter is fully combined.
Remove the bowl from the stand mixer, sprinkle with dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.
Grease a 9x13 baking dish, or spray with butter flavored cooking spray, pour in batter.
Place in the oven and immediately reduce to 350. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes. The top should look completely dry but the center should still be fudgy. Don’t over bake. Remove from oven and allow to cool until set and come to room temperature before attempting to cut, about 1 hour.
Add the dark chocolate, corn syrup, and 1/3 cup pumpkin porter to the top of a double boiler over medium heat.
Stir until melted and well combined, remove from heat, pour over ice cream.

Chocolate Stout Caramel Tart with Pretzel Crust

11.08.2014 6 Comments

I was stuck in an elevator once.

I was in college, on my way to a job interview. The elevator was supposed to deposit me on the 9th floor a perfect 6 minutes before my interview time. But somewhere between the 4th and 5th floor, the elevator jolted to a stop, the doors slightly ajar, revealing my position of being stuck between floors. Frustrated that my plan to arrive at the perfect time was being hacked to pieces, I reach for my phone. No service.

I push the "door close" button, the 9th floor button again, and the lobby button again. Nothing.

I press the button with a phone on it. "Security" I hear coming from a circle of holes in the metal plate above the elevator buttons.

"Ummm, yeah. I’m in the elevator on the East side of the building, and it’s stuck. It stopped between the 4th and 5th floor."

"uuhhhhh….really? Did you push the buttons?"

"Yes I pushed the buttons! That’s the best you’ve got? Get me out of here!"

About 45 minutes later I hear sirens, a fire truck had come to my rescue. I hear low rumbling chatter and I can’t make out what the voices are saying, but within minutes the elevator doors close and the metal box I’d been trapped in slowly moves towards the lobby. When the doors open I’m met by a group of 5 firemen, who all cheer when the doors open. I laugh.

"How’d you get stuck?!" A charming young fireman says with a slight smile, "Did you push the buttons?"

"Yes I pushed the buttons, it didn’t help,"

I thanked them, and quickly left. Making my way to the 9th floor, hoping that my interview was still salvageable after an hour, I decide to take the stairs in spite of the 5 inch heels I’d chosen to wear that day.

Finally in front of the hiring manager who had written me off when I didn’t show up on time, I plead my case. After all, it really was a great excuse for being late.

"That was you?! I heard about that," He said after I’d explained the past hour, "Did you push the buttons?"

"Yes I pushed the buttons!"

Needless to say, I did not get the job.

Chocolate Stout Caramel Tart with Pretzel Crust

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the Crust:

3 ½ cup 4.5 wt oz mini pretzel twists
2 tbs brown sugar
8 tbs melted butter

For the Chocolate Layer:

10 wt oz dark chocolate 62% cocoa content
1/3 cup chocolate stout
3 tbs heavy cream

For the Caramel Layer:

2 cups white sugar
12 tbs unsalted butter cut into cubes
1/3 cup heavy cream
¼ cup chocolate stout

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
Add the pretzels and the brown sugar to a food processor, process until just crumbs.
While the food processors is running, add the melted butter, process until well combined.
Add the mixture to a 9-inch tart pan. Starting with the sides, press the pretzel mixture into an even layer.
Bake at 350 for 12 minutes or until dark golden brown.
Remove from oven, allow to cool.
In the top of a double boiler add the chocolate, stout, and cream. Stir until melted and well combined. Pour into the crust in an even layer, chill until set.
In a sauce pan add the sugar. Stir until melted. The sugar will clump before it melts, just keep stirring. Once the sugar has melted, stop stirring (you can swirl the pan to prevent burning) and allow to boil until the sugar reaches 350 on a candy thermometer. This happens quickly, stay close.
Remove from heat and immediately stir in the butter, cream and stout. Allow to cool for 15 minutes. Pour over chocolate lay, refrigerate until set, about 3 hours. Chill until ready to serve. Tart is best made a day ahead of time.

Notes

The caramel layer melts into a caramel sauce at room temperature. For a less messy tart, add about half the caramel to the top of the tart, reserving the rest for an alternate use, like ice cream. Store unused caramel in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Caramel will keep for up to three weeks.

Cherry Vanilla Pale Ale Party Cake

18.07.2014 12 Comments

I’m a huge fan of ridiculous cakes.

