[1] Otra Vez is a gose-style beer from Sierra Nevada (both photos courtesy Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.).

[2] Sierra Nevada’s Session IPA.

April 7th is National Beer Day. If you’re a beer drinker, you likely have your favorite style(s).

But what’s trending in beer?

Here it is, adapted from Flavor & The Menu for the facts.

There are four emerging beer styles in the U.S. (and more new styles are always under development).
 
BELGIAN-STYLE IPA

IPA originated in England centuries ago, an extra-hopped beer created to make the long ocean voyage to the British residents of India. Over the past few years IPA has surged in popularity in the U.S.

This sub-variety is fermented with Belgian yeast. The result is a fruity and bitter style, malty and with textural richness.

It has what is called “the characteristic funk of Belgian yeast,” with the floral aromatics of the hops.

GOSE

An old German beer style, Gose is an unfiltered beer made with lots of malted wheat.

A cloudy brew with moderate alcohol and a refreshing crispness, it’s less bitter than many other styles: dry and tangy from the addition of coriander seeds and salt.

Like fruit beer? As with Berliner Weisse beers, a Gose can be served with fruit or herb syrups.
 
SESSION IPA

“Sessionable” beers are those with moderate levels of alcohol. These are made to be easier to quaff (i.e., less alcohol means you can drink more without “effect”).

The increased popularity of hoppy pale ales has led to the creation low-potency session ales that are 3% to 4% ABV, and have more aroma and flavor from hops. Some are brewed to be less bitter, as well.
 
SOUR BEER

Sour beers are an ancient style, with a flavor profile ranging from a gentle tang to a powerful dry astringency—more like Champagne than beer.

The brews use added or naturally occurring yeasts. Ready for some horse blanket?
 
 
BEER TRIVIA: Beer is the third most consumed beverage in the world, after water and tea.
 
 
>>>CHECK OUT THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF BEER IN OUR BEER GLOSSARY.<<<

Flavor & The Menu, a magazine and website for chefs that reports on food trends, has recommended a new one: breakfast pizza.

You may have encountered breakfast pizza, but it’s far from ubiquitous.

“The explosive growth of fast casual [dining] has helped elevate pizza to new heights and has kept this exciting category on fire,” says the magazine.

“Consumer acceptance of new flavors, textures, forms and … dayparts [times of the day] has expanded the menu opportunities for pizza even further.”

What does the publication find in the breakfast pizza category?

Look not just to breakfast, but to brunch favorites.
 
 
IDEAS FOR BREAKFAST PIZZA

Here are some ideas, but what do you like for breakfast? Make your own breakfast-centric pizza creations.

 
Plus, the basics, with eggs of choice—or no eggs, if that’s your choice:

[1] Bacon and egg pizza. Here’s the recipe from Damn Delicious. If you don’t want bacon, how about sliced, roasted fingerling potatoes and chives? Or salmon caviar?

[2] Scrambled egg pizza with cheddar and chives. Here’s the recipe from Clean Eats Fast Feets.

 
Bon appétit!

[1] Covered in top-quality chocolate, a couple of these mini pretzels are a guilt-free treat.

[2] You can set them out for guests, but we kept the bag to ourselves (both photos courtesy Edward Marc Chocolatier).

You can find chocolate-covered pretzels in stores nationwide. So why are these from Edward Marc Chocolatier so special?

Because the chocolate is great, and the mini size means you can have just a bite.

Edward Marc is a chocolatier and confectioner in Pittsburgh. A family business since 1914, the company manufactures, wholesales and retails chocolate and ice cream products.

Now, their almost-addictive Dark Chocolate Pretzels are available in family-size bags (20 ounces).

Made with premium, sustainably-sourced dark chocolate, they’re a delicious combination of salty, sweet and crunchy.

The bite-sized Dark Chocolate Pretzels may be small, but they’re full of flavor. That’s why just a few are so satisfying—an easy way to serve your sweet tooth (and your crunchy tooth, too).

The normal portion of 10 pieces is 180 calories, but just two or three, at 18 calories a piece, is satisfying—plain, or with a cup of coffee.

We’ve also enjoyed the mini pretzels:

 
The product is certified kosher (dairy) by OU. There are no artificial ingredients or preservatives.
 
 
WHERE TO GET THEM

The Dark Chocolate Pretzels are available at select Costco locations, as well as online at EdwardMarcChocolatier.com.

They’re worth seeking out. You won’t be disappointed!

In fact, get a few extra bags as treats for loved ones, and to make yourself a hero at work.

Around 610 C.E., monks in Southern France or Northern Italy twisted and baked scraps of dough as a reward/bribe to children who had memorized their Bible verses and prayers. The shape represented the monk’s concept of a child’s arms folded in prayer.

This was a soft pretzel made from bread dough. It became very popular, beyond a kids’ treat. Pretzels went great with beer, for starters.

Over time, specialty recipes were created, such as soft gingerbread pretzels for the holidays.

Hard pretzels were first created accidentally in 18th-century America, when a baker’s apprentice overcooked a batch, which made a hard pretzel. Instead of tossing them as ruined, he took a bite and loved the crunch!

Here’s more of the history.
 
Chocolate-Covered Pretzels Arrive

As the story is told, more than 900 years later, a journeyman baker in Hamburg, Franz Joseph Leibniz, thought to cover pretzels with chocolate.

Perhaps the neighboring chocolatier inspired the idea. Leibniz enlisted his help in the project.

There is no verification for the Leibniz story, but a late 16th-century recipe shows how to prepare chocolate covered pretzels.

A recipe book was published by Max Rumpolt, a chef to nobility, in 1581. This is about 40 years after Leibniz is said to have invented the idea. Rumpolt called the recipe Precedella.

His cookbook, Ein New Kochbuch (A New Cookbook), consisted of 2000 recipes.

