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M

Earl Grey Financier Cake

See the new blog for the recipe!
http://twoburnersandaminifridge.com/?p=128

A real website!

I've moved the blog (sorry!!) to a new domain:
http://twoburnersandaminifridge.com/

I'll be posting updates there, sorry for the confusion!

Morgan

Cooking in Budapest, who's Hungary?! Chefparade Culinary Course in Budapest

Eastern Europe can be quite a refreshing vacation destination.  It may not be as chic as Paris or as beautiful as Ireland but the price is right and it is certainly a lot of fun.

Among the Szechenyi Bath, cheap, great meals and the coolest bars I've seen, I was able to participate in a half day cooking course!! I can honestly say it was the best culinary course I've been to and one of my favorite memories from Europe thus far.  I found the Chefparade Culinary School  online and was intrigued by the seemingly great value; I decided that the insanely low prices for the apartment we rented and the train ticket made up for the price of the course.  It was 100% worth it.  

We were able to choose our own menu and the course was just a friend and I and the chef.  You're probably wondering what's so special about Hungarian cuisine, it's certainly delicious but it's not my favorite.  What made the class so great was the enthusiasm and passion of the instructor, Ibolya.  She clearly loved what she was doing and kept stressing that we should follow our hearts and strive to live a life that you love every bit of.  She was truly inspiring to both Yvonne and I.  For me, seeing someone with a culinary career so incredibly happy assures me that I'm on the right track, that I'm meant to become a chef.  

Our menu consisted of Meggyleves (Sour Cherry Soup) as the appetizer, Hortobágyi Palacsinta (Chicken Paprika in Crepes) for the main, and Almáspite (Hungarian Apple Cake) as the dessert.  I enjoyed them all very much!! 

Not gonna lie, I was a little apprehensive about trying a fruit soup, but, it's a classic Hungarian dish so I gave it a try.  It was actually pretty good! A little sweet for my taste, definitely sweet for my idea of an appetizer but it was good.  The base is spiced similarly to chai tea and along with sour cherries, sugar, and a touch of sour cream create a truly unique soup.  Ibolya told us Hungarians typically enjoy added sweetness in this soup.  Although it may be more of a dessert, this soup was pretty tasty! 

The main dish is a version of the well known Chicken Paprika served wrapped in a pancake (crêpe) and smothered with a delicious paprika sauce.  This is the so-called "leftover" version of the dish, but I enjoyed it a bit more than the original.  (If you decide to make this, you can certainly make the classic version simply by omitting the pancake.)  Also thickened with sour cream, it's quite a hearty dish.  It's not something you can make last minute, everything will need to be cooked for quite a while to bring out the best flavors.  Our favorite part of the process was making the pancakes.  They are very much like French crêpes but use soda water to add air.  Making crêpes is always fun, both Yvonne and I became pros!  When we took the chicken out of the pan, there was a little bit of grease remaining, Ibolya told us "Watch, we'll add the thickener (sour cream) and the grease will disappear!!," I had to call her out on this saying, "oh it's still there!!" She just laughed and said most people just ohhh and ahhhh when the cream is incorporated and you can no longer see the grease! The chicken is cooked so thoroughly that it just about fall off the bone with no resistance.  Mince it very finally, watching for little pieces of bone!, and fill the pancakes like a burrito.  Pour all that leftover sauce over the pockets in a casserole and bake it until it's bubbly.  These guys are SO rich, one was definitely enough for us, granted we had been sampling the whole morning.  Enjoyed on their own or with a bit of sour cream and/or Eros Pista or any hot sauce. 

Here's the recipe for this one: 

Hortobágyi Palacsinta

Source- Chefparade cooking school

Ingredients

4 pieces of chicken- leg and/or breast 

2 small onions, very finely chopped 

1 1/2 Tbsp sweet red paprika powder

1 tomato, minced 

1 white, sweet pepper, minced

200 mL sour cream 

300 g (1 1/2 c) flour

2 eggs

300 mL (1 1/2 c) milk

pinch of salt 

500 mL (2 c) soda water

Heat a bit of oil in a large pan, and sautée the onions until glassy.  Remove from heat and wait for the sizzling to stop, add the paprika (important!! don't add while the onions are searing hot!).  Mix well and add about a half cup of water.  Return to a medium-low heat and add the chicken pieces, cover with sauce and flip the pieces after about 2 or 3 minutes.  Add the tomato and pepper and simmer for at least 30 minutes -   ensuring that the chicken remains covered with the liquid (adding water if necessary).  

In the meantime, prepare the pancakes.  Combine the flour, eggs, milk and salt then gently incorporate the soda water, taking care to preserve the gas.  Heat a small nonstick frying pan over a high heat. Very lightly grease the pan and pour the batter using this method- aim for a very thin cake.  Cook until the edges pull away then gently flip the pancake.  Don't worry about messing up a few, this is a pretty tough skill to master! Lots of practice!   

Remove the chicken from the pan and allow to cool briefly.  

In a separate medium-large mixing bowl, mix the sour cream with about a tablespoon of flour.  Add a bit of the gravy to the sour cream to gradually increase the heat of the cream to avoid curdling, mix after each spoonful, in total add about 1 1/2 cups to the cream.  Combine the mixture with the gravy remaining in the pan.  

Mince the chicken very finely, removing or retaining the skin as you wish!  Watch out for those little bones!! 

Assemble the pockets by placing about 1/4 cup of the minced chicken in the pancake and closing it like a wrap/burrito. Smother it with gravy and bake at about 400 F until bubbly.  

