by Krista | Feb 23, 2011 | Compatriot Wednesday
The air was frosty and heavy with the sense of impending snow as I drove to cooking club Monday night. How lovely it was to walk in the door and have a piping hot cup of Darren’s Imperial Dragon Well tea to warm me up.
We were a small group this week, many of the others out of town for work or getting ready for a wedding, and we sat companionably in the kitchen visiting away as all sorts of scrumptious smells wafted out of pots simmering on the stove.
At last it was time to eat, one course at a time.
We started with Toby’s Chinese Tea Eggs, beautifully crackled and browned from the marinade. Alas, soy sauce was forgotten in all bustle, so they weren’t quite as dark as they should’ve been, but they were still delicious. Especially with a light dusting of salt.
Jon went rogue with a savory Thai soup instead of a Chinese dish, but after one spoonful not one of us complained. Rich with coconut milk, fish sauce and cilantro, this soup was the perfect warming dish for a snowy night.
Kat and I closed the meal with our own version of Cherries in the Snow. Squares of silky, foam-topped almond gelatin were layered in a bowl and smothered with a decadent Dried Cherry Port Wine sauce steeped with black peppercorns and star anise. Oooeee! At once comforting and exotic, the dish was a light and soothing end to our month of Chinese feasting.
All too soon it was time to bundle up and skid carefully across icy streets to our snow-capped cars and drive home.
What is your favorite cold weather soup?
Jon’s Thai Soup
Ingredients:
4 cans coconut milk
3 Tbs fish sauce
2 cups vegetable broth
1 yellow bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1/4 of a large green chile
1 cup kale
2 chicken breasts, thinly sliced into medallions
3 Tbs red curry paste
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 onion
1 cup cilantro
Directions:
- Sautee all the vegetables in a dash of olive oil until soft.
- In another pan, add all the coconut milk, broth, fish sauce, and curry. Stir and bring to boil.
- Add the cilantro and the chicken. Boil for a couple minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
- Add the vegetables, return to boil, remove from heat and serve.
Toby’s Tea Eggs
Click here to view the recipe at Steamy Kitchen
Kat and Krista’s Cherries in the Snow
Click here to view the recipe at Epicurious
Notes: we added black peppercorns and star anise to the cherry sauce, and used almond milk in the gelatin.
by Krista | Feb 22, 2011 | Gulliver Tuesday
It was a bitterly cold December day in Germany as my family and I bundled up in scarves and woolens, and drove to the historic city of Ulm.
Home to a magnificent cathedral and a fabulous Medieval Christmas Market (I wrote about it here), it also boasts the World’s Largest bread museum: Museum of Bread Culture (Museum Der Brotkultur).
Now I must take this moment to give kudos to my family for actually following me when I excitedly beckoned them down a narrow alley with the words, “Hey guys, look! It’s a Bread Museum!”
With amused shakes of their heads and shrugs of “why not” we all trooped in out of the cold, thoroughly delighting the concierge who grinned happily at our arrival.
For a mere 3.50 Euro we were given headphones for an audio tour of the huge 5-story historic former storehouse.
In all honesty we did not expect much from a bread museum, but it turned out to be quite fascinating and well worth the modest admission fee.
The first floor featured miniature kitchens and bakeries as they would’ve looked down through the centuries. I loved the large, open ones with gleaming copper pots hanging from the walls and shelves lined with pewter plates. The audio guide brought the place to life, enriching each scene with great stories and informative history.
Other floors featured historic displays explaining the importance of bread in society and culture. I was intrigued and horrified to learn how politicians such as Adolf Hitler and Stalin used bread as an effective yet devastating tool of manipulation with the people they ruled. I was staggered by the pamphlets actually distributed by the Nazi government with recipes for how to make bread out of WOOD! I can scarcely imagine the desperation that would lead people to chop, soak, shred and pulverize wood into “flour” just to have something to feed their family for dinner.
I loved seeing the paintings depicting warm family scenes, children clustered around the kitchen table while their beaming mother slathered thick butter onto their slices of bread. I was charmed by the exquisite old art work, gorgeous silver platters and wonderful wooden bread bowls. They made me want to roll up my sleeves then and there to start kneading and shaping yeasty loaves of bread.
I also enjoyed the dioramas that showed bakeries as they looked in medieval Europe, ancient Egypt and bustling Rome.
I have often wondered what it would be like to grind grain by hand, and at the Museum of Bread Culture I got my chance. Gripping a heavy stone with both hands, I twisted and pounded it against the grains skidding across the surface. After only a short time my hands and arms were wearing out and I was filled with gratitude for folks like King Arthur who package flour for me without any of the stones and grit previous generations had to deal with.
There is one thing we did not find at the Museum Der Brotkultur: bread. It was the belief of the founders of the museum, father and son Willy and Hermann Eiselen, that bread is not a museum artifact, but a food that ought to be freshly baked and enjoyed each day.
If you have a hankering to peruse a German bread museum one day, here are a few tips to make it worth your while.
- Eat before you go. Trust me, before you’re even half way through this place you’re going to be craving bread something fierce! Don’t worry, there are plenty of cafes just down the street.
- Take your time. There is much to see and learn. Find new types of bread you’d like to try or learn stories you can share the next time you bring a fresh-baked loaf to a friend.
- Get the audio guide in your language. This was an invaluable asset to my jaunt through the museum and you can skip ahead easily if the topic being discussed is of little interest to you.
- Wear comfy shoes. It’s a long trek through five floors of displays and you don’t want to miss out because your feet are sore.
- Visit a local bakery after you’re done. The bread will taste even more delicious after learning the history that precedes it.
