It’s been almost 20 years since I first poured stout into a batch of brownies, but one taste of these moist, fudgy and deeply chocolaty bars will convince even the stoutest of skeptics. No matter what style of stout you choose, you’ll be sure to enjoy the roasty flavors of the dark ale with these truffle-like treats.

Recipe adapted from “The Best of American Beer & Food: Pairing and Cooking with Craft Beer,” by Lucy Saunders (Brewers Publications, $22.95, available at www.amazon.com).

Fudge Stout Brownies

Makes 16 fudgy brownies

Butter to coat pan

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

4 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate

1 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup coffee stout (see note)

2 tablespoons Irish whiskey

¾ cup sifted flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped nuts (such as macadamia, pecans or walnuts) (optional)

Suggested pairing: Coffee stout or Imperial stout

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare a 9-inch metal baking pan by buttering it well and dusting the inside with 1 tablespoon cocoa powder. Set aside.

In 2-quart saucepan, melt the ½ cup butter over low heat. Add chopped chocolate, stirring often, until melted and smooth. Remove saucepan from heat and let cool to lukewarm (still liquid but not hot).

Stir in sugars and mix well 1 minute. In large measuring cup, beat together 2 eggs, yolks, vanilla, stout and whiskey until smooth. Sift flour with salt into a separate bowl. Stir stout mixture into saucepan in thirds, alternating with flour by 1/3 cupfuls, and stirring after each addition until batter is just blended. Stir in nuts if desired. Do not overbeat.

Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven about 1 hour. Let cool to lukewarm before slicing. Use a knife dipped in warm water and wiped clean with each slice (otherwise, because of the very fudgy texture, the brownies will clump).

Note: Coffee stouts are made by breweries across North America, but if you can’t find one, substitute 2 ounces sweet stout mixed with 1 ounce brewed espresso.

2) This is a national festival with a local tie to each region in the U.S. Of the 48 craft breweries at SAVOR representatives from all 8 regions will be there.

3). Never before have craft brewers personally presented their beer and food pairings (and as a plug, note that many of the cookbook’s recipes will be featured and served!)   http://beertown.org/events/SAVOR/beers.html. This is your opportunity to personally meet many of the rock stars of the craft beer scene and taste firsthand why pairing craft beer and food is such a hot topic.

4) Brewers and owners in attendance include The Boston Beer Company, The Brooklyn Brewery, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, F.X. Matt Brewing Company, Flying Dog Brewery, Harpoon Brewery, New Belgium Brewing Company, Rogue Ales, Reyes Beverage Group, and others. New Holland Brewing Co. beervangelist Fred Bueltmann is on the organizing committee, and he says, “It’s both a food festival and a craft beer festival, designed to bring in connoisseurs who enjoy and are serious about culinary appreciation of craft beer.”

5) SAVOR is happening during and because of ‘American Craft Beer Week’ (May 12-18) which is why Washington D.C. is such an appropriate location.

6) In addition to the main attraction of tasting in the great hall, there are educational salons. Dave Lieberman, of Here’s To Beer and the Food Network, is speaking. Beer vs. Wine is a topic presented by Sam Calagione and Marnie Olds; Craft Beer and Seafood pairings presented by Hugh Sisson, Cross Drinking without social stigma will be a talk; Beer and Cheese and Beer and Food are all topics at SAVOR.  http://beertown.org/events/SAVOR/schedule.html

7) The Brewers Association, presenters of SAVOR, also organizes the Great American Beer Festival, the World Beer Cup (the Olympics of beer) and establishes the beer style guidelines many refer to as the main guidelines to follow.”

And I’ll add a point to consider - if traveling to DC from out of town, remember that hotels are in demand in May due to graduations from the many colleges and universities in the area. I’ll have more information about affordable hotels within easy distance of craft beer destinations posted next month. 

Butter Poached Lobster Tail with Lobster Mash and Vanilla Beurre Blanc

Thank you to Chef Ian of the Royal Mile Pub, Wheaton, MD, and the entire Morrison family, for your hospitality!

Yield: 4 servings

For the Vanilla Beurre Blanc:
1 whole Vanilla Bean
1/2 cup white wine
1 large shallot, peeled and diced
1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
1/2 Pound Unsalted Butter Chopped

Method

Halve Vanilla bean and remove and reserve seeds.
Combine Vanilla bean pod, diced shallot and white wine in sauce pan. Reduce
wine mixture till syrupy, add heavy cream, reduce till thick again. Over a
very low flame whisk in butter bit by bit melting it, but not breaking the
butter so the sauce looks greasy. Do not boil the sauce at this point.
When all butter is emulsified strain out shallots. Then add reserved
vanilla seeds and season to taste with salt and white pepper. Hold in warm
120 degree environment (back of range with the burner off while you are
cooking on the front burners).

Lobster Mash

4 ea Whole Live Lobsters (1 1/4 pounds each)
2 Pounds of Yukon Gold Potatoes
1 Quart Heavy Cream
4 ounces unsalted butter
Salt and Pepper

Method

Kill the lobsters by sticking a chef knife through their heads from the top
down right behind their eyes. They are dead immediately but they will have
nervous reactions for a few minutes. Take the tails off and reserve. Take
the claws off and reserve. Simmer the lobster bodies in the cream for 20
minutes. Peel and boil Yukon gold potatoes in a large saucepan 15 minutes.
When the potatoes are about four minutes from being done (almost tender, but not
quite) add in the lobster claws and simmer. Drain the potatoes, remove the
lobster claws. Return the potatoes to the pot. When the lobster claws are
cool enough to handle crack and remove the meat. Discard the shells and
reserve the meat. Mash the potatoes in the pot with the butter some salt
and white pepper. Strain the lobster cream. Add the strained cream to the
potatoes little by little adding as much as you can without making the
potatoes soupy. Mash as little as possible to incorporate. Finally fold in
reserved claw meat and hold warm. Do a final taste test for salt and
pepper.

Butter Poaching Lobster Tails

4 reserved Lobster Tails
Salt and Pepper
2 Pounds of Butter heated to 175 degrees

Melt butter in a saucepan just large enough to hold lobster tails and
butter. Salt and pepper lobster tails. Once butter has reached 175 degrees
drop in lobster tails. The lobsters should be submerged and maintained at a
heat at 165 degrees for approximately 15 minutes (If you undercook them the
tails will be tough, If you over cook them the tails will fall apart).
Remove with a slotted spoon.

Plating the Lobsters

Place a two ounce ladle of vanilla beurre blanc on the plate, mound one
fourth of lobster mash next two beurre blanc, place poached tail half on mash
half on beurre blanc. Accompany with fresh asparagus – and at last week’s dinner,
presented with a glass of the zesty Clipper City Small Craft Warning Uber Pils.

Barb Ford writes a column called “Easy Way Gourmet” and says,

“It’s not so often that I hear people discussing beer and food pairings or recipes. But one quick look through Lucy Saunders’ latest book, “The Best of American Beer and Food-Pairing and Cooking with Craft Beer,” will change all that.

It is rare for me to pick up a book on beer. It is even rarer to find an amazing combination of cookbook, guidebook and memoir of great meals….

As an expert on beer and food, Saunders is an excellent guide to the world of fine brewing. She takes the reader on a tour of craft breweries and traditions across America, with suggestions for creating a tasting party pairing beer and cheeses, a geographic discussion of brewing traditions by region and even coverage of “Chocolate: Another Fermented Favorite.”

(And thanks to Jim Javenkoski for his notes on the science of pairing chocolate and craft beer!)