A Good German Brown Bread

The Germans are known for their passion for baking. They make the decadently luscious Black Forest cake along with melt in your mouth cookies and pretzels. They should be commended on their breads which come in a variety of whole grains and standard white. These are pure heaven whether eaten with butter or with cold cuts like liverwurst.

I recently had the chance to enjoy a well baked German loaf of brown bread at the famed annual Volkfest in North Bergen , New Jersey.  The Old German Bakery of nearby Hoboken set up a booth and their wares were irresistible.Not only did I get a bag  full of tasty home made pretzels but also an unusual triangular dark bread . It was from Germany  and full of wholesome grains. Dark breads are a German tradition and there are several kinds. The best known is pumpernickel however there are also dark ryes that are good with any Teutomic cold cuts. The bakery is owned by a couple from the country and their goods and also ingredients are flown in from Germnay.

My bread was superb. I sliced it in thin slices and slathered the first pieces with butter..The mix of sweet butter with the salty, malty  graininess was just inspiring. After trying it I instantly decided that this would be the perfect base for any German cold cuts. I bought Boars Head liverwurst and with the dark bread - an excellent pairing. Dark bread bring out the rich flavor of deli meats. The liverwurst actually tasted sweeteand it was even creamy next to the slice;s rough texture.I would have loved to have tried it with that deli rarity - teawurst. Tomorrow it may grace bologna or ham along with a slathering of mustard.

Nothing beats a good loaf of German brown bread. Every slice is a wonderful mix of healthy and tasty. It can go with just ordinary butter or a delicious slice of German cold cuts.

Creating The Perfect Party

How many of us have attended parties where the food was lousy and the drinks barely potable? If yes is the answer consider it a learning experience.It can show you how to throw a perfect one with delicious food and yummy drinks. learn from other people's mistakes. Also take into some advice as well.

Party food should be diverse. I've attended everything from showers to birthday bashes where eating choices were limited. Vary the menu. If you're serving sandwiches, try to have a wide range of meat and cheese fillings. Also take into consideration there many be vegans or vegetarians at your table. Have  something to suit their tastes.Also don't think serving just one salad with these is going to cut it. Try different salads  and not just the usual tossed, macaroni or potato. Look on the Internet or in your cookbook for new recipes to add a fresh spin. Also consider having bowls of fresh veggies along with dips. These make a fun and exciting sides.

Another must do is having a table of both hot and cold dishes. This makes the party  or gathering much more interesting. Yes ,you still can have three bean salad along with wraps but add something hot like ratatouille or sliders for an interesting twist. Many people love to bring casseroles. Nix this by suggesting moussaka or a baked mac made with three cheeses. A hot pasta dish may be too much yet a lasagna  would be perfect at any party. It's not only hot , but can be made interesting by switching the ingredients. Sub in chicken or turkey for the usual beef and maybe try a creamy bechamel sauce  instead of the typical tomato one.

A good party should have good food. Remember that wen you start planning your get together. Don;t fall into a rut and serve boring grub. Liven up your menu means livening up your do.

Slush Fun

Almost everyone loves a good Slurpee or Slushee. Those mushy half frozen drinks are good on hot summer days. The only problem is that they can be too sweet or too much. The solution is making them at home which is now easy. Get a Slushy Magic and your favorite drink.

I admit I caved in for this one. I'm a huge fan of those Icee or Slushie drinks at Target . They're cool and fun along with being tasty. Unfortunately the snack bar doesn't always sell cola which I crave at times. I thought why not get something that can give you the same effect. I bought Slushy Magicand can have my frozen drink whenver I want to , It works under the premise of snowflake science. In other words , the special cubes (read little plastic bags full of salt water) transform any liquid into hundred of ice crystals. It;s easier than using a blender and ice cubes.Well it claims to be.

The kit comes with a large cup that looks like a cocktail shaker and a lid with a tiny hole in it (this is for Slushies made with soda and it lets out the gases)It also comes with a long spoon /straw as well. I froze the cubes overnight and tried it  with one of my carbonated Ice waters. These are flavored and no calorie.I thought it would make a perfect Slushie. The problem is that it takes finesse to create the perfect frozen drink. After putting in both the cubes and drink, you put the lid on the shaker and  well shake. Little did I know there would be a slight leak and my  Ice water got all over the place. After rescrewing the cap on and vigorously shaking I did get some slush - not much. I guess it takes practice.

There's nothing like a Slushie on these hot days. With Slushie Magic you can have any flavor you want. Just practice and get the perfect  cold treat .

Julia's Floating Island

Is there nothing more elegant than an ile flottante or floating island dessert?it's a delicate combination of a sweet liquidy custard dotted with meringue puffs. When  it's Julia Child's recipe it's even more special  with a certain Gallic twist to it. It's not only classic but delicious too.
Madame Child's recipe was the subject of A Good Appetite's column in yesterday's New York Times. Melissa Clark gives an homage to her childhood favorite that her parents, huge Julia Child affectionadoess made. As a child it was one of her favorite desserts. An ile flottante is a syrupy kind of custard dotted with mergingue puffs, hence the name floating island.It is the perfect dessert to make not only to impress people (]it's up there with Cherries Jubilee)  but also to finish off a nice roast with the trimmings.You can make it during any time of year.it can end a summer soiree as easily as in a holiday meal.

