White Chocolate + Blood Orange Blondies & a Yummertime Cocktail
This week I had the pleasure of teaming up with Brock & Chris from Yummertime to create a perfect cocktail and dessert pairing. When they told me they were doing a cocktail involving gin & citrus, I immediately figured I would make something with light, fruity flavors. I mean, who doesn't like something a little fruity?
The boys whipped together a Chelsea Sidecar, based on the Chelsea Hotel's variation of the classic Sidecar cocktail. The base of the cocktail is gin, complimented by orange liqueur and lemon juice. It's simple, clean, delicious, and allows you to get #turnt in style. It's also a great match for white chocolate and blood orange blondies. Go figure. The stiff cocktail works really well with the subtle sweetness of the blondies, and the citrus components bring everything together. Oh, and then there’s the white chocolate, because duh. Find the full recipe for the Chelsea Sidecar here! I had so much fun working with the boys (they're so sweet, y'all) and it got me thinking about all kinds of dessert and cocktail pairings, more on that below.
Want more Yummertime? Check out their awesome blog for all things style, design, food, and fun around San Francisco!
A lot of folks tend to prefer a glass of wine or a fortified wine such as port with dessert. That's fine and dandy, but cocktails can actually be a great match for a post-dinner sweet, or a pre-dinner sweet, or an I-just-got-home-from-the-gym-sweet, or a morning sweet if you're just having one of those days.
Want to make your own dessert & drank combo? Here's some cocktail pairing how- to, for you and yours:
When selecting a cocktail to pair with a dessert there's a few things to keep in mind. First and foremost is balance: sweet & bitter, richness & lightness, textures, etc. If you've got a super sweet cocktail, try to pair it with a dessert that is rich but not so sweet, such as a dense flourless chocolate cake {a bête noire, perhaps}. The richness helps cut through the sweetness of the cocktail. If you've got a dessert that is super fruity, pair it with something equally light, but also with a bit of acid such as lemon juice. The acidity of the lemon juice will only work to further heighten the fruity flavor of the dessert.
Here's some ideas for liquor & dessert flavor combos!
Tequila Blanco, White Rum, Vodka, & Gin go well with:
Sorbet, sponge cake, citrus, berries, light cupcakes, petite fores, fruit pies, & meringue
Reposado & Anejo Tequila, Dark Rum, & Bourbon go well with:
Salted or spicy chocolate, toffee, caramel, orange-based desserts, & holiday spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg
As always, if you've got any questions or want help figuring out a cocktail/dessert duo, shoot me an email!
WHITE CHOCOLATE + BLOOD ORANGE BLONDIES
WHAT:
- 1.5 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar {+ ½ cup for garnish}
- 18 oz white chocolate morsels (this ends up being about 3 cups)
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 2 eggs
- 1 T vanilla extract
- ¾ t salt
- 1 t baking powder
- 4 blood oranges (3 are for zesting, and 1 is for garnish – instructions on this below)
- ½ cup blood orange juice*
HOW:
The real first step should be to make a Chelsea Sidecar, cause drinking while baking is always fun.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Grease and line with parchment paper a 9”x9” or 8”x8 “square pan
- Cut one blood orange laterally into thin slices and remove rind, creating circular slices (you want to make about 5 or 6 slices)
- Toss the slices in the ½ cup of sugar used for garnish, set aside orange slices for use once the batter is done {this step is to ensure that the sugar absorbs some of the liquid from the oranges so that the juice is not released during the baking process, which would cause it to pool on top of the brownies}
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, butter, blood orange juice, blood orange zest, and vanilla, set aside
- In a microwave-safe bowl, melt 12 oz (2 cups) white chocolate morsels. Usually about 45 seconds will be long enough, followed by vigorous whisking to eliminate all chunks. You want the chocolate to be completely liquid so that it easily mixes into the batter. However, make sure it is not scalding hot as it will cook the eggs.
- Whisk the white chocolate into the egg mixture. The mixture might look pretty fugly and messed up at this point, but don’t fear, I promise #itgetsbetter
- In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Mix dry ingredients into the egg mixture and stir until well combined
- Fold in remaining 6 oz (about one cup) of white chocolate morsels
- Pour batter into prepared pan
- Gently lay the sugar-coated blood orange slices on top of the batter
- Bake for 35 - 45 minutes, or until a knife or toothpick can be inserted and come out clean
- Allow to cool in the pan
- Remove from pan and cut into 9-12 slices