Sinfully Sweet Sunday w/ The Sweets Truck & Auntie Em's

Few things in life are more enjoyable than sweets, beer and good company. As such, when Molly of The Sweets Truck announced that the truck would be working with Auntie Em's and Verdugo Bar for "Sinfully Sweet Sunday," my attendance was a given.

With its beer menu that has received attention in Saveur, Los Angeles Magazine, the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times (just to name a few publications) and its popularity as a food truck stop, Verdugo in Eagle Rock was the natural home for the event.

Here is the "Sinfully Sweet Sunday" tasting menu.

Here is Michelle, Auntie Em's pastry chef (a title which automatically makes her my new best friend), with our first sweet treat.

1. Citrus Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and Candied Orange Rind & Coney Island Albino Python (White Lager brewed with Ginger, Crushed Fennel and Sweet Orange Peel)

With pieces of orange rind in the cake and a dense, sweet frosting atop, this cupcake was a delight. The beer's subtle orange flavor made it the perfect partner for the cupcake but was not so strong as to limit other pairings; this white ale would be tasty with any meal.

2. Lemon Meringue Tarlet & Liefman's Kriek-Flemish Brown Ale/Cherry Lambic Open-Air (fermented and aged 18 months)

The lemon meringue tart was my favorite sweet of the day. There was a lovely contrast between the soft meringue and fruit filling and the crunchy tart, and the lemon flavor was strong and sweet. The tang of the lemon was nearly identical to the tang of the cherry lambic--a delicious pairing.

3. Brownie Bites with Chocolate and Strawberry (baked with Young's Double Chocolate Stout) & Kasteel Cuvee Du Chateau (Belgian strong dark ale aged for 10 years)

As someone partial to fruity flavors rather than chocolatey ones, I was a little overwhelmed by this pairing. The dense brownie was well-suited for the dense beer but proved to be too rich for me.

4. Red Velvet Tea Cake with Dark Chocolate Ganache and Chocolate Pearls & Spaten Optimator- Dopplebock

So, um, lesson of the day: Wait to delete photos on your camera until you've gotten home and safely uploaded...or at least wait until you're no longer buzzed.

As a red velvet fanatic, I've sampled this cake from the Sweets Truck before but enjoyed the added crunch of the chocolate pearls. The beer was also tasty; its rich flavors recalled those of the red velvet, making it the perfect accompaniment for the sweet.

5. Beer Float- Vanilla Bean Ice Cream & Old Rasputin (Russian Imperial Stout)

The idea of a beer float (such as those at The Golden State Cafe) has long intrigued me, but I have been too much of a wuss to try one. A bite of a sweet and a swig of beer is one thing...but together? I wasn't sure.

After polishing off my mini-beer-float, however, I can safely say that they are a brilliant idea. In the case of this particular float, the vanilla ice cream, handmade by Tallulah's Ice Cream, lightened up the dark stout and left a rich, milky flavor after parts of it melted. Yum.

J and I give this two spoons up!

Next up for The Sweets Truck is an event dedicated entirely to red velvet, date and time TBA. Keep up with The Sweets Truck on Facebook and Twitter for details! If it's even half as tasty as the Sinfully Sweet Sunday, it'll be a fantastic treat.

The Sweets Truck
www.thesweetstruck.com
www.twitter.com/thesweetstruck

Auntie Em's
www.auntieemskitchen.com
4616 Eagle Rock Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90041
(323) 255-0800

Verdugo
www.verdugobar.com
3408 Verdugo Rd.
Los Angeles, CA 90065
(323) 257-3408