My Epic Chocolate Stout Cake has three layers of cake and three layers of chocolate fudge. My Lemon Dream Cake is similar. I even spent years making obnoxiously large cakes shaped like hamburgers and sharks, and by the way, who cares if a cake is shaped like a burrito? Now, I just care if it tastes good.

I’m overly concerned with the presentations of my food, which I completely blame on instagram and my current career path which has resulted in an obsession with presenting the world (or maybe just my neighbors) with an impressive plateful of edible art. I’m an asshole, we established this earlier this week with the polenta discussion. Sometimes I want a break from all this self-inflicted baking demand and I just want to make something that’s casual and easy to take to a party. I want the cake equivalent of the perfect pair of jeans, it looks great in a laid back sort of way.

Sheet cakes remind me of childhood, but with three homemade layers it’s fancy enough for something that you probably shouldn’t wear jeans to. Although if this fancy soiree thinks it’s too good for a bottle of beer, then you should just take your casual-yet-elegant cake and move on. Jeans are case by case, but beer should always be invited.

Cherry Vanilla Pale Ale Party Cake

Print Recipe

Servings 9 -12 servings

Ingredients

For The Cake Layer:

½ cup unsalted butter
1 cups sugar
¼ cup raw honey
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons canola oil
¼ cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup pale ale
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

For The Cherries Layer:

¼ cup cornstarch
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
2 lbs cherries pitted
½ cup beer

For The Whipped Cream layer

3 cups heavy cream
½ cup powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°F.
In a bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar and honey until well combined.
While the mixer is running, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bottom of the bowl between additions.
Add the canola oil, buttermilk, and vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, add the beer and lemon juice.
Alternating between the dry ingredients and the beer, slowly add both to the mixer, a little at a time, until all the ingredients are just combined.
Grease and flour a 9x13 baking pan. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake at 325°F until light golden brown, 23–26 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
Stir together the cornstarch and sugar in a saucepan. Stir in ½ cup pale ale until dissolved, stir in the cherries. Simmer over medium high heat until cherries have started to break down and sauce has thickened, about 15 minutes.
Pour the cherries over the cake in an even layer. Chill until set, about 1 hour.
In the bowl of a stand mixer add the heavy cream, powdered sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, beat until medium peaks form, about 5 minutes. Spread the whipped cream in an even layer over the cake. Chill until ready to serve.

Coconut Cake with Pale Ale Lime Cream Cheese Frosting

27.06.2014 8 Comments

Beer and fruit have a bit of a sordid past. From the ill-advised orange slice served on the side of a hefeweizen, to the cringe inducing Bud Light Lime. Thankfully, plenty of remarkable unions have a sordid pasts. Beer and fruit just needed a few takes to get it right. The current state of beer and fruit, in the hands of remarkable brewers, is exciting.

Craft brewers have pushed the limits of what these two can do, bringing us remarkable examples like Festina Peche from Dogfish Head, and Orange Wheat from Hangar 24. Those brilliant brewers make beer with watermelon, cherries, marionberries, and pretty much everything else they can get their hands on.

It’s evidence of what beer can do, what it’s capable of. Think for a second of the first beer you ever tasted, probably a pale lager poured from a keg out of the back of a pick-up truck. The flavors in that beer were small, a ground floor offering, a beer made to vaguely satiate the masses. Craft beer being made now is being made to get people excited, make us think. Love it or hate it, it’s beer you remember.

It’s why beer and food go so well together. It’s the only alcoholic beverage that’s made with just about any ingredient in that meal on your plate. It was only a matter of time, and dozens of brilliant brewers, before beer and fruit started to make sense. And that was only the begining. You should see what those brewers do with chai, and chocolate, and carrots, and everything else you can throw at them.

Coconut Cake with Pale Ale Lime Cream Cheese Frosting

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the Cake

4 eggs divided
1 cup butter
1 ½ cups sugar
½ cup full fat coconut milk from can, shaken
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp coconut extract
1 cup pale ale beer
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ cup dried coconut flakes

For the Frosting:

1 ½ cup unsalted butter softened
8 wt oz cream cheese softened
3 cups powdered sugar
3 tbs lime juice
3 tbs pale ale beer
1/2 cup toasted coconut optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 .
In the bowl of a stand mixer add the egg whites, reserve the yolks.
Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Remove whites from mixer, add to a medium bowl, chill until ready to use.
In the mixer bowl add the butter and sugar, beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, beat until well combined.
Add the coconut milk, vanilla extract, coconut extract and beer, beat until well combined.
Lift the mixer heat, sprinkle with flour, baking soda and salt, stir until just combined. Add the egg whites, stir until just combined.
Pour into a greased 9x13 inch pan.
Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool completely.
In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the cream cheese, beat until well combined. Add the powdered sugar and beat until well combined.
While the mixer is running mix in the beer and the lime juice.
Frost the cake with the frosting, chill until ready to serve.
Garnish with toasted coconut just prior to serving, if desired.

