Recipe: Shortbread with Elderberry Jam

Fifth and final pairing at the Only Cafe beer and food pairing event. This was going to be the dessert round, so one of I wanted one of my favourite beer Péché Mortel from Dieu du Ciel.

What is it? 

A vanilla blackpepper shortbread with Nutella and homemade elderberry jam served with an imperial coffee stout.

Why did you choose this?

Can't leave a meal without some dessert and coffee. Vanilla and chocolate bring out the nuances in coffees. Often my wife will add a little instant coffee to chocolate desserts, not enough to taste, but it enhances chocolate really well. Since this was about small bites and pairing things that might not be obvious, cookies seemed like it could be a good choice.

Why this tasting?

The coffee stout is roasted, bitter with a strong coffee taste. There is some vanilla notes that I wanted to play off. So, added vanilla and black pepper to a standard shortbread recipe. The black pepper was to break up the sweetness of the whole bite. Nutella has hazelnuts and chocolate. Both of those flavours are a great match it espresso. On top, added some elderberry to add some tartness. I am not sure it was necessary but I was thinking about LU Pim's cookies - the pear in particular. So, I was shooting for that type profile.

So, what is the recipe?

I'm not a natural baker so I ripped off Leiths Baking Bible again. I adjusted their recipe to add cracked black pepper (enough to see) and about a teaspoon of vanilla. Here is a recipe that someone else has done based on a variation of Leiths. Put down the biscuit. Spread some Nutella. Take a spoon to put on some elderberry.

So, you could change the jam or jelly to match the porter or stout. If you have a raspberry porter, think about adding raspberry jam.