June's German food experiment update

     Welcome back to the newest installment of the Great German Food Cook-Off! In case you’re new to the blog I throw a gathering every year called Thanksgiving 2. TH2 is way to guarantee that everyone I know who wants a nice Thanksgiving will get one. This year the minor theme is German food. I have been testing out a series of around 20 recipes for this event in December. These last 40 days saw me make 4 very different recipes. I found 1 definite inclusion, 1 possible and 2 misses. I forgot to post about the May “Birthday Day” recipe, so I will include it here.

     I'll go over my first big recipe misfire that I've had. For the May “Birthday Day” at my office I made a Christmas Gingerbread. As with many of the dessert recipes I have tried so far the gingerbread had cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and a citrus component. It was mildly sweet and chewy, but not as moist as I was expecting. It definitely tasted like it was a winter bread/cake, but the texture was hard to identify. I don't know if I would describe it as a cake or a loaf of bread. It was too dense to be called a cake, but not quite chewy enough to be called a loaf of bread. I debated on whether or not to make an icing or try the cake/loaf on its own. I decided to bring it to work and let it stand alone.

     Clearly the gingerbread was not enjoyed as much as some of the other items I have brought into work. I was a bit disappointed that there was some left over at the end of the day. I was hoping that it would be like the nougatkugeln. I didn't care for the nougatkugeln, but several people really liked it, nevertheless it wasn't meant to be this time. I think that the because it wasn’t sweet enough to be put next to the desserts, and not savory enough to sit next to the salsa really hurt the gingerbread’s chances. The lack of butter or some spreadable topping probably didn't help either (I am afraid to bring in butter at work and leave it out all day). Maybe the extra moisture would have made it more appealing to the public. Either it simply didn't taste good enough or no one knew what to do with it. Perhaps, if I had a table set aside specifically for breads and rolls with multiple spreads/toppings/butters during Thanksgiving 2 would the gingerbread would truly be enjoyed.

     In June I managed to squeeze in 3 different recipes, a streusel kuchen, and 2 frikadelin recipes. Frikadelin is the traditional/original German hamburger. The main difference between these and an American burger is the addition of ground pork and a moist Kaiser roll.  I made 2 frikadelin recipes in the last 15 days. The first used 2 parts beef to 1 part pork and added paprika. The second recipe was equal portions beef to pork and marjoram. Both of the recipes have a meatloaf-ish taste and texture. The paprika version was smokier and tasted a bit better to me. The marjoram version used a bit more bread and has a much lighter taste and a fluffier texture. I think the flavor of the second version would become lost amongst all of the other foods at TH2. I am going to test that first frikadelin recipe at Christmas 2 in July. I’m hoping to get a few extra opinions. The streusel kuchen is a yellow cake base with candied pecans and a cinnamon, sugar and butter topping. I made a 9” x  12” pan of this. This recipe got the complete opposite reception at work. When lunchtime came around 75-80% of the kuchen was gone. At 2pm I was given the pan back because it was all gone. If every recipe I make went this fast, I could open a restaurant and start throwing town wide Thanksgiving 2 festivals. My wife and I definitely enjoyed the test batch and enough people at work liked it for streusel kuchen to make the current TH2 menu.
     Whereas May didn’t contribute any dishes to the menu, June finished with a roar hopefully adding 2 recipes.

Official Christmas 2.2 Preperation Schedule

Some of my regulars to CH2 and TH2 who like schedules and lists like I do have shown a mild amount of interest seeing how I figure out what to do for such large undertakings. I will repeat this style of entry as I get the Thanksgiving schedule closer to being finalized. I’m taking what I’ve used for the last couple years and I’ve shrunk it for the Christmas preparations. So here's the Schedule.

Highlights

                Friday July 12^th – Tuesday July 16^th

The first few days of prep are always light. I am hoping that the rainfall is light so the garden work does not have to be repeated. The only food item that gets made in this window is the figgy pudding. I am making this then because it will have an amount of alcohol added to it after it is completely baked. It is similar to a fruit cake in that way. I found out last year that the longer I kept it the better it got. A week beforehand isn’t that long, but I will notice a difference.  The other highlight is the trip to Shady Maple. I am really hoping that I can pick up a couple decorations for the house. It is a long shot, but I would like to add some Christmas decor to the kitchen and middle room.