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Stout Chocolate Chip Cookies

25.06.2014 9 Comments

I have this theme in my life right now about fear.

Not the kind of fear that keeps you from jumping out of airplanes (which I’ve done), or the fear that comes when you hear a noise in the middle of the night which clearly means a murderer is in your living room.

But a fear that you don’t even realize you have, the you don’t realize is controlling you. Like this video of fear disguised as practicality. Or the fear that keeps you from standing up for yourself. Or the fear that keeps you from going after your dream. Or the fear that keeps you locked in a harmful relationship.

Talk to any sucessful person and you’ll hear a story of failing. A failure that got them closer to the goal, with more information and more drive. Fear is just part of it. Brewers know this. Every brewer will tell you about how much fear there was in the early years.

When it comes to brewing, or dreams, or needs, or relationships, success isn’t about being fearless, it’s about being fear tolerant. Accept that the fear won’t hurt you and move forward in spite of it. Learn to tolerate the feeling of fear and it won’t be able to control you.

Now let’s enjoy the spoils of that success and go drink some great beer.

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Stout Chocolate Chip Cookies

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the Cookies:

½ cup unsalted butter
½ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
¾ cup creamy peanut butter
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1/3 cup stout
½ tsp baking soda
2/3 cup flour
2/3 cup chocolate chips

For the chocolate dip

1 cup dark chocolate chips 60% coca content
1/3 cup stout
1 tsp flaky sea salt like Maldon sea salt

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla extract, beating until well combined, scraping the bottom of the bowl to insure all ingredients are well combined. Add the beer, mixing until well combined.
Lift the head of the stand mixer, sprinkle flour, baking soda, mix until just combined, stir in chocolate chips.
Using a cookie scoop, scoop onto a baking sheet that has been covered with parchment paper.
Refrigerated for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350.
Bake at 350 for 13-16 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool completely before dipping.
In a microwave safe bowl add the chocolate and remaining 1/3 cup stout beer. Microwave on high for 20 seconds, stir and repeat until melted.
One at a time, dip the cookies. Sprinkle with sea salt. Chill until chocolate has set.

Blackberry Basil Belgian Ale Milkshake

16.06.2014 13 Comments

I’m going to confess to you the least foodie thing I’ve ever done.

A few years ago I was in Spain, I’d missed my flight out of Madrid because of an ill-timed visit to the Prado, some churros, and a bullfighting poster and I was stuck for an indefinite amount of time. I wanted some comfort food.

I wanted something familiar to help me deal with the fact that I was stuck half way across the world, dealing with an airline that was refusing to help, and all the budget hotels and hostels were sold out for the night. So I went to McDonald’s.

I was in one of the most culinary rich countries in the world and I went right past all those great markets and family run cafes right to the American capital of sub-mediocre food to order a milkshake and some french fries.

And it worked. It was bland, and salty and creamy and reminded me of my processed food childhood and made me feel like everything was going to be OK. I’m not proud of myself, I could have had cured meats and cheese and fresh bread.

But I don’t care. Sometimes, you just need a milkshake.

Blackberry Basil Belgian Ale Milkshake

Print Recipe

Servings 2 servings

Ingredients

3 cups vanilla ice cream
1 cup belgain ale
5 leaves basil chopped
1 cup blackberries

Instructions

Put all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Peaches and Cream Ale Pie

28.05.2014 6 Comments

Cream ales found their way into the American beer system during prohibition, an ironic time for many great alcoholic beverages to have gotten their start. The name is a bit misleading, cream isn’t involved in the brewing process, but the taste is smooth and even a bit creamy which is where the name comes from.

As we hurdle towards summer, and events which center around our tub of craft beer offerings, cream ales are a great style to include when trying to satisfy the masses. These are easy to drink beers that have low hop character, smooth crispy flavors and some hints of fruit.

