Take “beer and brats” to the next level.
Photo courtesy National Pork Board.

Many of us have had an enjoyable afternoon or evening with beer and bratwurst, likely at a summer cook-out.

But what about taking it to the next level: pairing specific beers with specific sausages: boar sausage, chicken sausage, duck sausage, lamb sausage and venison sausage, in addition to pork-based bratwurst and other pork sausages?

We were invited to an event to do something similar, featuring sausages from some of New York City’s popular French restaurants along with craft brews.

The restaurants are part of the Tour de France restaurant Group, and the beers were paired by the company’s beer sommelier, Gianni Cavicchi.

For fall entertaining, you can do the same thing at home. Beer is a food-friendly beverage; most ales and lagers pair with most sausages. You don’t need a beer sommelier. The fun is in thinking what you‘d like to pair, then trying your pairings.

Where To Start

To decide on your menu, first cruise the sausage section of your supermarket to see which ones appeal to you. Stick with plain sausage. Added ingredients such as apples or feta will get in the way of comparing the base flavors.

Then, do some research of what beer pairs best with them and create three or four “flights.” You can create more flights, but we prefer to cap ours at four unless the guests are sophisticated beer tasters who already have an understanding of the different styles of beer. Otherwise, it’s information overload (and palate overload, too).

A flight, by the way, is a term used by wine tasters that refers to a selection of wines to be tasted and compared together—wine only or with food. At wine dinners, for example, each course is served with a flight that enables participants to decide which wine they prefer with the dish. You’re doing the same with beer and sausage. Your flights can consist of one, two or more beers per sausage “course.” Again, unless you have a sophisticated crowd, don’t serve more than two beers per flight.

Beer & Sausage Pairings

You can also provide rolls. We feel that they get in the way of tasting the sausages, but others prefer them. A green salad in a light vinaigrette provides a counterpoint to the heavy food.

Don’t forget the pretzels—hard and/or soft. Here‘s a recipe for soft pretzels.

At The Event

In The New York City Area?
The sausage and beer pairing that inspired this post will be held on Tuesday, October 11th. Here’s the ticket information.
WHAT KIND OF BEERS SHOULD YOU SELECT?
Check out the options in our Beer Glossary.

Find more beer recipes and articles in our Beer Section.

You customize the recipe by adding your favorite fresh fruits. The result can be enjoyed any time of the day, from breakfast and brunch to tea time/snack time to dessert at lunch and dinner.

We loved our first T’ART—made with fresh blueberries—so much that we couldn’t wait to bake the next one. The mix can also be used with fresh or grilled vegetables—try cherry tomatoes and fresh herbs. Just leave out the spoonful of sugar that you’d add with fruits.

At $5.99 per package, T’ART is a terrific teacher gift, stocking stuffer or party favor. Or plan a T’ART party: Give a package to several friends and challenge them to a T’ART bake-off. Taste the results for Sunday brunch, vote, and give the winner another package of T’ART.

Get your T’ART mix at AmourCreations.net.

See the full T’ART review.

Check out more of our favorite cakes and recipes.

Find out the difference between tarts and pies.

You can add walnuts to almost any recipe:
here, in a chicken salad sandwich. Photo
courtesy McCormick.

Walnuts are heart healthy.* They’re one of the most nutrient-dense food sources of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an essential omega-3 fatty acid that fights bone breakdown in aging adults—and also decreases insulin resistance, assists with weight management and may be beneficial in brain function.

The journal Nutrition and Cancer has just published a new study indicating that walnuts may reduce breast cancer as well (October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month).

A study of cancer in mice, funded by the American Institute of Cancer Research and the California Walnut Commission (neither of which had any input on the study design or findings), showed that the risk of breast cancer dropped up to 50% when the mice’s daily diet included a modest amount of walnuts.

In the 50% reduction group, walnuts were added to the diets of the mothers, from conception through weaning, and into the diet of their offspring from birth.

While an animal study is a precursor toward testing in humans, the new study is an indication of how walnuts might play a role in preventing cancer.

EASY WAYS TO ADD WALNUTS TO YOUR DIET

The amount of walnuts in the test diet equates to 2 ounces a day for humans. It’s easy to include halved, chopped or ground walnuts to every meal. In addition to long-term health benefits, they add flavor, crunch and nutritional punch.

Walnuts At Breakfast

 
Walnuts At Lunch

 
Walnuts At Dinner

 
Walnuts As A Snack Or Dessert

 
What are your favorite ways to add walnuts to your diet?
 
*The USDA-approved heart-healthy nuts are almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pecans, some pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts. These nuts contain less than 4g of saturated fats per 50g. Seeds such as flax seeds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds may offer the same heart health benefits. Note that walnuts and flax seeds have a significantly higher amount of the heart-healthy alpha linolenic acid compared to other nuts and seeds. This plant-derived omega 3 fatty acid is similar to that found in salmon, which many studies show lowers total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) levels.
  

But it was bison, not buffalo, that roamed the Bialowieza Forest of eastern Poland—cousins of the bison that once populated the Great Plains of America. (See the difference between bison and buffalo. And yes, the U.S. government got it wrong when they minted the “buffalo” nickel.)

Bialowieza Forest, the last primeval† forest in Europe, is no longer home to thundering herds of bison. Today it houses a protected herd of some 450 of the magnificent beasts. Zubr is the Polish word for the European bison/European wood bison (Bison bonasus), locally known as wisent (VY-zent).

Zubr are particularly fond of munching on what became known as bison grass.

Bison aren’t the only ones fond of the grass. It was used as an herb to flavor vodka, which was enjoyed by Polish society after hunting expeditions—hopefully with some nice bison steaks. An egalitarian drink, zubrówka, manufactured since the 14th century, was enjoyed by the peasantry as well.

The blade of bison grass in the bottle is for decorative purposes. The bison grass is infused into the vodka during production, adding lovely flavor and a pale yellow color. (Mass producers use a tincture of bison grass instead of infusing.)

Keep it in mind for holiday gifting to friends with sophisticated palates. For more information visit ZuVodka.com.

Find more of our favorite spirits, plus lots of cocktail recipes, in our Cocktails & Spirits Section.
 
*Polish speakers: Sorry but WordPress is not allowing us to publish the accented consonants.

†A virgin, or old-growth forest.

Make your own potato chips: fat-free and
delicious. Photo courtesy Mastrad.

Mastrad, the leading French manufacturer of kitchen utensils, has created an innovative silicone tray that turns out crisp, super-thin potato chips and sweet potato chips. You can also make other veggie chips such as beet, carrot and parsnip chips.

These healthier alternatives are also grease-free—a boon for the fingertips and elegant with cocktails. We leave the skins on the chips, too, for extra nutrition.

Fruit Chips, Too
You can also make fruit chips: apples, mangoes and pears, for example (but not bananas—a hard texture is required for slicing paper thin). We love to garnish desserts with fruit chips. And now that fall is upon us, they’re a yummy side to a cup of hot chocolate.

Family and guests will really enjoy these crisp homemade chips. Pick up a microwave potato chip maker today:

 
If you find that microwaved chips are your new favorite snack, you can buy a third stacking tray to speed up production.

Cooking Tips

 
The ultra-thin chips remind us of Saratoga Chips, the original potato chips. They were invented by accident in the kitchen of a resort, when a finicky guest complained that his fried potatoes were not crisp enough. Here’s the history of potato chips. You can buy these original chips, or send them as a gift, from The Nibble Gourmet Market.