                Wednesday July 13^th – Friday July 19^th

Now you see the food preparation and actual house rearranging. I’ve learned from TH2 that I should do as much as I can beforehand. The newest/fanciest part of this part of the schedule is the (at this point) possible Pub Crawl. I am really looking forward to this possibility. If this happens I would love to see this become a yearly part of Christmas 2 Eve. If this is half as enjoyable as the St. Patrick’s Day Grub Crawl I’ll be thrilled. Also, if several people join us for the crawl the tent will go up in a few minutes. The newest idea that I will be testing on everyone is the premixed cocktail dispensers. I am making 4 different cocktails, a red, green, white and “gold” one. I am trying to keep them Christmas colored of course. I haven’t decided which 4 drinks I’ll be making yet. I’m hoping that because I won’t be employing a bartender type person at CH2 or TH2 I want to find some way to utilize our ever growing bar. I figure I can put ice in a cooler on the Island with some tongs and have people serve themselves. I’m figuring since my guests aren’t alcoholics that this will work fairly well.

                The final part includes the “Shopping List” and “Drink Section”. The shopping list is something I created last year for TH2 to help me not double and triple buy some food items. I realize this isn’t a new concept.  I used to go shopping several times during the preceding weeks to buy my groceries. I had a tendency to buy way more food and accessories than was necessary.  If I bring a list I feel a bit more compelled to stick to it. The list says 3 turkeys! No More THAN 3!  It’s this reason that I came up with the P.S.M.U. (Personal Single Meal Unit). The second section is the drink poll. I want to try something different at CH2. We have a nice bar set-up, but with no one to man it at CH2 or TH2 it usually goes unused. The premixed drink containers will fix this, I hope. This is the preliminary list of cocktails I want my guests to choose from. Since this is a Christmas themed event I want a green, red, gold and white cocktail.  In a few days I will be putting up a poll asking my guests which drinks they would like to try.

                We are just under one month away from the second Christmas 2: Christmas in July. There is set-up and shopping to be done, but that doesn’t matter. I can’t wait, Christmas anytime is great.

Fan Favorites vs Brand New Recipes: The Foodie Dilemma

Now that Christmas 2: Christmas in July is approaching I have had a question come to mind. Should I have more of the crowd favorite recipes appear in the Thanksgiving 2.6 menu instead of trying to include so many "on theme" dishes? The internal debate of the party goer/thrower, favorites or experiments. What should I do?

This possible predicament first came up as I was figuring out what to make for Christmas 2. Christmas 2 is wholly different from TH2 in almost every way as far as I am concerned. There are fewer people involved because it is a gift exchanging event. It is a potluck gathering where I only make 1-3 dishes for the day as opposed to making 15-30 dishes for TH2. I will usually make a dessert and 1 or 2 main courses or single main and a side dish. This year I'll be making a figgy pudding and boeuf bourguignon, the third dish is to be determined as of today. I have made the boeuf more than once, and every time almost all of it is gone at the end of the event, plus I enjoy it greatly. These 2 facts brought up the issue I'm thinking through. Should I decrease the amount of "on theme" dishes and add in a few of these "fan favorites"? Unlike some of the other decisions I have to make I'm not leaning in either direction. I am stumped.

The other time I run into this worst of party problems is when I am headed to a party thrown by not me. Usually, I will ask the party thrower if they have a preference (what everyone should do, I think) and it is if they have no preference I run into the issue. I run through the 5 or 6 dishes I feel comfortable bringing to someone house for a party. Boeuf, Cajun grilled chicken, barbecue flavored pork loin chops, guacamole are my go to dishes. I have been known to make one of several desserts also. I will take the style and time of day and time of year of the party in consideration. For my own gathering it is significantly different.

The question seems to be a philosophical question. New and experimental or tried and true? Who knew that Thanksgiving 2 could bring about such a large concept. . . .  end interlude

My finished menu will have about 12 "on theme" dishes. The rest of the meal will be traditional Thanksgiving foods. As of June I know it is really early to have any concern about my menu pieces because I haven't tested all of them yet. This fact is what should be the ultimate deciding factor. For example I have 2 sauerbraten recipes left to test. If for some reason I find that neither of those are acceptable to me I will be losing one of my main course recipes. I suppose that with the loss of such a pivotal dish I will have to replace it with either one of my tried and true favorites (boeuf bourguignon) or search for an equally important German dish. At least I have some idea of what to do now. I have some testing to do, but after that I will have either a very easy decision made for me or we will be enjoying some great sauerbraten.

