Final German Food Update (and why are these plums yellow?!)

The final dishes have been found! I had around 2 weeks to go and I was still finalizing recipes. This took longer than it should have, but the year long experiment seems to have worked. I was able to dig up a version of sauerbraten that I really liked and I found one more side dish, fried cabbage fritters. It may have taken 10 months to find all of the recipes for Thanksgiving 2.6, but it was worth it. I believe I have chosen dishes that will be enjoyed by many people. If no one else likes them at least I’ll enjoy the leftovers. The addition of these final 2 gives me a total of 1 German appetizer, 2 German side dishes, 4 German main dishes and 7 German desserts. All of these will go great with the 7 German beers I’ve chosen. 

     I finally found a sauerbraten recipe I like or you could say I found a version for the masses. I understand that the "sauer" part of the name comes from the mild pickling (or long marinating) step that takes place in these recipes. Instead of an overnight marinade, the rump roast is soaked in the flavorful liquid for 2 or 3 days. Not only does this soften some of the muscle fibers, but it gives a ton of flavor to the beef itself. During my testing I found that I was not quite ready for the full sauer flavor, so I found a recipe that cut half of the red wine vinegar with a dry red wine. This one simple change made all the difference for me. I can taste the sauerness, but it is mellowed by the great wine flavor. The last step of the recipe of adding gingersnaps to the gravy was genius. The gravy went from a very plain beef Au-Jus with a hint of onions to a thick, and spicy beef gravy. I think at least a few people will enjoy the thinly sliced tender beef smothered with spicy gravy.

      The final German food has been chosen. Kohl Krapfen or Fried Cabbage. The one part of the menu that has the least German influence is clearly the side dish category. This isn't due to some hatred of side dishes that the German people have. As far as I know they enjoy potatoes and vegetables as much as the next country. The lack in this area has more to do with 2 factors. The first being that Thanksgiving 2 is a traditional thanksgiving meal with a theme tacked on to the side to keep it interesting for me (the food preparer). So many of the people I know (guests included) enjoy the traditional side dishes more than they enjoy the actual turkey. Personally, I like stuffing at least 8 times more than turkey. The second reason for the Germanless-ness of the side dishes has to do with flavor. I experimented with around 10 side dishes throughout this past year. Many of those dishes had flavor profiles that were very similar to sides we will already be having. For example: the Turner onion casserole tastes similar yet better in my opinion then any of the zwiebelkuchen (onion pies) I found, and mashed potatoes have a similar flavor to any of the spaetzle recipes I tried. The kohl krapfen is one of the few recipes I found that did not have an analog already in the menu. I found the fried cabbage to have a nice crunchy texture, a simple preparation, and a very different taste then the non-fried forms of cabbage in many of the other traditional cabbage dishes. They actually come out very light due to the minimal fat used in their frying. I think they will be a hit because this is already a crowd that's prepared to devour 2 fried turkeys. 

      Why no plums? Where is the plum cake? I love plums and pie! All of these are valid questions that will probably be asked of me at TH2. Well, apparently I have had a too optimistic view of the growing capabilities of the U.S. I figured that since I can buy mangoes, and dragon-fruit and apples all year round that I could perhaps buy 2 pounds of plums when I needed them in late November. 2 weeks ago I could have bought 400 pounds of plums, this week I can barely find prunes. Unless a miracle happens by next week or I find some way to make plums magically appear I have had to replace the plum cake (zwetschgenkuchen) with a lemon cake (zitronenkuchen). I have made a similar dense pound cake-like dessert before, so I am confident that at least a few people will enjoy it. It's only the second lemon flavored dessert on the menu and this way it won't feel like a lemon overload. Hopefully, the plum fan backlash will be minor, and offset by the lemon fan hoopla.


In less than two weeks time we will have arrived at another TH2. Then it will be 3 weeks before I can start planning for the Polar Palooza and then next years Thanksgiving 2. The cycle continues.

Thanksgiving 2.6: Countdown. 1 Month to go!

     We are now one month from TH day. I have a bit left to do before the official preparation schedule starts (Nov.-24th), and I am trying to figure out what I can buy, do, or fix before then. I want to make it as easy of a time as possible. I believe there is a way to ease my way into the schedule. I lost an hour last year on the day of, and I am determined to get it back this year! With so few weeks left to gather all of the supplies and figure out the layout of the house I am now starting to feel the excitement building.

      Figuring out the layout of the house is something I can definitely do now. Recently, 2 large changes came up that will affect the set-up for the gathering. The smallest, but hopefully a very important change is happening in the main food area. I have decided to add a new table to the kitchen area. I will be moving the plates, cups, napkins and silverware to this new table. It will be in front of the refrigerator and oven. I don't want guests digging into the fridge to begin with, and this completely prevents that from happening. The main reason I am adding this extra table is because of my purchase of a double chafing dish set-up. This has added a whole new level of versatility to my food serving ability, but requires this rearranging. I will be moving the turkeys to a central place (of honor?) and have the chafing dishes located in their former place. Moving the tableware to a whole new table opens up its former counter space and will let me locate the crock pots there. Check out the re-updated directory page and see where the food will be located.

      The larger of the two layout changes will be happening outside in the yard. I have had some discussions with Quinton (host & holder of the Polar Palooza) and I think we have come up with a great plan. Last year was the first time I decided to "tent in" my backyard. There are simply too many people to accommodate solely inside my house now. Tenting in the yard opened up a 20 ft space outside. It easily became the most popular space even with a bit of a chill in the air. Last year I did 20 ft, but with Quinton's help I think we can tent in almost 40 ft of space! If you have any interest in seeing what I have in mind check out this Pre-viz model I made. I know that with 20 extra feet of space I can handle an extra 10 - 15 more people than last year. This is a must because it is possible we will have 60-65 people this year. That extra 20 feet allows for 2 more tables, and many many more chairs to be added. There is a large bonus feature of adding the extra 20 ft of tent. I get to add an additional food table. It was brought up to me that I should spread the drinks out more than last year to avoid a crowd. This new table allows for just that. I have decided to place some of the non-alcoholic drinks, the wines and the 3 pre-mixed drinks. To help ensure guests are drawn to this table I will also place a few of the more weather resistant desserts out here too. I figure as long as the sun is up and the weather cooperates we can leave the rear tent flap open for everyone to enjoy the spectacle that is the turkey fryer.

      4 weeks left and I still feel that I need a few more German dishes, mainly side dishes. The few I have tried to make did not impress me, my wife or the other taste testers. I knew I was gambling when I looked towards older, simpler recipes. It has been tough finding dishes with flavors that are not boring or strong enough to compete with the recipes I have found. I will be doing an excessive amount of cooking in the next couple weeks as I try and find 2 more sides to help round out the final menu. I have a few days off coming up, so look here to see what I made.

Until next time, when I let you know how the final recipes turn out.