Foodie Friday: Crooked Hammock Brewery
LEWES, Del. – It’s October, which means many are celebrating fall flavors and beer.
“One plus one equals three,”
At Crooked Hammock Brewery, they’re celebrating in their own special way. For them, this month marks Crooktoberfest. Everyone at the brewery is focused on offering classic Bavarian flavors, with a Delawarean twist.
“Almost all of these beers are focused on the flavors of malt, which is a grain: barley. All ethanol that we drink comes from the fermentation of sugar. And, the sugar comes from grain. In this case, barley,” said Director of Brewing Operations, Larry Horowitz. “These beers focus on the grainy, roasty, toasty, and sweet flavors. If you’re eating the food, and drinking the beer, it’s not one plus one equals two; it’s one plus one equals three.”
Bavarian Flavors With Delawarean Twist
Culinary Director, Chef Ted Deptula, starts with a baked brie packed full of fall flavors.
“This is a fun dish, where you’re using an old-world cheese: brie. Our backyard cookout loves to use the grill. So, we’re throwing the brie on the grill,” said Chef Deptula. “We removed the dough, threw the brie right on there. And then, we have this apple compote that goes on top. We dice up some apples, cook them down in cider. And then, we’ve put the two together with challah bread.”
The next German classic is colossal. It comes with a beautiful hash of brussels sprouts, apples, onions, and walnuts. Introducing the Das Pounder.
“This is a one-pound piece of pork tenderloin. We butterfly it, pound it out thin, batter it, flour egg and bread crumb, and a little bit of our paprikash seasoning,” said Chef Deptula. “I was kind of inspired by this Midwest dish where they take these giant pork tenderloins, that are bigger than the plate, and put one tiny little bun in the middle.”
And if the Das Pounder didn’t annihilate your appetite, prepare your taste buds for an apple cider affogato. It’s an American play on the European classic.
“This is the right time of year to be celebrating cider, as well,” said Chef Deptula. “It’s a marriage of hot cider, ice cream, ginger snap cookies and caramel sauce. It’s a really fun, interactive dish, where the guest gets to pour the hot cider over the ice cream.”
“Beautifully melted,”
“That knife just falls right into there. It is so beautifully melted,” Foodie Friday host Hannah Cechini marveled at the baked brie.
The dish is a perfect way to reintroduce your pallet to fall flavors. And the challah bread it’s paired with: a lovely vehicle for the delicious delight.
“This dish just screams fall to me. The brie is just really rich and creamy, and the brightness from the apples is such a wonderful pairing with that. It’s just a quintessential, classic autumn flavor to have apples that have cooked down like that,” Hannah said. “There’s a slight char on the bread. That kind of ties it all together, along with the very slight undercurrent of sweetness that you get from the challah bread.”
Tender, Flavorful, Delicious
Hannah describes the Das Pounder as “excellent,” in more ways than one.
“The crunch on this schnitzel is really out of this world. You feel it as soon as you’re cutting into it,” Hannah said. “We’ve talked about this on Foodie before. Pork can kind of be a difficult meat to work with, if you don’t know what you’re doing with it. But, this pork is really tender, really flavorful and delicious. There’s a lot going on on top of this schnitzel. It’s kind of like you get a different elements in this pairs beautifully with the pork.”
Celebrating Cider
And if you’re looking for a refreshing and fun way to wind down your Bavarian journey, the apple cider affogato is the way to go. “It’s really interesting, because depending on what your spoon hits, and the layers it’s able to work its way down to the bottom of the glass, you get something a little different every time, both in terms of texture and flavor,” said Hannah.
Crooked Hammock Brewery
Crooked Hammock Brewery is located at 36707 Crooked Hammock Way, Lewes, Del. You can call them at 302-644-7837. If you go to check it out, tell the team that you saw them on Foodie Friday.