Last, but certainly not least, we made a lovely Hungarian Apple Pie/Cake.  It's shredded apple sandwiched between layers of buttery laminate-almost-pie-dough and served with a bit of powdered sugar.  Like a pie dough, the dough will need to chill before assembling and baking.  The apples are peeled and shredded instead of cooked, Ibolya taught us to sprinkle a good handful of sugar over the fresh apple pieces to extract the liquid and sweetness from the apple, new information to me! We came back to the bowl of apples a bit later to find that just about all the juice had been removed from the apples.  What this translates to in the pie/cake - no soggy pastry and no overly sweet taste.  Adding a small amount of bread crumbs or nut flour to absorb any extra liquid from the fruit.  We had a lot of fun making designs with the powdered sugar.  

We also had the opportunity to try some Hungarian wine and although it's not particularly world renowned I really enjoyed it.  Apparently it's the up-and-coming new thing in the wine world!  

Palinka is a pretty big deal in Hungary, it's a fruit flavored fire water liquor - I think it can be anywhere between 35 and 80% alcohol.  Plum and apricot are the most famous, we tried the plum.  It smells sweet and fruity but it's SO strong.  Definitely be careful with that one!! 

This was by far my favorite activity in Budapest and one of my favorites of my times in Europe.  I left this class with new skills, a full belly and even more passion for cooking.  If you ever make it to Budapest, I would highly recommend a course at Chefparade!  

Finally, PARIS.

I've been in French classes pretty much as long as I've been in school.  I've had countless Paris posters, trinkets and the like displayed in my room for years.  I've taken many courses about Paris, seen many films about Paris and listened to much music about la ville lumière.  I'm a French major for crying out loud.  However, only after last week can I say I've actually visited the city, and, I can honestly say, it lives up to the hype.
I definitely had sort of mixed feelings about my first trip to Paris.  I know, sounds dumb; but, I had heard so many horror stories about visiting the city - it's dirty, it's dangerous, forget about finding an agreeable Parisian, etc - and I was a little worried that my idea of Paris would be shattered.  Au contraire! I found it to be no more dirty than any other big city (let's leave the Métro out of this...), felt relatively safe pretty much everywhere I went, and to my surprise found just about all of the people I came across to be incredibly inviting and, dare I say it, friendly.
We started the week off on the right foot, with a nice French dinner followed by a short trip to the Eiffel Tower- made it there just in time to see it sparkle on the hour!.  Paris is quite an expensive city to indulge your foodie-ness, but it's 100% worth the splurge.  Fixed-price menus are definitely a wise decision and wine by the carafe is budget friendly, and, unlike in the States, is actually pretty good quality wine.  I had my first (and second!) experience with duck in Paris and ate a good amount of steak - two of the dishes the French do particularly well.  See my Paris Restaurant Reviews for more information about my dining experiences! (coming very soon!!)

 

Paris is a HUGE city.  There is so much to see and do, I could have easily spent another week or two exploring.  We started our Sunday in the Bastille Market (a food market), it was really cool! Too bad we didn't have access to a kitchen to do some cooking!  It was fun to simply walk around, the sight of all the products, shoppers and vendor; the sound of the vendors shouting out "Vous-désirez?!" and such, the performers singing/playing the accordion or street organ; the scent the fresh produce, fish, cheeses, breads and pastries.  To sum it up, basically foodie heaven.

The following day was my favorite of the trip.  We started in Musée de l'Orangerie, which houses several of the massive Water Lily murals by Monet among other Impressionist works (my fave kind of art!), walked around what came to be my favorite part of Paris - Saint-Germain, climbed to the top of Notre-Dame and Sacré-Coeur and what really took this day over the top - picnic of baguettes, cheese, wine, etc right in front of the Eiffel Tower.  It really doesn't get much better than that!

Tuesday's big activity was a trip to Versailles. The palace and especially the grounds were magnificent.  However, were less than thrilled to fight through the crowds (even in March!!).  The best part was definitely walking around the extensive grounds.  I can see why Louis and Marie-Antoinette didn't want to give it up!! All of the flowers were just started to bud and the statues were unfortunately still covered for the winter.  I can imagine Versailles would be breathtaking in the summertime, but I'm sure it's packed to the brim!



















Some other highlights of the trip include the Musée d'Orsay (Impressionism), strolling the Champs- Elysées, climbing the Arc-de-Triomphe and enjoying the best view and, of course, best shopping in Paris at Galeries-Lafayette.  By the time we made it to the Louvre on the last full day, we were too tired to truly appreciate it.  Walking through the main hall, I was thinking to myself, 'Wow.  I've been to more castles than grocery stores in the past three weeks, seen more priceless works of art and ancient artifacts than I could possibly process...' Museum overload!!  What an experience!

So yes, Paris is worth the hype.  Could I ever live there?  No, probably not; too big and busy for me.  Would I like to go back?  Absolutely.  There is so much more to see and do and of course EAT!
I was ready to get on that train back to Munich.  After over a month away, I was, believe it or not, actually looking forward to getting back to my StuSta apartment.  I've been enjoying a little bit of downtime and being back in the city I've come to call home for now :)  I am truly, truly grateful to have had this wonderful experience.  Three more weeks of break (including a few days in Budapest!) then classes will start again.

