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Pecan Pie and Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot Barley Wine

Caroline: It’s been so cold lately I’ve been really craving some Christmas time foods. I think the reversed seasons is still the weirdest thing about living far from home for me. It’s August and it feels like there should be Christmas music playing and eggnog in the grocery store….

anyway-

I decided to make myself a pecan pie to soothe the homesickness.

Me and Kris recently got a great cookbook aptly called “The Great American Cookbook;” a revised edition of ‘How America Eats’ by Clementine Paddleford. Even the authors name screams Americana right?
It’s a great book that is divided up by states and their regional specialties.

Apparently Pecan Pie is a specialty from Georgia. Here is the recipe:

3 large eggs

2 tbs unsalted melted butter (I used salted, I like a bit of salty contrast in my sweets)

2 tbs all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups dark corn syrup (I couldn’t find this in Tasmania but you can’t, use Golden syrup, which I did, or molasses in equal measure)

1/2 cup sugar (I did 1/4 c white sugar and 1/4 c brown sugar since golden syrup isn’t as dark a sweetener as I wanted)

8 inch pie crust (store bought or home made)

1 1/2 cups broken up pecans

Preheat oven to 220C or 425F

with electric blender beat eggs.

beat in melted butter, flour, salt, sugar, vanilla, and syrup. Set aside

(make you pie crust or whip out your store bought one)

dump all of the pecan pieces into the pie crust relatively evenly across the bottom

pour the mixture gently over the pecans (I thought this step was sort of weird at first but the pecans actually float up through the syrup to distribute themselves. GENIUS)

bake for 10 minutes

reduce heat to 165C or 325 F and bake for another 40 minutes

if you notice the top starting to brown too quickly you can cover it with foil

I also recommend placing pie tin on a cookie sheet lined with baking paper incase of any spillage

when done the center should be puffed and set but still a little wobbly

(I had to bake mine for an extra 15 minutes)

let cool so it firms up and enjoy! I had mine with a scoop of wattle seed and macadamia iceream.

Kris: What a treat! I’m a lucky man. As I have said it  before, I am not a huge dessert eater, but the pecan pie was hard to resist. I l also had a bottle of Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot Barley Wine in the cupboard that I bought back from the States to enjoy with my slice of pie. It is brewed in Pennsylvania. It’s 11.1% and has a big sweet malt profile with dried fruit and fig flavours and aroma. It complimented  the pecan pie perfectly and was a great treat on a chilly winters day.

Baltimore Crab Feast with Natty Bo

Caroline: You can’t go to Baltimore and not eat some Maryland crabs! The day before the wedding we had everyone over for beer, BBQ and steamed old bay crabs! Oh the tastes of home!

Kris: I can’t visit Baltimore without eating Maryland Crabs and drinking National Bohemian (Natty Bo). It was great to have a crab feast on the night before the wedding, especially for our friends and family visiting from Australia and New Zealand.

Kris: I am not usually a lager drinker, but I do love drinking Natty Bo when we are visiting Caroline’s family in Baltimore. It is a clean, crisp, refreshing lager and is a great match to steamed Old Bay crabs.

Kris: I thought it would be great to taste some interesting American craft beers on the afternoon too. My 2 favourites were the Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti and the Dog Fish Head 120 minute IPA. The Yeti is a rich Imperial stout with Chocolate, caramel and coffee characters with some piney/citrus hop aroma and a dry finish. It is also aged in Bourbon barrels which gives it a touch of oak and vanilla flavour. The 120 minute IPA is an extreme IPA! I have had the 60 minute and 90 minute IPA’s from Dog Fish Head before but this one takes it to the next level. A whopping 18% ABV, it is chock full of high Alpha hops. It is dry hopped for a month then aged a further month on whole hop cones. It is packed with sweet malt and huge aroma and flavours of the classic citrus and pine from the use of American hops. Definitely a beer to share with friends.

 

Caroline: The remnants of a Baltimore crab feast.There is nothing better than some fresh steamed Old Bay Crabs and Natty Bo’s shared with friends and family on a beautiful summers day. Even Winston enjoyed the afternoon.