Happy March everyone! We are one step closer to Spring. I bet that excites just about everyone (at least everyone that I know). Hey, did you guys know that March 14th is Pi Day?! Welp, it is. My good friends over at Foodie.com and I would like to celebrate with you! There’s not much else out there that is more comforting than pie. Savory pies, sweet pies, hand pies, cookie pies: the sky is the limit on how creative you can get with pies. This makes them the perfect platform for just about any flavor combination. Below, I’ve prepared a collection of my favorite pie recipes (which can also be found over on Foodie.com). Some of them are my very own recipes, and some are from other fellow bloggers, whom I just love…and you should love them too. Many of these pie recipes I have made and have loved, which is why I’m sharing them with you! Duh… So sit back, and enjoy your weekend by baking up some pies and gobbling them right up! Oh, and pair them with some craft beer. This should go without saying. ;)
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Beer Pairings and Pie
Like I said above, you can creative as you want when baking a pie. They can be sweet or savory, which makes them so fun. They also feed a lot of people, and in most instances can be whipped up rather quickly! I love quick food, don’t you? When you go to pair pie with beer (which I know that you all are), you have to be careful. Here are a few examples of what beers I would pair with some of the pies I have collected.
Mini Buffalo Chicken Pot Pies by Little Leopard Book: In this recipe, Whitney has combined all things wonderful in this world. There’s not much I love more than pie, except for maybe buffalo chicken. As it is with most spicy foods, I would go light and hoppy. A pale ale would be perfect, and an IPA would be ever better. The bitterness that comes with hoppier beers really compliments the spiciness in foods, and in this case, Buffalo Chicken Pot Pies.
Brie and Jam Pretzel Hand Pies by Girl Versus Dough: Brie and jam are one of my all time favorite flavor combinations. Stuff these two ingredients in a pretzel!? Oh my, I may just faint. As it is with most cheeses, I enjoy a really good BarleyWine-Style Beer. I especially love a good BarleyWine when it has been aged in some kind of wine barrel. That’s like a double whammy of deliciousness. BarleyWines pair extremely well with fruit and cheese, which is why it pairs perfectly with these Brie and Pretzel Hand Pies. They are usually higher in alcohol content, so they are the perfect sipping beer when you are sitting down with a delicious dessert.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Marshmallow Cookie Pie by Oh Sweet Basil: Carrian had me at reese’s peanut butter when I tried out this recipe for the first time. The “cookie” part helped too. I love cookie pies, skillet cookies pies, etc. Why do I love these?! They are easy, that’s why! You throw (you don’t literally “throw” but you catch my drift) the cookie dough into a pie dish or cast iron skillet and you bake! That’s it! No measuring out, no weighing. Love this. Chocolate and stout beers just go together. They just do. There is no way around it. What’s better than pairing chocolate with a stout? Pairing it with a chocolate stout, that’s what. It should just be a rule of thumb that when you go to pair with chocolate, you go this route. I like a chocolate stout higher in alcohol content (I promise I’m not a lush), because of the intense flavor it adds. Always remember, chocolate + stout = heaven.
So, there it is. How will you be celebrating Pi Day? I am more than willing to taste any samples you want to walk, drive, or ship my way. I will be waiting patiently for your submissions.
Get to work! There are pies to be made! … and pair them with some craft beer while you are at it!
Justine
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