Let's get some recipes between these Travelogues! Apple & Goat Cheese Tart. and Marinara Sauce

I'm sure a few of you will recognize the name of the recipe from the fad-tastic series The Hunger Games. Yes, I caved and read it.  Verdict: ehh.  Like Twilight, it definitely holds your attention but don't go into it expecting a literary masterwork of any sort.  Okay, regardless, I might be reading the rest of the series... Being the food obsessed person that I am, the mention of this Apple & Goat cheese tart near the end of the first book gave me some foodie inspiration!
I definitely had a little bit of Heimweh (homesickness) for Munich over this past month of pretty much nonstop travelling.  Don't get me wrong, it was an amazing experience and I am very, very grateful that I was able to see so many places!  However, living out of a suitcase and in European hostels amongst several other people will definitely take it's toll.  Needless to say, I was thrilled to see my little apartment on Saturday.  I was in serious need of some sleep and down time!
Now, I've just been getting re-settled in at StuSta, restocking my kitchen, and, of course, enjoying this lovely early-Spring weather - bring it on, Allergy Season.
Yesterday was my first opportunity to get cooking again (grocery stores are closed all day Sunday!!) and I sure did a lot of it!  I had lunch with a friend from the JYM program, Yvonne and then dinner with another friend from the program, Andrew.  I happily volunteered to do the bulk of the cooking for both events.

For lunch I made the Apple & Goat Cheese Tart.  It's incredibly easy to make and straddles the line between sweet and savory, add a touch either way to define it if you want.  I added a little honey, but I would think with maybe a little thyme and caramelized onions, it would make a lovely light, savory dish.  This recipe can be prepared at the last minute and looks nice and tastes great!  (Ours was mini because we cooked it in the toaster oven the quantities listed are correct for a normal jelly-roll-pan-sized tart.)

Apple & Goat Cheese Tart

Source: original recipe

1 sheet puff-pastry

1 egg, lightly beaten 

about 4 oz Chèvre Goat Cheese, more or less the amount is up to you

2 apples (Grannysmith or Braeburn) - cored, peeled and sliced into thin wedges

squeeze of lemon juice 

pinch of salt

2 TBSP butter, melted  

Now it up to you: 

sweet- melt the butter with about 2 tsp honey

savory- melt the butter with thyme and add caramelized onions 

Preheat the oven to 350 F

Line a jelly roll pan with foil or spray generously with non-stick spray

Roll the puff pastry out in the pan and pierce with a fork all over to prevent excessive rising and brush with the beaten eggfd

Peel and slice the apples and mix with the butter and honey (or thyme)

Add a squeeze of lemon juice - watch out for those seeds! and a sprinkle of salt

Crumble the Chèvre and you're probably going to have to get down and dirty with it using your hands - spread it evenly over the pastry, taking care not to break the dough

Line the tart with the apple wedges 

(add the onions over the apples if you decide on savory) 

Bake it for about 25-30 minutes, rotating halfway through to ensure even baking.  

Serve it warm as an appetizer, snack or light meal 

Guten Appetit!  

Dinner was Chicken Parm, we needed some comfort food after travelling!!  Sadly, I didn't take any photos of this one but I'll share the recipe for a classic Marinara.  

Most important here is to simmer the sauce for at least an hour, it makes all the difference.  

I don't normally measure any of the ingredients, instead I usually taste it several time through the process adjusting the seasoning as it cooks.  These quantities are more or less the amounts I used, but by no means consider them a boundary, use herbs/spices/whatever to personalize your sauce. 

Classic Marinara Sauce

source: original recipe

a nice glug of olive oil (or half oil, half butter - your call!)

1 onion, diced 

2 or 3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp Italian seasoning 

Salt, Pepper 

1 large can whole, peeled plum tomatoes 

1 TBSP tomato paste 

1 Bay leaf

crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

1 TBSP butter

Heat the oil in a large pot over a medium-high heat

Add the onion, garlic and seasonings and sweat for about 10 minutes, until soft and the onions are clear.

Add the tomatoes and their juices (no need to chop them) along with the tomato paste, bay leaf, and red pepper flakes to your taste (1 probably used 1/2 tsp).  

Simmer that for a few hours, stirring and tasting regularly.

If it needs it, give it a little whiz with a hand blender or mash up those tomatoes with a potato masher if that's easier.

Stir in butter to add a little richness.  

Ideally you would want to have the sauce ready before the pasta.   

When making pasta, a few tips : 

• Add at least a tablespoon (yes, tablespoon!) of salt to the boiling water to bring out the flavor of dried pasta.  I've seen posts encouraging 3-4 TBSP, declaring pasta is best cooked in water as salty as the sea!!  So add it liberally! 
• Cook it al dente, remove from heat while it still has a little bit of a bite to it, it will finish cooking in the sauce 
• Reserve at least 1/2 c of the pasta water to add to the sauce, it will improve the flavor and adhere better to the pasta
• DON'T RINSE IT!! (unless you want to make a cold pasta salad) You want those starches on the outside of the pasta so the sauce sticks to it.  
• Add the pasta to the sauce with the reserved water and cook it back to it's original consistency.  If you're pasta wasn't completely cooked, you'll be cooking some of the sauce into the noodles as you do this

     Guten Appetit!

A blog (or two) about PARIS to come very soon!! 

Wandering around London

As most of you know, I've been doing quite a bit of travelling these past few weeks.  Ireland was the first stop, then London and finally Paris.
London is a really cool city.  There is so much to do, no matter what you're interested in.
After the painfully long trip there (12 hours!) I was exhausted but opted to go on the free walking tour regardless and it was completely worth it.  The weather was great and it was a good orientation to the city.