Since it is a Julia Child recipe , it is a labor intensive one.Floating island requires meringues to be mad which are not always easy. It's a two day prep with a cooling process of one day. The custard for it can be too sweet so Ms. Clark  added apricots to give it the appropriate tartness.It does require one half cup of sugar to balance out the milk and four egg yolks used..You can make it without the fruit or add another kind such as blueberries or cherries. You can also leave it plain as well. However since the meringue is also super sweet , the dessert should have some bite.

Julia Child' s legacy continues to new generations of chefs and home cooks. Her desserts are as elegant now as they were during the Fifties  and Sixties. Iles flottante is evidence of that  of what she gave us   delicate French cooking made for American tastes.

Happy Birthday , Julia!

Today would have been Julia Child's one hundredth birthday.She changed American cooking for the better ,offering Americans the chance to improve and widen their tastes and culinary skills.It's only fitting that today's New York Times Dining section honors her.

There are two great articles paying homage to one of the world's best chefs since Auguste Escoffier. One is by Times regular Julia Moskin who was named after Ms. Childs.Ms/ Moskin not only gives us her best recipes such as the buttery and fruity dessert clafoutis but also the robust and flavorful coulis de tomates a la provencale.but also her memories of her parents creating Ms Childs. recipes. This former OSS agent gave everyone around the US the chance to expand their culinary wings. (including my mom who made her spinach torte, stuffed with fresh spinach , bacon and mushrooms in a melt in your mouth buttery crust).Even today a whole new generation is enjoying her rich , recipes that say the heck with diet and health recipes, bring on the eggs , butter and alcohol.

The second article is a lovely memoire from the great French-American chef Jacques Pepin. Monsieur Pepin gives us how he met Ms Childs.It was the early Sixties thanks to Helen McCully who reviewed Ms, Childs cookbook for House Beautiful. "She had called the great chef "that really tall woman with the really terrible voice."Yet she and Chef Pepin had a long lasting beautiful relationship that even saw them on a PBS cooking show together. They even cooked together as friends, making delicious but surprisingly simple meals at Ms. Childs' house in Boston.They had an excellent rapport , especailly between two chefs.

Julia Child got Americans thinking about good cuisine again. Not since this country's Golden Age of the Late 1800's has food been so revered. She changed that - allowing us to appreciate good cooking and good food. Happy Centennial Birthday , Julia!

Summer Treat Anchovies

Not many fish translate into a summer dish,Usually it's just salmon and shrimp  and possibly cod. Yet there is one kind that goes well with  everything from grilled steak to a fresh salad.It's the anchovy, that silvery, shimmery fish  with its' sweet briny flavor.It adds to both hot and cold dishes  , making it an excellent choice year round.

Anchovies are a staple in Mediterranean cooking from the Riviera to the Italian Piedmonte. In Piedmont they;re mostly a main ingredient in winter dishes namely the delightful hot sauce bagna calda. however one Piedmontese winter dish can easily be translated into a summer one. It is filet mignon with anchovies. For the winter it's the meat cooked in a skillet with butter and then the anchovies are added to the drippings. This is them poured over the beef as a sauce The summer version can be  filet mignon grilled over wood and then with eith, theer a warm or cold sauce , the anchovies are then poured over it. The taste is still the same, a union of sweet tender meat and flavorful fish that is palate blowing.

Of course anchovies also shine in a nice salad. You can create the Provencale classic, salad Nicoise with them and tuna. It's a hearty  and healthy mix where you can improvise  by adding all sorts of veggies along with hard boiled eggs. Peppers and anchovies are another great mix, and a favorite in Torinese cafes. Char green peppers and serve cold, mixed with anchovies ,olive oil and garlic. Anchovies can also be added to just a regular salad to give it more oomph too. The only caveat is don;t mix it with a "heavy" dressings such as Russian , French or Thousand Island.Only have it with a vinaigrette made from olive oil and red wine vinegar.

Anchovies can easily be used either winter or summer. They're great in warm weather dishes from the grill to the salad bowl. Try them for a tasty surprise!

Step Away From The Grill

By now everyone has had at least one cookout or has been invited to one. As much as we all love barbecued meats and even veggies, we  are putting ourselves at risk by eating them. Surprisingly many don't know the dangers of that charred hot dog or well done hamburger. There are alternatives however that can be subbed in.

Grilling requires two ingredients - flame and meat. The flame or what causes charcoal briquettes to ignite and smolder come from lighter fluid which is a petro chemical. Petro chemicals can be carcinegenic on any level. Cosmetics, lotions , and even baby products are made with them. Lighter fluid is another scary byproduct that has serious  consequences if used frequently..When it heats up and converts to smoke it engulfs the meat with cancerous particles. Of course the meat doesn't help . The juice drips down onto the briquette and reacts with what's known as PAH or polycyclicaromatic hydrocarbons. This can. lead to colon and rectal cancers later on.

What to do for all those grilled meat lovers? There are alternatives such as a chimney starter. This method doesn't rely on harmful petrochemicals but instead on newspaper lighted over coals. You can also just use newspaper as well. Also  drizzling olive oil or vegetable oil on the papers before lighting makes for an adequate enough flame.You can also use wood chips too or even splintered firewood. Experiment with  different woods such as hickory or maple along with apple to give your meats a truly delicious flavor without the fear of illness.

Grilling is the all American past time. Yet it can be dangerous and hazardous to your health. Try to cut down on outdoor cooking or switch to the healthier wood version. You'll be doing your body a favor.