“Man muss die Feste feiern wie sie fallen”. This reminder, one of my mom’s many hand-me-down German expressions, was reverberating in my mind as the cursor hovered over the “Buy tickets now” flag on my laptop screen. It was not the first time I’d booked a Christmas Markets trip. In winter 2021, when Covid should have been no more than an unsettling memory, skyrocketing incidences of the virus shuttered the beloved annual holiday markets tradition for the second consecutive year. And now, the cursor seems to plead with me, it wants to get the job done. What use is a cursor, if not to click? But I was torn. If I proceed, will I be disappointed yet again? (and left with more annoying airline credits with increasingly ridiculous rules for use). Would the markets even be open? How would we fare at our rapid pace in a cold, wet environment where…
Red Clogs here, reporting in from Lower Saxony (Hannover, Germany) this Sunday morning. It’s raining lightly, the rowers are gliding (seemingly) effortlessly across the tree-encircled Masch lake, and the ducks are having it out with another. Should they stay on the right side with the yellow benches or should they swim out to the middle? Decision reached. They swim to the middle, quacking noisily. It’s the perfect backdrop for reflection; something I’ve had ample opportunity to do these past 2 weeks as I make my way across the autobahns and backroads of Switzerland and Germany. 19 days, 1200 miles in a rented VW Passat, 55 meals and just, ummm… me. “Wow, you’re brave”, “I could never do that”, “Really? You’re all alone?” were some of the comments I heard when explaining my planned trip. And it’s not without reason. Given the virus, the changing CDC guidelines (level 3 became level…
Now is the perfect time to start practicing your Kaiserschmarren to be ready for the Kaiser’s birthday celebration on August 18th. Kaiserschmarren – literally, “Kaiser’s nonsense”, is famously argued over in terms of its origin. One story tells that it was dinnertime at the palace and there wasn’t much left in the way of food supplies in the kitchen. An ingenious chef threw together what there was – milk, eggs,, flour, raisins, and rum to create this omelette pancake hybrid. Another legend, is that the dish was created for Empress Elisabeth, the Kaiser’s wife. Elisabeth, known as “Sisi”, had eating disorders. There are two camps – one claims this was something she would actually consume while the other maintains she refused to eat it and so the Kaiser said “Let’s see what Schmarren (nonsense) the chef has cooked up” and devoured it all himself. Regardless of historical exactitude, fact is…
“Hey”, I say. “Well…hello…” “Sorry”, I mumble. “I WAS beginning to wonder,” comes the reply. “Everything ok?” “Well….” I venture, “not really. I haven’t been to a grocery store in more than 4 months. I’m beginning to look like a reject from the Humane Society, given no haircut since March 5th. Had to cancel my daughter’s May wedding, reschedule it for late October and am now on the verge of cancelling again. Above all, you and I were supposed to be sailing across the Atlantic right now, on the heels of a bucket list trip to Bulgaria, Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Paris and Vienna.” “Oh.” “But don’t worry,” I soothe my loyal friend. “We WILL get back out there together. The world is just a bit broken and out of sorts right now. We’re not used to having our plans disrupted by anyone or anything – least of all an invisible germ.”…
It all started with a fairly innocuous question. “Hey Dad, what do you want to do for your birthday this year?” His answer – “go to Japan” – led to an 11 day, four city adventure in late March last year, which coincided perfectly with Sakura, the cherry blossom season. Those of you who know us, aren’t going to be surprised by this. It’s how we roll. Nor will you be surprised by the fact that the trip had to be timed around spring break because after 60 years in university lecture halls, and what amounted to about 3 hours of “retirement” in 1999, Dad is still imbuing his passion for Microbiology among upperclass college students. Fortunately it worked out – spring break, birthday, Sakura- check, check, check. My first and only visit to Japan was a short-lived one, nearly 17 years ago. I needed to attend a breakfast meeting…