The highlight of the trip for me was definitely the day trip to Windsor Castle.  It's about 45 minutes outside of London, making it a super easy and enjoyable day trip.  Again, I was lucky with the weather, it was sunny and a little warm!  Windsor is one of the official residences of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the largest and oldest fully functioning castle in existence.  It goes without saying that the castle is HUGE and absolutely beautiful.  Queen Mary's doll house is both charming and impressive; it has electricity and fully functioning appliances!  In honor of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee the Drawing Room was filled with 60 pictures of HM over the course of her reign.  The grounds themselves are stunning! and because of the much smaller crowd, this is definitely the place to watch the Changing of the Guard ceremony!

Nearly all of the major museums in London are free of charge, thank goodness!  The Pound is very valuable (1 P = $0.63) so free museums were definitely my activity of choice.  The British Museum is massive and filled with artifacts from Egyptians through Present Day; the National and Portrait Galleries' collections are extensive enough to keep you busy for days and just walking the streets is really nice.  Harrods, the famous department store, was really cool to walk around.  I bought some fancy tea from the amazing grocery section but other than that no designer prices in this budget!!




















Food is definitely not London's strong point, however, they've mastered teatime and cakes.  I swear, it seems like the British eat prepared cold sandwiches for every meal!  If you plan to visit London, I would suggest eating minimalistic meals and splurging on tea.  For some reason British tea is SO much better!  and the scones. and the clotted cream.  Delish!

I also got the chance to go to the theatre with a friend on my last night!  It's pretty easy to come by discount tickets in London so we decided (pretty spur of the moment!) to go see the Wizard of Oz. I really, really enjoyed it! The set, costumes and production were very well done!!
London is such a big city; I would have liked to have done so much more.  There just wasn't enough time! Five days goes too quickly!  I think I'll make it back there at some point for sure!

An turas iontach go hÉirinn! (An amazing trip to Ireland!)

From a few days ago: 

It’s been quite a while since I last felt this sad for a vacation to come to its end.  I’m sitting in a Coach heading back to Dublin, watching the Irish countryside from the window; I honestly don’t want to leave!! In these short six-ish days I have fallen in love with this country.  I can’t really put my finger on a specific reason why, but Ireland feels really comfortable, really livable.  I could definitely see myself returning here for an extended amount of time, especially when I’m able to rent a car and explore the country on my own.

I left the states on February 28 and got on a plane to Munich and then went on to Dublin.  I had originally planned to spend a day at my apartment in Munich before travelling but somehow I did a little overlap on the bookings, oops! At least I could just get right on the next plane…  Heidi met me at the Munich Airport and we were on our way!

Needless to say I was pretty tired that day in Dublin, but it didn’t hold me back at all!  The adrenaline and excitement of being in a new place kept me going strong throughout the day.  We hopped on a bus* and headed to the city, I was amazed at the incredibly cheap rate of €2,30!!  We dropped our luggage (my enormous 50 lb suitcase from the States- yikes!) off at the hostel and did a little exploring, LonelyPlanet Guidebook in hand – Thanks Lisa!!. 

Dublin is a pretty cool city, definitely very globalized.  The university is beautiful; we walked around the grounds for a bit and went into the old Trinity Library.  The library is HUGE and incredibly astounding.  The Long Hall is lined with marble busts and contains 200, 000 or so antique books, a nerd’s paradise.  We also got to see the Book of Kells with this ticket, written in beautiful calligraphy and dating to around the year 800 that’s a pretty important book! 

We spent the next day exploring the city further.  The highlight of the day in my book was definitely lunch.  Heidi and I are really good travel buddies- we both like to enjoy at least one nice meal while travelling.  Lunch is definitely the way to do it, the prices are typically significantly lower than in the evening and there is definitely much less of a wait.  The Winding Stair offers creative presentations of classic Irish dishes, and at lunch we got it for a fixed rate of around €20 for a two course meal.  I ordered a brie-leek tartlet that went all out Irish and ordered Corned Beef with a horseradish Mash and Heidi ordered Fish Fritters and a Potato-Vegetable Pancake.  It was divine.  Everything was cooked perfectly and the flavors melded seamlessly.  Apparently the Irish eat 50% more calories than their European counterparts; based on this hearty meal, I’d believe it!

We decided tea and cake would be a valid substitute for a real dinner in light of our big lunch.  We found the perfect place, Queen of Tarts* and we split a big pot of Earl Grey, I ordered Carrot Cake and Heidi ordered a Blackberry Crumble, both accompanied by an enormous glob of whipped cream.  Irish Carrot Cake***  The Carrot Cake was just the right texture and with the light layer of cream cheese frosting, it had just the perfect touch of sweetness.  We capped off the night with a pint of Bulmer’s Cider (basically alcoholic, bubbly apple juice) and prepared for an early bus ride to the West Coast of Ireland, to Galway city. 

This bus was, again, an incredibly good deal.  It cost us less than €20 for a roundtrip ticket across the country, granted it’s a two-and-a-half hour ride, but still that’s a good deal.  Luckily the lady sitting next to me on the Coach had previously lived in Galway and helped us to find our hostel*, making our lives a lot easier. 

After a bit of exploring it was easy to see that Galway and the West Coast Area is most definitely the part of Ireland we wanted to spend the majority of our time.  The brightly colored buildings, the musicians scattered about the area, the sounds of music and laughter wafting from the pubs and the incredibly friendly, welcoming nature of the Irish people, and on top of all that it’s on the beach.  Do I really have to leave?!  We stopped in at the classic Galway pub, The Quays (pronounced “Keys”) and then moved to Coílis lkdfajks fa for a pint.  If I could pick any evening activity it’d be, hands down, an Irish Pub.  I just love the environment, it’s like a little community- the people are so friendly, the drinks are always flowing and the music is so inviting. Even though there are clearly a good amount of tourists in the pubs, they all feel like a locals’ place. 