I used a cream ale from the Pacific Northwest, from a brewery that has become a mainstay in my fridge since I moved north. Nuptiale from Ninkasi is a great beer to stock up on for those summer get togethers, it’s what I refer to as a Gateway Beer. Perfect for the craft beer snobs, and just what a craft beer newbie needs to get hooked.

Peaches and Cream Ale Pie

Print Recipe

Ingredients

One pie crust

For the cream layer:

16 wt oz cream cheese
2/3 cup white sugar
½ tsp salt
1 egg
2/3 cup cream ale
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbs cornstarch
2 tbs all purpose flour

For the peaches:

1 ½ lbs peaches pitted and sliced
2 tbs cornstarch
½ cup sugar
2 tbs butter
¾ cup cream ale

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325.
Roll the pie crust out on a flat surface, line a deep dish 9.5 inch pie pan, trim the excess.
In a blender or a food processor add the cream cheese, 2/3 cup sugar, salt, egg, 2/3 cup cream ale, vanilla, flour and 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Blend until smooth, pour into pie crust.
In a sauce pan over medium high heat, add the peaches, cornstarch, sugar, butter and cream ale. Simmer until thickened, about ten minutes.
Pour the peaches over the cream cheese.
Bake until the crust is golden brown and the edges of the filling has set but the center still jiggles when shaken, about 40 minutes.
Chill until set, about 4 hours.

Notes

This requires a very deep dish pie pan. 9 1/2 inches, 1.8 to 2 qt.
If you use a small pie pan you will have far too much filling.

Orange Saison Sour Cream Ice Cream

16.05.2014 7 Comments

You need to know about Saisons.

One of my favorite summer beer styles, it’s crisp, fruity, nice carbonation and great spice. It’s prefect for those summer cookouts, it pairs well with everything from potato salad to ribs. Saisons is a style that was born out of a farm house in Belgium, and lets be honest nothing bad can ever start in a farmhouse in Belgium, it was made for consumption during the summer months. Maybe it’s just a coincidence that it also goes incredibly well with ice cream, or maybe the Belgian just knew what they were doing when they invented the perfect summer beer. It’s a great one to try if you’re new to craft beer, and after a near beer extinction, it’s back in a big way. Saisons are an easy style to find these days, and prefect for those of your friends that don’t think they like craft beer.

For this ice cream, I need an assertive saison, one that has bold flavors and good kick of spice. Of course, Stone never disappoints when you’re looking for a beer full of flavor and this Stone Saison was the perfect man for the job, the big flavors can stand up to sour cream and orange and hold their own. But I’m sure you’re not surprised, no one ever accused stone of being subtle.

Orange Saison Sour Cream Ice Cream

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 2 20

Total Time 2 40

Ingredients

1 cup sour cream
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
½ tsp salt
¾ cup Saison beer
2 tbs cornstarch
3 tbs fresh orange juice
1 tbs orange zest

Instructions

Put all ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth.
Churn in an ice cream maker according to manufactures specifications until a soft serve consistency (about 15 minutes in a KitchenAid ice cream maker).
Pour into an air-tight container, freeze until set, about 2 hours.

Notes

Since the beer isn't cooked, the alcohol is still alive and well, be careful who you serve this too, it's not appropriate for children.

Strawberry Lemonade Beer Pound Cake

05.05.2014 17 Comments

When you’re a kid, there are monsters in the closet. Monsters that terrify you, chill your blood and ice your bones. You don’t know they aren’t real, because to you they exist in a way that’s more real than death and taxes.

When we grow up the monsters don’t leave our lives, they just change shape. They come in scarier, bigger forms that exist outside our closets. Conversations that need to be had, admissions that need to see light, relationships that need to end. And what we often can’t see is that the monster is bigger when it’s in the dark, it can only control us if it stays hidden. Once we unleash the beast, and face his teeth it’s often that he’s much smaller than we would have thought. More often than not, his power isn’t what we’d imagined.

And now we have space for all those things the monster would have eaten up. I’ve faced some recently. I’ve found courage. Not without tears, not without consequence, but in a way that feels like I am finally able to figure out what I was really scared of all along.

And it wasn’t quite the monster I’d imagined.