Back to the Future . . . Themes: Part 2

Welcome back to the brainstorming for events over 4 years away. I know it may seem a bit ahead of schedule, but if I want to have any semblance of a good time I have to pre-plan. 


If i do head to Russia for a future TH2 I already have a game plan in mind. Russian Christmas is centered around religious ceremonies and a 12 dish dinner. I think the Russian people have tailor made this dinner to be used in Thanksgiving 2 gatherings just for me. Each of the 12 recipes is vegetarian and are meant to represent the 12 apostles. As long as I can find tasty versions of each dish I think I could easily pull this off and have everyone enjoy my modern/American take on them. The twelve courses can include the toast, garlic and honey, mushrooms, dried lima beans, potatoes, prunes, peroghi, fish, bobalki, poplanik, kolachki and cabbage rolls. Going to Russia also allows me to go outside of the usual beer box. I can round up a selection of Russian Imperial Stouts. There are a lot of Russian themed beers being made by American breweries. Whether or not some of the choices I make are actually Russian I think will be forgiven by my guests. I can play around with that if It becomes difficult to find some truly Russian beers.Also, I have heard that the Russian people enjoy vodka, I was considering having a vodka tasting flight. pour 1/4 ounces and let people find out which variety of vodka they like most (I prefer potato).

If we go to Spain I am going to have to do a ton of research. I know virtually nothing about this area. I know they conquered many people and the movie Pan's Labyrinth takes place there. The one bit of culinary information I have is that paella is both a meal and a dish. I will not be making paella. I don't see myself making this on a regular basis. If someone I know owns a paella dish then I will reconsider. The real challenge won't be in finding interesting dishes, but in finding recipes that are fun and palatable by the guests. If I can't find enough I think I would do a combo with Portuguese cuisine. I could refer to the theme as "Conquerors of the New World". Adding in Portugal would open up a few of the regions unique wine styles also. Being almost surrounded by water, I may increase the amount of seafood that I normally make. If there is a demand I may add a grilled lamb dish, which is a big part of a traditional Spanish Christmas dinner. The beer selection would be a challenge.

If I decide to venture to the Middle East I would be focusing more on the dishes themselves as opposed to holiday dishes. Because of the Christian minority in this area of the world there are not a ton of traditional Middle Eastern Christmas dishes. The Lebanese have several cinnamon flavored puddings that I could try. The rest of the menu will be a mix of dishes from each country This is the most wide open of the possible ideas. This will also be the toughest to tie in to the Thanksgiving/Christmas theme. Clearly, at this point I am not sure where to go, but I will let feedback either leave me towards or away from this idea.

A good old fashioned Irish Christmas. I've done a minor amount of research already on Ireland when I was looking at England. Since the Christmas food traditions in Ireland are very similar to American ones I think I would put a larger focus on the dessert table. The desserts are the main difference between here and Ireland. A variety of puddings, and pies that we don't usually see in local homes. The Irish are of course known for their "love" of potatoes, so I would add a a few extra themed potato dishes too. If I can find any recipes that seem palatable to my guests I'd like to try and find some Celtic dishes to throw in. They would probably be very simple, but hopefully a few exotic flavors thrown in. The drink table for this theme would be exceptionally easy. Guiness would play a large part of course (even though they are a Macro) and some of my favorite beers are from Ireland (O'Hara's, Murphy's). I'd highlight brands that are specifically made in Ireland: Smithwick's, Beamish, and Harp. If possible I'd like to find some Irish craft breweries too.

So what do I mean by the Soviet Bloc countries? I think of Bulgaria, Romania, the 3 Baltic countries, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic and the Yugoslavian countries. These are basically the Eastern European countries from my 5th grade social studies text book. This theme is itself an experiment within an experiment. I have 7 countries listed so I would need to find a couple signature dishes from each region. In my preliminary research I've already found some directions I could go in. Bulgaria has a breaking bread tradition which uses a pita-like loaf of bread. Romania leans towards a multi coursed meal with pork as the main focus.Slovakia and the Czech Republic have a tradition of hard baked Christmas cookies. The Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania may each get their own recipe, but for now will be grouped together as they were in my textbook. Herring is the main component in many Polish Christmas dinners. I do not think I have ever even seen herring in front of me. This particular dish will be interesting.  Hungarians have a fish soup as one of their main meals on Christmas Eve. As with the Baltic nations I will probably be grouping the former Yugoslavian nations together for recipe simplicity. On each plates name card I would highlight each country. I would have very little trouble finding drinks from this many countries. I could highlight each country with its own bottle of wine or case of beer. It would be nice to have one easy piece of this theme.