The next day we got back on a bus for a tour of Connemara, another great deal - €20 for the day!  We learned a lot of Irish history and saw downright amazing sights.  We saw ruins of medieval abbeys, the town of Cong (site of the film, The Quiet Man), the so-called killer sheep and Connemara ponies, the gorgeous Kylemore Abbey and gardens, and some simply beautiful countryside.  We unfortunately didn’t get the chance to do the Cliffs of Moher tour, but I think I’ll make it back to Ireland before too long ;-) 

We made it back to Galway in the early evening and made a quick stop in a pub for an Irish Coffee to get warmed up – so yummy!  We made a light dinner of fresh Fish’n’Chips before going to the pubs for the last time (for now!).  Dad, I did it!!  Got a Guinness just for you!  To be honest, it wasn’t bad, it tastes a little bit like chocolate.  Not my favorite but not bad. We found a really cool pub called The Front Door and got our last Snakebites (Lager, Cider and a dash of Black Currant Juice).  We sipped our drinks really, really slowly not wanting to leave.  We walked home feeling totally satisfied with our trip and sad to see it come to an end. 

Walking around this morning before I had to catch the bus I decided to get myself a little souvenir to commemorate this first trip to Ireland.  In addition to the Irish Blessing I had gotten at Kylemore, I wanted to get something typical Irish.  The Aran Wool sweaters are gorgeous, the stitch is symbolic and they (the real ones, at least) are handmade.  It’s that perfect chunky sweater I had been looking for the whole winter!  However, the price for a handmade sweater wasn’t quite in my budget, and let’s be real, it’s almost Spring and I’d have to cram it in some suitcase at the end of the summer.  I think I’ll save that one for next time :- ) Instead I opted for something produced in Galway and recognized all over the world, the Claddagh Ring.  The hands represent friendship, the heart represents love and the crown represents loyalty.  Wear the ring with the heart pointing towards your body if you are married/in a relationship and pointed away from your body if you are available.  Much more compact for travelling and equally as meaningful! I’m quite happy with my purchase!

This is definitely a trip I will always remember.  It was short, but we packed a lot in.  We got to see a lot of the country and experience the Irish culture.  I think next time I go I’ll skip Dublin and just go right to the Coast or South.  I am eager to learn more about Ireland and to plan my next trip. 

Tonight I’ll be getting on a bus/ferry to London.  You’re probably wondering if it’s really that close.  Well no, it’s not really.  I’ll leave the Dublin Bus Station at 8:00pm and arrive in London at 8:30am, at just over 12 hours, that’s longer than my flight from the States!  It’s easier to travel this way with my luggage and definitely much cheaper- €38 for the whole journey.  It’s not going to be comfortable, but I’m young, I can deal with it!  More updates to come!  

Guest Blog! Christy Robinson, Vodka Sauce

My name is Christy Robinson and I am Morgan's mom.  I too love cooking and reading recipes and food blogs so I guess you could say that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!

It's hard to believe how quickly two weeks can fly by!  We have enjoyed having Morgan at home and aren't ready for her to leave quite yet.   Not only has it been great to spend some time with her but we have thoroughly enjoyed all of her cooking and baking!

While Morgan was a great cook before she left the states for her year abroad, she has perfected her culinary skills over the past several months.  Her tiny kitchen in Munich hasn't held her back at all!  The name of her blog describes her kitchen to a "T".  It truly is 2 burners and a mini fridge. She is living proof that a good cook doesn't need all the shiny gadgets on the market.

We had the pleasure of sampling her Orange Madeleines, Earl Grey Tea Madeleines, Swedish Visiting Cake, Flourless Chocolate Cake, Lentil Soup, Edamame Soup, and Kaesespaetzle to name a few.  Most of these recipes are also on the blog and I highly recommend them!

We had a small "Welcome Home" party with friends and family soon after she arrived back home.  I served one of my favorite dishes.  This is a recipe that was given to me from an Italian family friend.  It took some arm twisting and a bottle of wine to get his secret recipe but finally I was successful!  I hope you enjoy this as much as we have!

VODKA SAUCE

1/2 stick butter

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

1 large (28 oz) can whole tomatoes (San Marzano are best)

1/4 to 1/3 cup vodka

1 pint heavy cream

Sauté onion in butter until translucent.  Add vodka and simmer.  Add cream and continue to simmer.

Puree tomatoes in a blender and bring to a boil in a separate pot.  Slowly add the cream mixture to the tomatoes and stir until well blended.

Simmer for two hours, stirring occasionally.

Serve over penne pasta.  You can add some cooked chicken or shrimp but sometimes simplicity is best.

Enjoy!

Farewell, Virginia!

Well these past two weeks were definitely a blur...

I really enjoyed my time at home and am definitely glad I decided to make a visit during this break.  I had originally planned to stay in Europe for the entire year but after the Christmas Break and after seeing the incredible rates during February, I decided that a short visit home would be a healthy, relaxing and, of course, enjoyable way to spend the first leg of my semester break.  It definitely was!

I LOVE living in Germany, this year has taught me so many valuable life skills and so much about myself.  I have definitely furthered my proficiency in the German language, met many wonderful people and have had the amazing opportunity to see some of the most beautiful places in the world.  I am so grateful that I am able to have this experience, a big danke schön to everyone who has helped me!!