Strawberry Lemonade Beer Pound Cake

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 cup butter
2 ½ cups sugar
6 eggs
¼ cup canola oil
½ cup full fat sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cups cake flour
2 cups all purpose flour
2 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup wheat beer
1 cup chopped fresh strawberries

For Moist Cake Infuser:

¼ cup white sugar
2 tbs very hot water or beer
2 tbs lemon juice

For the Icing:

4 cups powdered sugar
3 tbs lemon juice
¼ cup beer or lemon juice

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
In a bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter and sugar until well combined. While the mixer is running add the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bottom of the bowl between additions.
Add the canola oil, sour cream, and vanilla extract, beat until well combined.
In a medium bowl sift together both kinds of flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a small bowl add the beer and lemon juice.
Alternating between the dry ingredients and the beer, slowly add both to the mixer, a little at a time until all ingredients are just combined.
Add the strawberries, stir until incorporated.
Grease and flour two large (1.5 qt) loaf pans.
Divide batter evenly between pans.
Bake at 350 until golden brown and top springs back when lightly touched, about 28-32 minutes.
Remove from oven, allow to cool for about ten minutes.
In a small bowl stir together the hot water and ¼ cup sugar until the sugar has dissolved. If the sugar doesn’t dissolve, microwave for 20 seconds. Stir in the lemon juice.
Poke a dozen small holes in each loaf with a long wooden skewer. Drizzle the warm lemon simple syrup over both loafs (you can also brush on with a pastry brush).
Allow to sit in the pans until cooled, about 2 hours. Remove from pans and refrigerated.
Stir together all icing ingredients. Pour over cakes, chill until ready to serve.

Beer Poached Pears with Chocolate Stout Fudge Sauce and Moose Munch Crumble

25.04.2014 6 Comments

One of the perks of blogging is the invitations for the behind the scenes tours of places you’d never be allowed in otherwise, to fully indulge the Food Geek in all of us in the how it’s made process that thrills and fascinates those of that have dedicated our loves to internet food. The vast majority of these invites I turn down. The ones I accept are only from companies I can get behind.

Harry & David is a fantastic Pacific Northwest company. Although I choose to highlight their pears and Moose Munch, they’re so much more. They even have a well stocked bottle shop section of their Harry & Davids company store in Medford Oregon, I picked up a bottle of Alameda My Bloody Valentine and Walkabout Jabberwocky Ale. I was also amazed that this company that does such large volumes or candy, fruit, wine and gifts was run by a small and dedicated team. They all seemed to know each other, support each other and value the quality of their products. It’s exactly the type of company I want to support. Plus there is talk of beer cheese dip and beer bread mixes making their way into the Harry and David baskets, something I’m definitely keeping an eye out for.

Until then, I’ve poached some pears in beer and smothered them with beer chocolate sauce and topped it with some of that famous Moose Munch for a little texture.

Beer Poached Pears with Chocolate Stout Fudge Sauce and Moose Munch Crumble

Print Recipe

Ingredients

3 cups beer*
1 cup sugar plus 1/3 cup, divided
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp whole cloves
2 large Comice pears peeled
hot water
¼ cup chocolate stout
3 tbs corn syrup
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 cup Moose Munch caramel corn rough chopped

Instructions

In a large pot over medium high heat add the beer, 1 cup sugar, vanilla, cloves. Bring to a simmer. Add the pears and enough hot water so that pears float. Cook until the pears are fork tender, 15-20 minutes.
In a separate pot add the chocolate stout, corn syrup, remaining 1/3 cup sugar and cocoa powder, bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 8 minutes.
Drain the pears and add to small bowls. Drizzle with chocolate sauce, sprinkle with chopped Moose Munch.

Notes

*For the poaching liquid you want a malty beer, but not a dark beer (dark beers may change the color of the pears). Look for a Belgian ale, brown ale or amber ale.
*You can also use regular caramel corn in place of Moose Munch.

Harry & David paid all the expenses for the trip , but this post was not sponsored or expected.

All opinions are my own.

Connect with Harry & David:
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Other blogger’s posts:

Reluctant Entertainer

Crazy for Crust

HeatherChristo

Chocolate Stout and Toasted Coconut Ice Cream (vegan)

18.04.2014 13 Comments

Everyone wants to feel like they have things figured out. That they have everything in it’s designated box. You’e made decisions, said decisions help you navigate the world.

And every once in a while that comfortable social constructionists gets a bit rocked. You hate country music but you find yourself sinfully signing along to Devil Went Down to Georgia and really enjoying yourself. And you watch the entire last half of Pitch Perfect when it comes on HBO and will never admit that you YouTubed the last performance three times the next days.

