In preparation for our annual Taps n’ Apps competition we’re competing in (this is not a hard core competition, really just a big eat and drink fest at the Cudworth's house), I’ve been trying a variety of fall themed apps to pair with Boundary Bay ESB. This weekend we’re going to do a cutting at my parent’s house to decide what the winning appetizer will be.
Contender #1: Sausage Rolls … I used my new pie crust recipe to make pastry. I cut circles out and stuff them with a sausage, caramelized onion and cheese mixture. They came out as flaky little half moon shaped apps. Curtis’ comments: The meat to pastry ratio is off (too much bread) and the filling needs a little more zip.
Contender #2: Spaghetti Squash Latkes from the Boundary Bay blog. This was a pretty involved recipe … it takes a lot of time to squeeze all the liquid out of squash and potatoes, but at the end of the day was worth it. Tasted like delicious fried hash browns. Curtis’ commentary: could maybe use some bacon? So if this passes the cutting, I think I’ll try maybe sweet potatoes or butternut squash instead of spaghetti squash and throw some cooked bacon into the mix.
Contender #3: Mini Panini’s with pear, bacon and sharp cheddar cheese. This all depends on if I receive a Panini press for my birthday or not. Stay tuned…
BTW Boundary Bay Brewery has been no help in my quest to pair the perfect appetizer with their ESB. I asked on their blog, last time I dined at the brewery (our waitress didn’t drink beer, can you imagine!?) and e-mailed them directly. Apparently they want me to figure this out on my own since I can’t get a response. That’s okay Boundary, I’ll still wear my Boundary Bay hoodies with pride.
I'm anxious to try the winner; they all look sooo good. My guess is people tend to lean towards heartier apps, so bacon may not be a bad idea to add. Maybe you should just wrap the sausage in bacon too to even out the ratio. ;-)
ReplyDeletebirthday? wasn't that awhile ago? :)
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