North Africa was brought up in response to my last post. The continent of Africa has a different take on Christmas than a lot of the rest of the world. Through my extensive pre-research I have found that Christmas isn't a huge deal in most of Africa. South Africa is full of so many ex-Europeans it has a conglomeration of European traditions. In Nigeria there is some celebrating with many meats. That is a tradition I can get behind. This is an idea I will be looking into a lot more.

Again, if anyone has any thoughts, please let me know what you think. I don't know if and when these will happen, but I am sure it will be a nice ride.

Future Thanksgiving 2 Theme Ideas part 1

Welcome to part 1 of the crystal ball edition. This week I'm going to walk through some of my thoughts on themes for next year and beyond. "If you can't think one step ahead, you'll end up lost."

When I decided to go to Germany for TH2.6 I also decided to suggest future themes for myself. I could map out the next several years by staying in Europe. The hard part however, is figuring out where I want to go next. I have around 9 choices in my head right now. France, Scandinavia, Italy, Spain, England, Russia, Turkey/Middle East, and the former Soviet Block Eastern Europe.(Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, The Czech Republic and Slovakia). I want to weigh the choices and have an idea for next year by the time Christmas 2 (July 20) comes around.

First and what would probably be the easiest is France. I only say easiest because I actually have a tiny amount of experience in making French food. I also have a few French cookbooks. If you like rich foods and fancy sounding desserts then this is the country you want me to go with. Initially, I thought this is definitely where I would go, but by choosing France I won't really be stretching my cooking skills. The other hand says that by going this route I will have a slightly easier time all around. My recipe searching would be relatively simple. Also, on the plus side is that I know a native French person. One of my friends has married a French woman. Clearly, I did not have access to someone from the 1700's last year. This should be a big advantage. The downside I find with France is almost all alcohol related. I try and provide an assortment of beers and wine for the gathering, but can you tell me 1. to name a French beer, or 2. finding several bottles of wine from France that aren't over $20. The beer problem I figure I can fix by offering a wide variety of somewhat local craft beer. As for wine, I do not know which way to go. I usually purchase my wine from vineyards that are within 3 hours of my home. I would have to offer at least 3-4 bottles of French wine just to have them represented. France is easier in the food department, but more difficult in the drinking area. 

Second in my mind is Scandinavia. This came up at a friend's wedding. He married someone this past year who is native to this area of Europe. (It's funny, I wonder if more of my friends will marry more Europeans. They should get on this before I hit Italy or Russia) She happened to mention it to me in passing, but it placed the seed of an idea. A dream can come true when I can finally call my spread a Smorgasbord and have the name be literal. I'll have access to someone who can answer many of my questions, and assuming my friend's wife is able to attend I will get immediate feedback about the all of the food.   I feel I could find 4-5 foods from each of the 3 main countries (Denmark, Sweden and Norway) easily. The region is somewhat known for its fermented fish recipes. For anyone that is thinking of coming know this, there will be none of these in my house. The abundance of fish in their diet will be an interesting set of experiments for me. I do like the bread heavy menus I have found though. Anything that can help me gain some baking experience will be nice. The beer situation is almost a combination of the German experience (many beers available in the US) and the French situation (very few in the US). Thankfully, several Scandinavian beers are readily available in the US. This

For my third idea was just a fleeting one.We should visit merry old England. The idea came to me at the start of the Polar Palooza. One of mt friends brought Newcastle Brown Ale to have me serve to everyone. I had already come up with the idea of a German theme and I thought of all the great English beers that are available. I would love to have the whole gamut of beers that are made over there. The recipes would be familiar to the guests and wouldn't be overly difficult for me. The only issue I have with doing England is how similar some of the foods will be to the Colonial Menu I made in 2012. I did a minor amount of research and found some interesting ideas, but there were a lot of similarities. I feel that when I go to England it will be in a few years, maybe 2015-2016.