Which is the same reason you barely glance at the Vegetarian section of the menu at resturants. Because you’ve decided that you like meat, and that section doesn’t apply to you. And then an ice cream comes alone and it’s better than any other chocolate ice cream you’ve had and it’s vegan. Which makes you wonder about those line dancing bars you’ve avoided and the American cars you never test drove.

Because it’s just plants and beer and it’s better than the "regular" ice cream your usually drawn to. And that makes you want to explore the other things that just aren’t you. Which may be a good thing, but they don’t always end this well.

Chocolate Stout and Toasted Coconut Ice Cream (vegan)

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1 13.5 fl oz can full fat coconut milk
1 cup granulated sugar *
2/3 cup chocolate stout
¼ cup high quality cocoa powder
½ cup coconut flakes

Instructions

In a large sauce pan over medium high heat add the coconut milk, sugar, stout, and cocoa powder. Bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 8 minutes.
Chill for at least 2 hours or until cold to the touch.
Preheat oven to 350.
Add coconut flakes to a baking sheet. Bake for 3 minutes, stir and continue to bake until golden brown, about 3 additional minutes.
Churn in ice cream maker according to manufactures specifications until a soft serve consistency, about 15 minutes.
Add to an air tight container, stir in the coconut flakes.
Chill until firm, at least 2 hours.

*While sugar is inherently vegan, some companies use processes using animal bones. If you’re concerned about it, look for a company that produces vegan sugar, like the Whole Foods 365 brand.

Beer is similar, to make sure the stout you choose is vegan check Barnivoire to make sure.

I use the KitchenAid ice cream maker and this cocoa powder for this recipe (affiliate link).

Lime Sugared Blackberry and Coconut Pale Ale Pastry Cream Tart

11.04.2014 15 Comments

When I was a kid I thought you grew up, picked a life and that’s were you sat. You stayed in this grown-up place, and that was it. You’d found your grown-up life and you were done.

But my grown-up life seems to go through a comprehensive metamorphosis every few years. New city, new job, new people. For a natural-born gypsy with the soul of a wanderer, this isn’t a bad thing. Experiences are satisfying and change can be cleansing.

But then there are times when it seems catastrophically difficult, even when it’s necessary. Like cleaning out road rash so the wounds of a bike crash will heal. Sometimes it’s the cleaning that hurts more than the crash. But it’s part of the process, part of the evolution, part of necessity of growth that keeps us from the stagnation that will kill our souls.

Growth, change, healing, just because it hurts doesn’t mean it isn’t the right path. Keep moving forward, keep breathing, know that it isn’t selfish to fight for your own happiness. Know that it’s hard because it’s worth it.

These are the days I bake. The days I cover fruit in sugar. The days I open a beer, grab a friend and take stock of the things I’m truly grateful for. Because no matter what is on the the hard list, the good list can always be longer.

Lime Sugared Blackberry and Coconut Pale Ale Pastry Cream Tart

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the Tart Crust:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
½ cup unsalted butter cut into cubes
1 egg yolk
¼ cup ice cold beer
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the Coconut Pastry Cream:

1 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup full fat coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 egg yolks
1/3 cup Saison beer or Hefeweizen
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch

For the Blackberries:

1 lbs black berries
½ cup granulated sugar
Zest from one large lime about 2 tbs

Instructions

Add ¾ cups of flour, salt and sugar to a food processor, pulse to combine. Add the butter and egg yolk, process until well combined and dough gathers around the blade.
Add the remaining flour and pulse 6-8 times or until all the flour has been coated.
Transfer to a bowl. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the beer until completely incorporated into the dough (don’t add the beer in the food processor or your dough will turn into a cracker). Dough will be very soft.
Lay a long sheets of plastic wrap on a flat surface.
Place the dough onto the plastic wrap, form into flat disks.
Wrap disk tightly in plastic wrap, chill for 1 hour and up to 3 days.
Preheat the oven to 350.
Roll the tart dough into an even circle on a lightly floured surface. Line a tart pan with the crust. Prick bottom of the tart with a fork several times, adding pie weights if desired.
Bake at 350 until lightly golden brown, about 15-18 minutes. Allow to cool.
In a sauce pan off heat add the milk, cream, coconut milk, vanilla, egg yolks, Saison, sugar and cornstarch, whisk until well combined. Add to medium heat, whisk until thickened, about 10 minutes.
Pour pastry cream into crust. Chill until set and cooled, about 3 hours.
Add the sugar and lime zest to a food processor, process until all the lime oils and sugars have been well combined, about 3 minutes (this can be done days or even weeks in advance, keep in an air tight container until ready to use.)
Just prior to serving, add the blackberries to a bowl, pour the sugar over the berries, toss until well well coated.
Top tart with the berries prior to serving.