Here are more details of the chocolate pretzel story.
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*We make a simple “cannoli” dip by blending ricotta, confectioners sugar, a bit of vanilla extract and some optional orange zest). These comprise the fillings of cannoli, i.e. cannoli cream. We take an extra step and blend it in a food processor, to turn the texture into more of a dip. Cannoli filling often includes chocolate chips, so it’s a perfect pairing with chocolate-covered pretzels.

If you like an excess of chocolate, you can also dip the Dark Chocolate Pretzels into chocolate fondue. We recommend white chocolate fondue.

April 4th is National Ramen Day. It’s also National Burrito Day, National Carrot Day and National Cordon Bleu Day.

In case you’ve never had a ramen burger, it’s a hamburger where fried ramen, formed into a bun shape, replaces the bread bun.
 
 
RAMEN BURGER HISTORY

The American version of the ramen burger (photo #1) was created in 2013 by Keizo Shimamoto, a ramen blogger turned ramen chef (his ramen shop closed last week).

He had inspiration from ramen burgers he saw while in Japan. Restaurants there used ramen noodles to form a top and bottom, although the top and bottom “buns” were not as solidified as Keizo’s ramen buns.

Instead of a beef patty, the Japanese filled the ramen buns with chashu pork.

Chashu pork is pork belly braised in soy sauce, sake, and mirin (rice wine*). The inspiration is that bowls of ramen soup are often topped with slices of the braised pork belly.

Creating a Japanese-American fusion, Keizo sandwiched a beef burger slathered in a “secret” shoyu sauce (soy sauce seasoned with brown sugar, garlic, ginger and shallot) instead of ketchup.

Arugula and a scallion garnish taking over for lettuce and onion.

Here’s the whole story.
 
 
MAKE YOUR OWN RAMEN BURGERS

The ramen burger started a craze among food bloggers everywhere, who created their own versions.

After checking out different recipes online, we chose this one from Pigamitha Dimar (photo #2).

Different bloggers add different touches; for example, cheese and/or a fried egg (photo #2 (bottom burger) and photo #3).

If you just want to know how to make the ramen “buns,” here’s the scoop from Nona Lim:
 
Add tomato or pickled vegetables.

 
There’s also gari, the pinkish pickled ginger served with sushi.

Consider Kewpie brand mayonnaise†, Japan’s favorite mayo.

Any burger works: beef, grain, lamb, turkey, veggie, etc.You can even make it a double, as in photo #2.

[1] The original ramen burger (photo © Keizo Shimamoto | Ramen Shack).

[2] A double ramen burger created by Pigamitha Dimar. Here’s her recipe (photo © Pigamitha Dimar).

[3] This ramen burger adds cheese and a fried egg. Here’s the recipe from Sarah N Spice (photo © Sarah N Spice).

Ready to create your own ramen burger? It’s a fine way to celebrate National Ramen Day.
 
 
MORE RAMEN RECIPES

 
 
> THE HISTORY OF RAMEN NOODLES

> THE GROWTH OF RAMEN IN JAPAN, PRE- AND POST- WORLD WAR II
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*Mirin and saké are both called “rice wine.” Both are fermented from rice; mirin has a lower alcohol content and higher sugar content (as an analogy, think of sweet and dry vermouths. If you have saké but no mirin, make a substitute by adding a half teaspoon of sugar to the saké, and warm it slowly to dissolve the sugar.

†It’s made with more egg yolks, rice vinegar instead of distilled white vinegar, and MSG.

[1] Delicious: a baked potato filled with a tomato-basil balsamic relish (photo courtesy Idaho Potato Commission).

[2] Russet Burbank variety of russet potatoes (photo courtesy Idaho Potato Commission).

[3] An artichoke-stuffed baked potato. Here’s the recipe from Bonefish Grill.

This recipe, from the Idaho Potato Commission, was titled “Spring Baked Potato.”

But given that the ingredients are available year-round, consider it a baked potato that puts bright colors on your plate any time of year.

Cherry tomatoes and basil ribbons (chiffonade) are tossed in a simple-but-flavorful balsamic dressing, then spooned over the hot baked Idaho russet potatoes and drizzled with a balsamic glaze.
 
 
RECIPE: BAKED POTATO WITH
BALSAMIC TOMATO RELISH (FILLING)

Ingredients For 2 Servings

 
Preparation

Bake the potatoes while you make the relish.

1. PLACE the sliced tomatoes, garlic, basil ribbons, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper into a medium bowl and mix to combine.

2. CUT a slit into the warm baked potatoes and fluff up the flesh with a fork.

3. DIVIDE the tomato relish between the two potatoes. Garnish with a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Serve immediately.

Here’s a recipe to make baked potatoes in an Instant Pot in one-third the time.

We prefer Russet Burbank potatoes, oven-roasted at a slightly higher temperature to make the skin crispy.
 
 
BUY RUSSET BURBANK POTATOES FOR CRISPY SKIN

In agriculture, there are numerous varieties or breeds of everything, from avocados to zucchini (and cattle, goats, etc.).

Each variety contributes slightly different features (e.g., grows better in a certain soil).

Many stores stock the Russet Norkotah potato variety, which is slightly moister than other varieties. But the moist flesh is a trade off: the skin doesn’t get crispy when baked.

Instead, you need the Russet Burbank. It’s a tiny bit drier, but if you add butter, sour cream or other moist topping (like the balsamic tomatoes in the recipe above), you won’t notice the difference.

If you buy potatoes by the bag, then by law, Idaho potatoes have to have the variety noted on the package. Somewhere non the closure, tag or label the variety will be indicated.
 
 
MORE BAKED POTATO RECIPES

 
 
THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF POTATOES

THE HISTORY OF POTATOES