The final country I'll go over today is Italy. This would seem like a no-brainer, but I think this could be more difficult than first glance. Why would this be hard you're asking? I'm Italian and my mother, grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins have been making Italian food for my whole life. The issues I will have are 1. my family have all been making variations on the same 6-8 dishes, and 2. I will be fighting against . . . The Olive Garden. Not literally that particular restaurant, but all chain Italian places. Of course, I would have a few staples, lasagna, fettuccine alfredo, etc., but what else? I figured I would find some of the dishes from the various parts of Italy, Sicily, Naples, Venice, Rome, Bologna, and Sardinia. The regional dishes would make it more interesting and keep the buffet from feeling like "An Evening at Bertucci's Garden". As far as drink selection goes, I would probably go out and find some wines styles that are unique to Italy. The Italian beer varieties that I've seen locally are limited and a bit boring. I'd have to play up the local craft beer selection.

I think these four are the most obvious and the easiest for people accept without a lot of explanation. I know there are a few more choices out there for me to explore.  Any thoughts one way or the other are appreciated.

German Foodie Files part 2: Electric Burgerloo

Here is second half of the menu possibles.

To save you from clicking back here are the new possible menu items.



2 types of Sauerbraten: A German Pot roast, where the meat is marinated for a couple days ahead of time, served with several vegetables.
Spaetzle: A German dumpling or noodle
Hessian Pan-Fried Meatloaf: This is exactly what it sounds like.
Bierocks: Meat turnovers with cabbage and spices.
Frikadellen: A traditional German hamburger.
Hasenpfeffer: A rabbit/hare stew with onions and wine.
Spargel: White asparagus.
Maultaschensuppe: Meat filled dumplings in broth.

Sweet & Sour Potatoes: This is a variation on German potato salad.
Zwiebelkuchen: An onion pie from Swabia, served in the fall.
Karotten in Bier Gedunstet: Carrots cooked in a dark beer with butter.
Brotchen Rolls: Chewy and firm dinner rolls. 
Gugelhupf: This is a Bundt cake with raisins and almonds.
Stollen: A moist heavy bread filled with fruit which is popular in Dresden.
Strawberry Bavarian Cream: A dessert similar to a pastry cream flavored with strawberries
Christmas Gingerbread loaf: A bread-like Gingerbread cake


The sweet and sour potato recipe I found is really a fancy name for a German potato salad.
It has bacon in it, so no vegetarians please. Potato salads have not been terribly popular in the past Thanksgiving 2's, so I am a bit hesitant to include this one. I am hoping that the taste test shows enough of a difference in taste to entice some guests into trying it. I really think potato salads should be a part of "family style" gatherings. Maybe this is the recipe that brings everyone else around.

The picture of the zwiebelkuchen looks similar to a dessert pie. How can a pie-like food taste bad.  I may have to try the zwielbelkuchen with red onions at least once to keep the flavor distinctly different from the Turner Onion Casserole (a favorite dish for over 2 years). This is from Swabia, which is in south-central Germany. I have learned that this pie is usually accompanied by "green" or young wine. I believe the Mount Hope Winery has a young wine for sale. They're located in "Dutch" Country. This seems right somehow.

If the karotten in bier gedunstet is even mildly tasty I will be including it in this year's menu. The German side dishes I have found that are not cabbage have left me with few vegetarian choices. This will help increase my theme dishes and add another non-sausage. The other positive to this recipe is that it's very simple. Carrots, butter, beer and a bit of sugar, that's all. I can't see how this will be bad.

Brotchen rolls will be my first foray since middle school into bread making. I will definitely need to try this one at least twice. The dough needs to rise 3 times, and is cooked in an odd manner. This one is a bit nervous making, but having a set of fresh baked rolls will add a lot of authenticity to the whole meal.

Strawberry Bavarian cream sounds so fancy to me. The recipe I found uses fresh strawberries and appears to be similar to a jello mold or a mousse. I like mousse. It is very different from the filling in an eclair and a Boston cream doughnut. That type of filling is more modern from what I have learned. If this is as good and simple as it seems, I may just make a few flavors. We will see.