Salted Beer Caramel Topped Blondies

07.04.2014 14 Comments

I was in a port town in Greece, waiting for a boat to take me back to Italy, when I decided to spend the last bit of money I had with me on Baklava. This was the moment I realized how important food had become to me. I had just spent my last year of college working three jobs in order to save enough money to buy a plane ticket to Europe and hope that my Europe On A Shoestring guide book would get me through the trip with enough money leftover to make my first student loan payment when I got home. Like any great obsession, there is very little choice in the matter. It either grabs you or it doesn’t, and it often isn’t until it’s too late that you see that the shark has your leg.

A side effect of this affliction is an extraordinary fixations that it creates. Sometimes it’s a dish. Sometimes it’s an ingredient. Sometimes its a cooking method.

I have in no way been saved from these fixations. It’s gnocchi, and goat cheese, and roasted chicken, and the perfect dinner rolls, and caramel, and so many more.

I started making caramel a few years ago, it’s simple. You just need a candy thermometer and the patience not to walk away, since that will always be the moment the sugar burns. Caramel has become an obsession, what I can put in it, or on it, or with it, or how many times I can make it during Christmas before people start to roll their eyes.

Don’t leave me alone with sugar and a pot. You never know what you’ll come back too, but it’ll probably be a dark amber color and taste like beer.

Salted Beer Caramel Topped Blondies

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the Blondies Layer:

½ cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg plus 1 yolk
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
2 tbs stout beer
1 ¼ cup bread flour
1 tsp salt

For the Caramel Layer

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar
½ cup light corn syrup
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup stout plus 1 tbs divided

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment add the butter and brown sugar, beat on high until well combined.
Add the egg, yolk and vanilla extra, mix until well combined, light and fluffy.
Add 2 tablespoons stout, stir until combined.
Sprinkle the flour and salt over the butter mixture, stir until combined.
Spread evenly into a greased 8X8 baking pan.
Bake at 350 for 22-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Allow to cool completely.
In a pot over high heat add the butter, brown sugar, white sugar, corn syrup, heavy cream and ¼ cup stout. Stir until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved.
Allow to boil until a dark caramel color and reached 248 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 8 minutes. Allow to cool for ten minutes.
Pour over the blondies layer, chill until set, about 3 hours.

Blueberry Cider Skillet Pie with Lime Basil Whipped Cream

14.03.2014 12 Comments

I’ve learned a few things in the handful of days I’ve lived in Seattle.

People here drive like nice, sane, humans. Unfortunately, I’ve been conditioned by the LA freeways to drive like a pissed off asshole. I’ve been driving in LA since I was a teenager. I need to learn to drive like a sane human.

People here are just nice, in and out of the car. They even smile and say hi as they walk past. And when you email them, tell them you’re new in town and want to be friends, they buy you lunch. Or a beer.

You can also drink the tap water here, unlike the last place I lived it does not taste like smog. It’s actually pretty great.

It’s not even very cold here. It rains often, but really, it’s not that cold. And on that note, running in the rain beats running in the sweltering heat. So, that’s a win for the rainy land.

Beer is a bit different here too, it has a bit of an old soul. I’ll always have a big place in my Craft Beer Heart for California beer, and the burgeoning LA beer scene that is still cutting its baby teeth. The Seattle beer scene is established, it has an old soul’s wisdom with the freshness of youth. It’s exciting in a way that new things often are, but with the comfort of years of experience to guild the way.

Cider is a new venture for me when it comes to cooking. This is the first recipe that’s crossed that boundary into cider cookin' territory. Like craft beer, craft cider is beautiful and thoughtful and insanely drinkable. Washington has given me no shortage of ciders to sample and Finnriver has some beautiful bottles. I used Finnriver Black Currant Cider, which will probably be served with dessert at my next dinner party, it’s beautiful and bold but with a dryness that doesn’t let it get overly sweet. It’s perfect with a tart pie.

So that’s what I made.

A pie with Washington blueberries and Washington cider.

I hope this is an adequate apology for my driving. I’m working on it.