Hello Red Clog Readers, I’ve been thinking an awful lot about you – you who share in my adventures both around the world and in my home kitchen. I hope everyone is staying healthy and finding the silver lining in this imposed down time. I’m listening to the birds, looking at the flowers, organizing years of scattered recipe clippings and cooking up a storm. For quite some time, I’ve been wanting to tell you about a cherry blossom trip to Japan that took place exactly one year ago this week. I will do it, very soon. But for today, I find it easier to reflect briefly on a more recent trip and to spend my remaining energy in the kitchen. As many of you are aware, Bruce and I spent January 2020 circumnavigating the globe. 32,000 miles, 18 flights, 8 countries, 14 cities. We dodged Coronavirus in Vietnam – not…
This recipe is called “Life Saving Dal.” I can attest to the accuracy of the title. It’s the one thing I feel like eating every day, especially while I’m social distancing and sequestering myself at home. A self-proclaimed lentil-lover, I find this dish to be the perfect comfort food. I always add a fried egg on top to round it out and typically serve it with some Norwegian seedy crackers (Trader Joes) or grainy toast to scoop up every last lentil. The recipe is from Simon Majumdar’s wonderfully-titled book “Eat My Globe.” Simon’s Recipe for Life Saving Dal from Eat My Globe 1 cup red lentils 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 cardamom pod 2 cloves 1 cinnamon stick 1 chopped onion 1 chopped garlic clove 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 1 teaspoon ginger 1 teaspoon salt 1 chopped fresh green chili (I usually use serrano and remove most of the seeds and…
Ingredients for the Crust 2 cups flour 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 10.5 tablespoons European-style butter (I use Plugra*) – with high butterfat content, at room temperature 1 egg yolk grated peel of 1/2 lemon 1 teaspoon water *Note- Plugra bars are double the size of traditional butter sticks which are typically 4 oz or 8 Tablespoons. Plugra is 8 oz or 16 Tablespoons per stick. Ingredients for the Streusel 1/2 cup blanched almonds (I used Trader Joes almond slivers) 1 and 1/4 cups minus a tablespoon flour 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon salt 7 Tablespoons European-style butter (see note above), at room temperature 1 cup jam – traditionally apricot or red currant. (Tart jam helps counterbalance the sweetness of the bars. I used a combination of apricot and passion fruit/orange jam.) To make the Crust- Put flour, sugar and salt in a…
After four visits to Berlin, three over the past seven years and one when the city was famously divided into East and West, I’m still no expert on the city. I haven’t “done” many of the famous attractions which you probably know – the Bundestag, Museum Island, even a boat ride on the Spree. Perhaps if my relationship with Berlin were different, I would be regaling you with stories about those places today. But I’ve come to know Berlin through the eyes of my father, a native. This provides a wonderful and very different vantage point from which to embrace the city. Things feel, well, personal. It starts with where we settle in. Not the Marriott or Steigenberger, a German hotel chain, but a simple rental apartment in the neighborhood known as Wilmersdorf. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, eat-in kitchen and living room. The kitchen is stocked with just a few…
For the Pudding 6 ounces stale French bread with crust (I used a mix of ciabatta and challah) 2 cups milk 2 eggs 1 cup sugar 7 tablespoons butter or margarine, at room temp 4 tablespoons vanilla extract 1/4 cup raisins For the Whiskey Sauce 3/4 cup sugar 1 egg 1 stick butter, melted 1/2-3/4 cup Bourbon whiskey (1/2 cup was plenty, IMHO) Instructions – Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To make the pudding, crumble the bread into pieces into a large bowl. Add milk to the bread pieces and let the milk get absorbed by the bread, about 10 min. Now add eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla and raisins. Mix well. Butter a baking pan (I used a 7.5 x 10 inch casserole dish with nearly 4 inches depth.) Put bread mixture into this pan and bake for 45 minutes until the pudding is firm and light golden brown. Remove…