Other than the strawberry Bavarian cream, the desserts will be tried beforehand for my work "birthday days". I am afraid of bringing the Bavarian creme to work and having it sit out for 8 hours. Once I figure out the order, you will see posts covering each dessert in the upcoming months.

German Foodie Files: The Possibles Part 1

I thought I would give the Thanksgiving 2 fans a look into the possible German foods they will be seeing, and my thought processes in choosing these dishes.

As of today (April 26) I have 17 dishes to test out.
2 types of Sauerbraten: A German Pot roast, where the meat is marinated for a couple days ahead of time, served with several vegetables.
Spaetzle: A German dumpling or noodle
Hessian Pan-Fried Meatloaf: This is exactly what it sounds like.
Bierocks: Meat turnovers with cabbage and spices.
Frikadellen: A traditional German hamburger.
Hasenpfeffer: A rabbit/hare stew with onions and wine.
Spargel: White asparagus.
Maultaschensuppe: Meat filled dumplings in broth.

Sweet & Sour Potatoes: This is a variation on German potato salad.
Zwiebelkuchen: An onion pie from Swabia, served in the fall.
Karotten in bier gedunstet: Carrots cooked in a dark beer with butter.
Brotchen Rolls: Chewy and firm dinner rolls. 
Gugelhupf: This is a Bundt cake with raisins and almonds.
Stollen: A moist heavy bread filled with fruit which is popular in Dresden.
Strawberry Bavarian Cream: A dessert similar to a pastry cream flavored with strawberries
Christmas Gingerbread loaf: A bread-like Gingerbread cake

I had a couple reasons for selecting these recipes. They do not duplicate anything that I'll be making from the traditional dishes. You'll notice that there are no turkey dishes. Also, I tried to find dishes that are somewhat different from one another. The only real issue I have is that the German Christmas baked goods tend to have several flavors in common.

I am going to split the individual dish descriptions into two entries. If I describe the different foods in the blog enough times I will have them all memorized by the time TH2 comes around.

The sauerbraten recipe is a dish I knew I wanted to include from the beginning. I learned that it is one of the national dishes of Germany. I am mildly concerned that because of its simple nature that it won't entirely be consumed. The second milder issue I have is that it may taste similar to the Ox-Tail Stew that I am bringing back from last year. They are both a braised meat dish with a meaty sauce and veggies. Perhaps, if I set them far apart from one another on the serving table no one will notice the similarities.

Spaetzle is the other staple German food I knew I needed to include. Something as simple as an egg noodle/dumpling will be a nice side. I can push it as palette cleanser. As of right now I am light on authentic side dishes. I may have to make a couple batches of these. On a different hand,it will be good practice to learn how to make another type of noodle. It seems every other time I try and make chicken and dumplings I wreck the dumplings. (which is why no one has ever had them at my house)

The pan fried meatloaf will probably be the final stop on the main dish train. The pan frying is what originally caught my eye. I have made a few varieties of meatloaf before, but nothing that will have this crispy (I hope) texture. The only worry I have over the meatloaf is how similar will it be to the frikadellen. 

The bierocks may be the recipe I'm most afraid to make. Bierocks are a meat turnover. A flaky dough filled with beef or other red-style meat. I am not very familiar with combining dough and meat in anything. I don't think hamburgers and buns count. The recipe appears to be fairly simple, but I'm still nervous. I am debating on making smallish turnovers and placing them on the appetizer table for some variety. Assuming these taste good, I could make some veggie versions with soy crumbles. I'm sure my wife would appreciate that.

Frikadellen is the German hamburger, also known as the original. For as many times as I have grilled during the summer months I have never gone back to the original recipe. It seems that these will be a softer texture than an American burger. I thought it would be boring to just make these in the regular size 3-5 ounces), so I've decided to make frikadellen sliders. The little buns that I'll buy for these can do double duty for the turkey sandwiches that have become popular over the last 2 years.

Hasenpfeffer is a rabbit stew. I can count on one hand how many people I know who have had rabbit, let alone rabbit stew. The recipe will have me marinating the rabbit in wine overnight. I'm hoping that when I make this the first time that the gaminess will be at a minimum. Other then using rabbit as the meat this seems like a very basic stew. Assuming I like the flavor of this then I'll be making a single batch of it. I am too afraid of making a ton of it and then having no one eat it.