Blueberry Cider Skillet Pie with Lime Basil Whipped Cream

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the Pie Dough

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tbs sugar
1 cup cold unsalted butter cut into cubes
1/3 cup ice cold pale ale the higher the ABV the better
milk or cream for brushing

For the filling:

1/3 cup cornstarch
1 ¼ cup sugar
½ cup cider
5 cups blueberries fresh or frozen

For the Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy cream chilled
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 tbs lime zest
1 tsp basil minced

Instructions

Add 1 ½ cups of flour, salt and sugar to a food processor, pulse to combine. Add the butter, process until well combined and dough gathers around the blade.
Add the remaining flour and pulse 6-8 times or until all the flour has been coated.
Transfer to a bowl. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the beer until completely incorporated into the dough (don’t add the beer in the food processor or your dough will turn into a cracker). Dough will be very soft.
Lay two long sheets of plastic wrap on a flat surface. Divide the dough evenly between the two sheets, Form into flat disks. Wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour and up to 3 days.
Roll disk out on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to a 9 inch cast iron skillet. Place in the freezer while you prepare the fillng.
In a large bowl whisk together the cornstarch, sugar and cider. Add the blueberries, toss to coat.
Pour the blueberries into the cast iron skillet.
Roll out the second disk. Cut out shapes using a cookie cutter (I used a star shape), layer the shapes onto the top of the pie. Brush with milk or cream.
Bake at 350 for 60 to 75 minutes or until the top is a light golden brown. Allow to sit at room temperature until the filling has set, about 2 hours.
Just prior to serving add all the whipped cream ingredients to a stand mixer. Beat on high until soft peaks form.

This is a GREAT cast iron skillet. It’s a splurge, but it will last for the rest of your life. You can even pass it down to your kids (affiliate link).

How to Make Homemade Marshmallows (step by step with photos)

11.03.2014 12 Comments

These are easier than you think.

And the possibilities are endless. Try your favorite extracts (coconut marshmallows?!), or food coloring to match your party, or covering them in chocolate. Once you make them, it’s hard to remember why you went so long without trying your hand at these.

Step one:

Prepare the pan. Grease well (cooking spray, butter or vegetable shortening) and then cover in powdered sugar.

Step two:

In the bowl of a stand mixer add 3 1/2 packets of gelatin to 1/2 cup ice cold water. Let stand while you prepare the sugar.

Step three:

In a pan over medium heat add 2 cups granulated sugar, 1/2 cup corn syrup and 1/2 cup water. Once the sugar has dissolved, turn the heat to high, allow to boil until the mixture has reached 240 on a candy thermometer.

Step four:

Turn the mixer on low and slowly pour the hot sugar into the gelatin mixture. Once all the sugar has been added, raise speed to high. Beat on high until light and fluffy and tripled in volume, about 6 minutes.

Step five:

In a medium bowl, add the egg whites and salt. Beat with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites and vanilla into the marshmallows.

Step six:

Pour marshmallows into prepared pan. Smooth into an even layer, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Step seven:

Allow to sit at room temperature until set, about 3 hours. Invert pan on a flat surface, slice into squares.

To make beer marshmallows, check out Chocolate Stout Covered Beer Marshmallows.

How to Make Homemade Marshmallows (step by step with photos)

Ingredients

Powdered sugar
3 ½ envelopes unflavored gelatin (such as Knox)
1 cup ice cold water, divided
2 cups granulated sugar
½ cup light corn syrup
2 large egg whites
½ tsp salt
1 tbs vanilla extract

Instructions

Grease a 9×13 baking pan, sprinkle with powdered sugar until well coated, set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer add ½ cup cold water. Sprinkle with gelatin. Allow to stand while the sugar is being prepared.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the remaining ½ cup water, sugar and corn syrup. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Raise heat to high and allow to boil until the mixture reads 240F on a candy thermometer (about 6-8 minutes).
Once the temperature has been reached, turn off heat.
Turn the mixer on low and slowly pour the hot sugar mixture into the gelatin. Once all the sugar has been added turn the mixer on high until light and fluffy and tripled in volume, about 6 minutes.
While the mixer is running, prepare the egg whites. Add the egg whites to a bowl with the salt. Beat on high with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold the egg whites and vanilla extract into the stand mixer ingredients until just combined.
Pour the marshmallows into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Allow to set at room temperature until set, about 2 hours. Remove from pan, cut into squares.