I left the museum that day with renewed thankfulness for the prosperity and security of my country that not only allows me to eat bread each day, but lavishes me with fruits, vegetables, quality meat and all sorts of delicacies previous generations and current nations could only dream of. We are truly blessed.
Museum Der Brotkultur Information:
LOCATION:
Salzstadelgasse 10
89073 Ulm (Germany)
Phone: +49 731 69955, Fax: +49 731 6021161
E-Mail: info@museum-brotkultur.de
The museum is centrally and conveniently located in the Salzstadel, a historic storehouse (dated from 1592) on the northern edge of the Old City.
Parking in “Salzstadel” underground car park, entrance via Olgastrasse.
Parking for coaches next to the museum.
10 minutes walk from the main railway station or 5 minutes from Ulm Minster.
OPENING TIMES:
Open daily 10 – 17
ADMISSION PRICES:
Adults 3.50 €
Children 2.50€
Senior Citizens / Students / Visitors with Disabilities 2.50 €
Guided tours in English by prior arrangement 45,-€.
info[at]museum-brotkultur.de
by Krista | Feb 21, 2011 | Bootstrap Monday
Good morning, luvs! Oh, I am a happy soul today. I’ve had an entire weekend of glorious sunshine, hikes in the woods, and true comfort food. I finished reading an entire book and watched the fascinating new PBS series Downton Abbey. I feel inspired and rested, ready for a brand new week. 🙂
It’s still wicked cold around here, but the sun has been out and I had to be out in it. So I bundled up and went for long walks every day, so thrilled to see snowdrops and crocuses blooming cheerily.
I just loved being out there, breathing deeply of cold, fresh air mingled with wood smoke, strolling past neighbors going for walks with their kidlets.
When I got home from my walk this afternoon I was craving comfort food and hastily whipped up a batch of whole wheat scones. Mmm, they smelled so toasty and grainy fresh out of the oven.
I slathered one half with lime curd and the other with boysenberry jam, then topped each one with a healthy dollop of sour cream and dug in. Oh my. Twas pure deliciousness and the perfect accompaniment to a big mug of Earl Grey Tea and a British mini-series.
What is your favorite memory from this weekend?
Whole Wheat Scones
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup butter-flavored shortening
2/3 cup half and half
1 egg
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F
- Combine first five ingredients, sift if necessary.
- Blend in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Stir half and half and egg together. Add to dry mixture and toss with fork until moistened.
- Lightly mix dough until it holds together.
- Pat into circle 1/2 inch thick. Cut into wedges.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden.
by Krista | Feb 18, 2011 | Fabulous Friday
It’s a glorious thing to get off a red eye flight and crawl into a wondrously comfy bed only to wake up a few hours later to the tropical beauties of Fiji.
That’s just what happened to me on a beautiful layover in Nadi, Fiji on my way back to the US from Australia in January. Stretching luxuriously I made myself get up, slipped into one of my favorite sundresses, grabbed sunglasses and camera and headed out for a stroll along the beaches of Denarau Island.
Denarau Island is renowned for it’s opulent resorts, golf courses, fine restaurants, and shopping, but my favorite place is the beach. The lovely thing about staying at any of the resorts on the island is that you get access to all of them: their beaches, restaurants, even their swimming pools. It’s perfect for a nice long walk from one beach to the next.
I made my way past hammocks swinging in the sea breezes, kids shrieking happily in the surf, and businessmen snoozing in their lounge chairs. I walked and walked, the waves lapping at my ankles, sun beating down wondrously, until the resorts ended and a bit of wilderness began.
I was delighted by the flowering vines encroaching onto the sand, hundreds of vibrant pink flowers stretching up to the sun.
I spent a blissful time imagining how lovely it would be to own a stretch of beach like this. To build a simple cottage with huge windows open to the wind and a wide wrap around porch from which to watch sunsets and storms alike. It was a splendid dream.
After a bit I wandered back to civilization, stopping to watch a boy fishing from shore. When he caught me observing him I smiled and he ran up to me and asked excitedly, “Did you see them?” I shook my head so he dashed a ways down the beach, pulled off a bit of dough from a bag and threw it into the water. Within seconds fish were wriggling just below the surface, nibbling their treat. We both grinned and he went back to his fishing, pleased as punch to have an audience.
It was a beautiful morning in Fiji.
What is your favorite thing to do at the beach?
by Krista | Feb 17, 2011 | Plucky Thursday
I love my three brothers, and I love hanging out with them in their homes now that they’re all grown up with fabulous women and places of their own.
For Christmas this year I got to visit my middle brother Evan and his wife, my dear sister-in-law Kendra at their home in Germany. We spent four marvelous days lounging about playing cards, Settlers of Catan, watching movies and going for hikes in the snow. And every morning we got to eat the amazing breakfasts they’d put together.
While we sipped big mugs of creamy coffee, Kendra would make a gorgeous fruit platter of some kind, a light dusting of sugar glittering in the candlelight.
Then she and Ev would labor over the stove making crispy hash browns, creamy eggs, whole grain toast and a whole lotta bacon. Mmm, mmm!
Around noon one of us would decide that maybe, just maybe we should get out of our pjs and go for a walk. It was the snowiest Christmas imaginable in Germany, and we had such fun bundling up and trekking through knee-high drifts or warily stepping our way over hard-packed stretches that squeaked under our boots and were as slick as ice.
Some days it was too wicked cold even for us Canadians, so we’d happily stay warm and toasty inside and just enjoy the view.
What is your favorite breakfast on a snowy morning?
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