Spargel is simply white asparagus. I happen to like asparagus cooked on the grill, but the recipes I have found are more traditional with sauces and such. If I find myself short of vegetables I may just throw some over the fire for fun.

Finally, for this entry the maultaschensuppe reminds me of the many other filled dough foods that I have never made before. Frozen pierogies do not count. This is a recipe I am going to have to try a couple times. The recipe I'll be trying is almost a soup. The maultasche cook in the broth. I'm hoping that this will make it a little more forgiving and allow me to make it a few days ahead of time.It seems like I'll need an additional Crock Pot.

I know I have plenty of time to make all of these new recipes and I'll get to make them at least once before the big day (Dec. 7th btw). The hardest part is getting each one tested/tasted by several different people. I know what good food tastes like, but I always feel a little better if a few other people enjoy what I'm making. It was brought up in a comment last week that if anyone wants a recipe of something that's listed please ask.

Tune in next time for the second half of the list, and catch the desserts.

German Dessert Double Header

The April birthday day has just come and gone at one of my jobs. I had a semi-difficult time deciding what to make this month. Whereas I have found a lot of main dish and side dish recipes to experiment with for TH2.6 I only have a few dessert choices left to choice from (a few to me). As of right now I have around 8 desserts planned. chocolate nut bars, lebkuchen, pie assortment, my fruit cake, gingerbread cookies, pistachio ambrosia, apple cake, and walnut rolls. I still have several recipes to try out: Zwetschgenschnecken (Plum Rolls), a German style Gingerbread loaf, a christmas bread, streusel kucken, and waser kipfels (water lillies), zimtsterne (cinnamon cookie), and nougatkugeln (nut nougat-like ball). If I keep making about one a month I will have work-possible recipes until November. This month's "Birthday Day" seemed to come out of nowhere. I chose to make the nougatkugeln. It was the simplest recipe in my list, and unlike anything I have ever made.

The nougat balls from this recipe are a different kind of nougat then what is in your average mass produced candy bar.They are a mix of ground nuts, cocoa, and powdered sugar. I used macadamia nuts instead of the hazelnuts that were called for in the recipe. I did not like the raw flavor of the hazelnuts at my local shop. The texture is smooth with hints of the ground nuts and a strong vanilla flavor. They are then coated in melted chocolate and dusted w powdered sugar. Overall,I thought they looked pretty nice. However, I had an odd experience with these nougat balls. I didn't like them, and neither did my wife.

I am pretty open minded when it comes to non-mint flavored foods, but this just didn't do anything for me. Somehow the combination of flavors did not agree with us. I had a dilemma on my hands. Should I bring a food I do not like to work or should i make a whole new dessert? After looking through the unmade recipes I had left I decided to do both. I made 1 batch of the zimtsterne. The lightly cinnamon flavored and very delicate cookies are very good. The recipe makes around 60 cookies because the dough is rolled so thin. I now had something I could feel comfortable bringing to work. 

Since neither of us really enjoyed the nougatkugeln I figured I could take them to work because I had the zimtsterne to bring with me. Maybe a few people would like the nougat balls. I brought around 20 nougat balls, and 40-ish zimtsterne cookies. Something happened that I was not expecting. The nougat balls were a "work hit". I figure half of them are true and the other half are people being nice, then I have the answer to my future question. I was stunned that they were all gone by 2pm. I'm guessing that whatever flavor that we didn't like was the flavor that drew the other people to them. Perhaps this flavor stimulates the same part of the brain as mint (Mint is awful btw). The cookies were a quiet hit. They disappeared slowly throughout the day. I'll take that as the second positive sign. 

 I have decided to make both recipes for TH2.6. I will only be making a single batch of each as of right now. Thankfully both of them can be made well ahead of time. This early bake time will keep my final week of preparations for other more time sensitive recipes. Two more recipes down and about 12 to go. 

The German food experiment begins

This is the first year I am going to Europe for my Thanksgiving 2 sub-theme. Last year’s theme was a journey into the past, into Colonial America. The German beer selection is what really led me to that country this year. Whenever I have encountered German food in the past I can definitely say I liked it, but I can't say it's my favorite cuisine. The choice for this year is really based on the beer. As of today I’ve now made 5 dishes of the 20 or so I have found. I think I'm going to like this experiment a great deal.