Munich is a wonderful city, in fact, my favorite city of any of the places I have visited on this trip or at any other time.  My tiny Studentenstadt apartment has come to feel like my home for the year.  I've never really felt homesick but I don't know that I could live abroad forever.  Walking down the streets in Munich, I can't help but smile and think about how lucky I am to live there and these past two weeks at home have reminded me how important everything here is to me as well.  It's always so great to see friends and family and life in America is just so comfortable!

Needless to say, I did A LOT of cooking and baking these past two weeks.  Cakes, cookies, soups, etc.  It was fantastic.  One thing I noticed was the difference in the butter, I don't know what it is, but the butter is Europe is much better- somehow it has a richer, deeper flavor.  Having to cook in a tiny apartment kitchen has definitely improved my culinary skills and it was really, really nice to be able to practice them in a full sized kitchen and to share what I've learned with family and friends!!

Tomorrow, it's off to the airport (after a little bit more packing!) and hopefully a smooth flight straight to Munich.  I apparently messed up my booking just a little bit - oops!! and will not have a day in Munich as planned, but rather will be staying in the airport and going straight to Dublin.  Let's hope I get some sleep on the way!! I'll be in Dublin from February 29 until March 5, then London March 5-10 and finally in Paris from March 10-17.  I think I'll stay in Munich for awhile after that, I'm assuming I'll need a little down time before too much more activity.
Classes don't start until April 16, so I may possibly try to fit in another short trip!

I'll try my best to keep you guys posted on where I am in the world and what I'm up to these next few weeks!  I look forward to trying some Irish, English and French foods and drinks and will definitely be posting about them!  For more timely updates, it's best to email me or check my twitter/facebook.

Sorry guys, no recipe on this post.  Stay tuned though!! A guest blog from my mom (with one of her favorite recipes!) will be posted tomorrow!

Surprise!! I'm in the USA! and Orange Blossom Madeleines

So the Wintersemester in Munich is officially over.  Aside from one essay I am totally free from academic responsibilities until 16. April.  Gott sei dank!! Not that classes are too demanding or anything I am just ready for a break! and some TRAVELING.
After spending a few dreadful days over the winter break in my sad little apartment, I decided to make the most of this long break and for the most part, stay away from Studentenstadt.  Tickets back to the States were ridiculously cheap so I decided to visit everyone in Virginia for the first leg of break.  At first I wanted to make it a surprise visit but I couldn't keep the secret; we ended up telling everyone except my grandmothers.  We had a little family party tonight and they loved the surprise!!

Being back in the States is a little strange!! From the moment the Passport Control Officer at the airport started making small talk with me I began to realize how different these two cultures I have come to know are really quite different.  In Germany everything is about order, efficiency, discipline and moderation; it's not at all a bad thing, it's simply different.  There no outstanding customer service or small talk, but instead you do what you came to do and you're on your way.  In some ways, this has made me appreciate some of the conveniences available in the States and the more natural open-nature of Americans.
One thing I definitely appreciate A LOT more after 6 months is a real-life, full-sized kitchen.  Complete with the beloved Kitchen Aid, countless appliances and spacious sink!! Simple Pleasures. I came home to  big bags of flour and sugar waiting for me on the counter;  seems like someone was awaiting some baked goods, eh?  Needless to say, I've been busy since I arrived.  Cookies, cakes, soup, quiche, madeleines...

My aunt, Jeannie, gave me this Madeleine recipe back in December.  Finally reunited with a full kitchen and madeleine pan, what better time to give this recipe a try?!
I really liked it! Madeleines are a lot of fun and pretty easy to make.  You'll need a madeleine pan to make these , yes, yet another pan for your kitchen.  If you like them, it's totally worth it.  They are really easy to throw together and are really great for guests and especially great with tea.  Their claim to fame is, no doubt, the so-called "Madeleine Episode" in the chef d-oeuvre of Marcel Proust, À la recherche du temps perdu; Proust takes a bite of the little scallop-shaped sponge cake involuntarily evokes memories of his childhood.
 "No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate than a shudder ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me. An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses, something isolated, detached, with no suggestion of its origin. And at once the vicissitudes of life had become indifferent to me, its disasters innocuous, its brevity illusory – this new sensation having had on me the effect which love has of filling me with a precious essence; or rather this essence was not in me it was me. ... Whence did it come? What did it mean? How could I seize and apprehend it? ... And suddenly the memory revealed itself. The taste was that of the little piece of madeleine which on Sunday mornings at Combray (because on those mornings I did not go out before mass), when I went to say good morning to her in her bedroom, my aunt Léonie used to give me, dipping it first in her own cup of tea or tisane. The sight of the little madeleine had recalled nothing to my mind before I tasted it. And all from my cup of tea." 






While this recipe isn't for the classic Proust-Acclaimed Madeleine, I'm sure he would have approved.  The orange flavor in these little cakes is really nice and they go especially well with Earl Grey (or any other citrus-accented tea).  It's a really fast recipe and I think it's pretty easy.  Two things to aim for: butter that pan well, really well, and try to have the ingredients at a consistent temperature.  The consistent temperature helps with the formation with the bump in the middle madeleines are known for; if it's not gonna happen, no worries.  So the madeleines might not be perfect (they very well might be!!), I'm pretty confident there won't be too many left at the end of the day.  Okay, on to the recipe!

