Beer Meal: Bacon, Pancakes and Stout (with a beer syrup)

    While it’s not JUST for breakfast; some beers make an excellent pair with breakfast food (whether or not its consumed in the morning.) One of my favorite food and beer pairings is a big roasty sweet stout and bacon. This week I've been craving some pancakes and bacon.

The Ultimate Beer Breakfast. 

   Ricotta pancakes served with a sweet Oktoberfest syrup paired with Imperial Stout and a side of bacon.  This paring works on several levels, the most obvious is the roast and bitter notes in the stout are coffee like, but it is much more subtle and complex.  The pancakes are tender and fluffy; this complements the luscious mouth-feel of the stout. The Oktoberfest syrup is malty sweet; this accentuates the residual sweetness of the beer.  The salty flavor in the bacon can cut through the stout's bold flavors that tend to linger on your pallet.  All and all it is a wonderful meal and a great way to fight off a hangover. 

Recipe

Ricotta Pancakes

   2 Cup Ricotta

   4 Eggs, separated 

   1 Cup buttermilk

   1 Cup All Purpose Flour

   3 Tablespoons sugar 

   1 Teaspoon baking powder

   Pinch of Salt 

      Combine ricotta, egg yolks, and buttermilk in a large bowl. Mix the dry ingredients together and then into ricotta buttermilk mixture until fully combined.  In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites into stiff peaks, then fold into the batter. 

Oktoberfest Syrup 

   1 22 OZ bottle Oktoberfest 

   Sugar 

      Pour beer into a small sauce pan and whisk until it stops foaming.  Slowly bring to a boil, the beer will want to boil over so keep a close eye on it. Reduce until it reaches the same consistency to thin maple syrup (roughly by two thirds its original volume). Once its reaches the correct consistency, taste it and add sugar to taste.  

Serve pancakes and bacon with butter and drizzle the syrup on top. Pour the stout in an Irish coffee cup and enjoy.  

As for the type of stout Founders Breakfast Stout jumps to mind but any roasty sweet stout will work.  Other options include North Coast Old Rasputin, Great Divide Yeti or Guinness Foreign Extra Stout.   

  Hope You Enjoy

        Cheers 

           ~Ben