While 2015 is shaping up to be an interesting year in football with the brouhaha of DeflateGate (insert #shrinkage joke), not to mention booking Katy Perry as the Super Bowl halftime show, at least I have the commercials to look forward to! Additionally, I’m looking forward to the snacks (guacamole!!) and my personal tradition of baking desserts to represent the teams playing in the big game. Since New England and Seattle have both been to the Super Bowl in recent years, I’m trying to think outside of the box on desserts. Yes, Boston has its Boston Cream pie, so here a few spins on that:
Boston Cream Pie cookies, cupcakes, French toast, and the classic cake
Another popular New England dessert is Indian pudding. When I first heard about Indian pudding, I thought it would include curry or other spices from the Far East. Turns out, Indian pudding is a traditional New England Thanksgiving dessert, and the “Indian” refers to Native American cornmeal.
mocha cupcakes, chocolate coffee truffles, smoked porter chocolate cupcakes with salted caramel frosting
chocolate cake with pinot noir frosting, brown ale ice cream with salty caramel and honeyed hazelnuts
As for Seattle, my gut reaction is Starbucks and coffee. Though Seattle also has Molly Moon’s ice cream (with popular flavors like honey lavender and salted caramel) and so many wonderful fresh fruits and locally sourced ingredients. If we expand to the Pacific Northwest, there are hundreds of wineries and craft breweries in the region. And Oregon produces 99% of the U.S. hazelnut crop. As for drinks, the obvious choice for New England is Sam Adams. You could go classic with a Boston Lager, but I think their Thirteenth Hour stout sounds intriguing, especially since John and I have been enjoying stouts lately. And for Seattle I chose Pyramid Breweries. If you’re looking for something a little lighter and refreshing, how about their Apricot Ale? Maybe pair it with some apricot squares. Who do you want to win the Super Bowl? Or are you more a fan of the Puppy Bowl?