Orange Blossom Madeleines

Source: Jeannie Goodyear, The Lodge & Club at Ponte Vedra Beach

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 
• 1/2 cup sugar 
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 
• 1/8 tsp salt 
• 2 tsp shredded orange peel
• 1 beaten egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup browned butter (1/2 stick), slightly cooled 
• 2 Tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed 
• simple glaze: 1/2 cup powdered sugar + enough milk (about 2 Tbsp) to make the right consistency 

Directions: 

• Grease the Madeleine pan and preheat the oven to 400 F 
• In a large mixing bowl stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and orange peel
• In a smaller bowl whisk together the egg, milk, butter and orange juice concentrate.  
• Gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry. (It should be lumpy, over mixing will take away from the consistency)
• Scoop the batter into the molds, filling about 2/3 full; I used a cookie scoop and the portion seemed pretty much right.
• Bake for about 8 minutes, until the sides are golden.  The tops will probably look a little pale.  
• Let them cool in the pans for a few minutes then remove to a cooling rack.  Dip the scalloped top sides in the glaze and allow to dry.  
• They are best served slightly warm.  

Bon Appétit! 

Brrrrr it's cold in Munich! Soup's on!

Hofgarten

Munich, or all of Europe for that matter, is a quite a cold place at the moment!!  The season started out very mild but now it's definitely in full swing with temperature staying much below the average lows. It's been hovering around -10 C (about 14 F), but often getting colder than that as low as -20 C at night!  Here is a video a friend recommended from BBC, it's Hamburg where literally all of the water is frozen!

Heidi, Sara and I decided to brave the cold for a bit today and take a long walk through the English Gardens.  It was covered in snow and pretty cold but it was a really nice walk.

















In light of this cold weather, soups have definitely been in order!  Soups are definitely one of my favorite things to make; they are comforting, versatile and easy to do well, or rather hard to mess up.  The base is pretty standard and you can adjust the flavor until you get it to where you want it to be.  This past week I made Potato Soup, Carrot Curry Soup and Green Lentil Soup with Curried Brown Butter.

When making a savory soup, I stick to a pretty standard base.  First, have pretty much everything ready to go.  I've definitely made the mistake of being lazy and prepping veggies one at a time and having little problems pop up.  Burnt onions, missing spices, whatever; definitely avoid it.  For a 4-6 serving soup start by dicing two yellow onions and mincing three cloves of garlic.  Heat a bit of olive oil in a large pot and add the onions and garlic with a  bit of salt to bring out their juices.  Sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.
Next add the veggies, cover with broth and simmer.

Before this year, I had never really had much of any curry.  I been recently learning to cook with it and experimenting with it in recipes and I'm really liking it!  I was a little nervous about making Carrot Curry Soup, carrot soup is pretty different from soups I usually make but a friend of mine told me it was her favorite so I decided to give it a try.  We looked at a few recipes online to get a general idea of how to make a successful carrot soup and then took added our own ideas.  I really, really liked this soup.  It definitely has a kick from the curry and mustard seeds but it's pretty well balanced with the sweetness of the carrots and the creaminess of the yogurt.  This soup was definitely a hit!

Carrot Curry Soup 

source: original recipe

Ingredients: 

Olive oil 

2 onions 

3 cloves of garlic

1 Tbsp curry powder, more or less to your taste.  

1/2 tsp mustard seeds 

500 g (about 1.25 lb) carrots, cut into about 1/2" rounds (+a tsp or two of brown sugar if your carrots aren't sweet- probably the case in winter) 

low sodium vegetable/chicken broth (about 4 cups)

1/2 cup plain yogurt/sour cream or 1/3 c heavy cream 

Salt and Pepper 

Prepare the soup base as described above, sautéing the onions and garlic together until tender.  

Stir the curry powder and mustard seeds into the onions and cook until fragrant, about a minute.  

Add the carrots and cover with enough broth to submerge them.  

Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until the carrots are soft, about 25-35 minutes.  

Remove from the heat source and blend the carrots with an immersion blender until smooth.  

Stir in the yogurt/sour cream/cream and add salt & pepper to taste.  

It's definitely not the most photogenic soup, but it's delish!

Green Lentil Soup with Curried Brown Butter 

 source: 101 Cookbooks 

For this recipe, I'll just give the link to the original post at 101 Cookbooks.  I followed the recipe exactly and it's great.  This soup is also pretty spicy but as my friend and top food tester, Heidi, put it, it's "spicy in a really pleasant way."  The heat is balanced with coconut milk and it's really not too overpowering.  I really like this recipe, I'll certainly make it again, maybe with split peas.  

Also not particularly aesthetically pleasing...  

Guten Appetit! 

The last week of WiSo, travel plans and Lavender Syrup

(From 3 February)

The Winter Semester at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität is just about over.  This coming week is the last week of classes and essays are due in the coming weeks.  This weekend is all about preparing for tests and planning the big trips coming up.
We have nine weeks off from classes, a crazy long time.  I'll be traveling for a good amount of the time and a few weeks I've left open to either stay in Munich or some spontaneous trip.  Who knows!  I've booked a ticket to Dublin with a friend from the study abroad program, Heidi.  After we watched the [horrible] movie Leap Year over the Christmas Break we have been trying to plan a trip to Ireland.  The storyline of the film is really banal but the setting is gorgeous. It seems so green and the castles are beautiful, very different from the ones in Germany! AND totally by coincidence, we are going to be in Dublin on Leap Day!  According to the movie, it's an Irish tradition that a man who receives a marriage proposal on Leap Day must accept it; hmmmm... ;)
We've been preparing for our trip in Munich at the Irish Pub near the Frauen Kirche in the city center.  It's a really fun environment and the Snakebites/Shandy (Irish drink of equal parts helles Beer, Cider and Black Current juice) are the best.
We're planning to visit not only Dublin but also some areas on the West Coast and perhaps in the South.  I'm really looking forward to it!  It will be interesting to be in another English speaking country outside of the US and I am definitely looking forward to experiencing the Irish culture and nature.
The next stop: England!  I'll spend about 4 or 5 days in England, probably just in London.  On the 10th I'll take the Chunnel (the train under the English Channel) to Paris!  I am SO EXCITED.  After taking French classes for most of my life, I am so ready to go to Paris!  Two friends and I rented an apartment near the Sacre Coeur church, about a 10 minute walk from the Louvre!  It ended up being about the same price as a hostel and includes a full kitchen and washer/dryer- definitely worth it! Definitely more to come about these trips.