The first dish I decided to try was the molasses/honey cookie lebkuchen (pronounced leeb-khoo-ken). The February "birthday day" at my office came up and I knew I was going to participate. I chose this cookie because I felt it would keep all day and be accepted. While making it I found the lebkuchen to be a dry dough, but overall a very easy recipe. I used dry fruit instead of the dried candied fruit peel that the recipe calls for. I think this single substitution was a good one. It came out tasting like a cross between a moist gingerbread cookie with just a hint of "rock cake". (The rock cake is a scone-like cookie I have made for Harry Potter Movie Marathons over the years)  Everyone that tasted the cookies at work seemed to genuinely like them, but it is an office so I wasn't taking the verbal compliments to heart. I’ve found that the best way to judge at any office is by how quickly the item disappears. My friends and family have also enjoyed them. The molasses provides most of the flavor, while the fruit and almonds add small hints of flavor as you hit them, and the honey keeps the cookies very moist and soft. I've decided that the lebkuchen are definitely making an appearance at TH2 this year.

The second experimental food is one I haven’t had before this month, the bratwurst. I am on a quest for the next 6 months to try and find and then eat at least 5 different types of German sausages. I have found one German market/butcher near my office. I thought it would be best to start with the easiest and simplest sausage I could find, the readily available Johnsonville bratwurst. Thankfully, I enjoyed them. I am curious to buy them at the butcher and see what the differences are. I have a feeling that the huge Amish community in PA may help me with this sausage experiment also.

The third dish I tried is German Sausage Chowder. It has kielbasa, cabbage, potatoes and Swiss cheese. As with most soups it’s a fairly easy recipe to make. Basically, toss ingredients into a pot, boil it and add the cheese. The only issue I have with this is the choice of Swiss cheese. I’m not a huge fan. When I made the chowder for the first time, I followed the recipe line for line. I wanted to get an idea of what the writer was going for.The positives I found: The thickness was perfect. It looked and tasted like chowder, it had a very smooth mouth-feel, and the cheese flavor was just right. The Swiss was not overpowering. I found only one negative: The sausage flavor was not very evident unless I had a piece of sausage on my spoon. After some thought, I came up with a way to improve it. I’m going to cut down on the cabbage by a bit and I’ll be replacing it with more onion. Also, I'm going to brown the sausage in the pot before the whole process starts, and then caramelize the onions in the fat from the sausage. Finally, I will be adding a 2^nd pound of sausage, which will probably be bratwurst. I’m hoping these few changes will make me feel more comfortable with serving it to other people. I made a second pot of this for an event I was going to. I brought an entire Crock-Pot and left with only 25% of it. For the amount of food that was at the gathering and I think that's pretty good. I liked the browned sausage and onions. This one will be making the trip to TH2.6.

Th 4th dish is one I was a bit concerned about. It's gurkensalat or cucumber salad. It is like a coleslaw more than a lettuce salad. I made the first batch of this for the just passed Easter dinner. I liked the flavor of the dressing, but I found it a bit watery. I thought I had removed a large amount of water, but to me it didn't feel like enough. My parents and wife enjoyed it, so It has 4 positive reviews so far. I found it a bit sweet, but not too much so. I was able to taste the dill and the paprika, but the parsley disappeared. I have a few small changes to make, but I will make it at least once more, just to get a larger review pool.

Finally, the March “Birthday Day” at work came up and I went back to dessert-land. I found a German Apple Cake recipe that was pretty simple, yet tasty. The recipe calls for a rectangular flat glass pan, but I’d prefer to use a tube or a Bundt pan for aesthetic reasons. I proceeded to make it twice, once in the glass pan, and once in the Bundt pan. The glass pan produces a crisper crust, while the Bundt pan created a nicer shape and an exceptionally moist cake. I clearly need to practice another time or two to lower the moisture content a little. This was a big hit at work. 90% of it was gone by lunchtime. I will take that and my wife's endorsement as enough praise. There will be German Apple Cake!

If I can keep up this pace I should have just about 20 German dishes in my repertoire for Thanksgiving 2.6. I had 10 Colonial themed dishes last year. If I can narrow it down to 15 dishes by the beginning of November then I’ll be in good shape. It seems like Thanksgiving 2.6 is very far away, but by keeping it in my mind all year it feels like it will be less hectic as the day gets closer.