A few weeks ago I purchased a little pack of lavender buds from the Viktualienmarkt in Munich and for the longest time could not decide what to make with them.  I finally decided to make a lavender syrup to mix into crème fraîche (great for the french yogurt cake!), whipped cream, make steamers, whatever.  It's great! And insanely simple to make.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 T lavender buds
(a bit of vanilla extract if you want)

Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, allow it to cook a minute or two and remove from heat.  Stir in the lavender buds and pour the mixture into a jar.  It's that easy.

To make a steamer you'll need a frothing wand or use the steamer attachment of an espresso machine.  Heat the milk and about a tablespoon (more or less, depending on your sweet tooth) of the syrup, strained or not, over medium-low heat and froth until fairly foamy.  Add a bit of honey if you'd like.  I only had regular milk but a friend of mine said a lavender steamer made with almond milk is the best!

To sweeten crème fraîche or cream, simply stir it in.

Guten Appetit! 

Kaiserschmarrn, a Bavarian/Austrian treat

Kaiserschmarrn is a pretty typical dessert in Bavaria and in Austria.  The name literally translates to "Emperor-Mishmash." 

Mittenwald, Bavaria, Germany

It's basically little pieces of pancake, fried in melted butter and topped with powdered sugar, sliced almonds, applesauce, whipped cream, jam and/or raisins.  Voll lecker!  It's certainly available in many restaurants in and around Munich, but is really typical to the mountains, during both the skiing and hiking seasons.  I first tried Kaiserschmarrn in Mittenwald, Germany on the top of a mountain after a hike with the JYM group during the first few weeks.  Our program director bought a few servings of the dessert for everyone to taste, declaring the Kaiserschmarrn in Mittenwald was the best.  It certainly was good! Especially after a long hike up the mountain.
There are several legends behind Kaiserschmarrn, here's one.  Kaiserschmarrn was named after Kaiser Joseph I from Austria-Hungary.  His wife was obsessed with retaining her slim figure and would request that the chef prepare only light desserts; upon receiving this concoction, she turned her nose up and refused to eat it.  Her husband, Joseph, asked "was is this mishmash?" He loved it and ate his serving and that of his wife.  The dessert became subsequently beloved!

A friend of mine, Yvonne, came over for dinner the last night to teach me some of her Chinese recipes (post to come this week!!) and I offered to make dessert in return.  Kaiserschmarrn definitely hit the spot! It may have strayed a little from the theme of the evening but, hey, we are in Bavaria so it's always fair game!

I found this recipe online and kept it pretty much the same, adding only a bit of almond extract.

Kaiserschmarrn

chefkoch.de

4 eggs, separated 

30 grams (2 1/2 tbsp) sugar 

1 pinch of salt 

2 tsp vanilla sugar (or extract)

(almond, rum or other flavor if you'd like - about 1/2 - 1 tsp)

375 mL (a little more that 1 1/2 cups) milk

125 gram (1 cup) flour 

butter for the pan (~ 1Tbsp)

powdered sugar 

As many or as few of the following:

applesauce (classic) 

jam

whipped cream

vanilla sauce 

rasins 

almond slices 

cinnamon 

let your imagination go wild...

Separate the eggs and beat the whites to stiff peaks.  

In a separate, large mixing bowl whisk the yolks, sugar, salt, vanilla, and flavor (if you are using one) together until frothy.  

Add about 1/3 of the milk and half of the flour and mix.  Add the second 1/3 of the milk and other half of the flour, mix and add the rest of the milk.  

Gently fold the egg whites into the dough with a rubber spatula.  If you want, you can add raisins at this step (better yet, let the raisins soak in rum or another liquor for awhile before incorporating them).

Allow the dough to rest at least 30 minutes to rise.  

Heat a frying pan (use a small one to make 4 individual servings or a large one to cook it all at once) to a pretty medium high heat, make sure the pan is hot before starting the cook the Schmarrn.  Melt a generous amount of butter in the pan and once it's bubbling, add the dough, either portioned or all at once.  Allow it to cook like a pancake, if you can flip the whole thing, go for it; or using your spatula, cut the cake into quarters and flip each piece separately. It won't look pretty but, that's okay, it's a mishmash :) 

Let it the other side brown and then, with your spatula or dull knives, break the pancake into bite sized pieces.  If you're feeling indulgent, add a little more butter.  Sautée the pieces until they are caramelized.  Sprinkle powdered sugar over the Kaiserschmarrn and mix again.  Transfer it to a platter or individual plates and give it another dusting of powdered sugar.  Top with desired toppings and dig in!  

Guten Appetit!

French Yogurt Cake

The French Yogurt Cake.  Dorie Greenspan, once again Brilliant.

If you've read my other posts, you'll know that Kaffee und Kuchen is by far the favorite meal of many in Studenten Stadt. It's that time of the day, we need a little break from our studies and a little time with the girls.  The gray, snowy January days make the lure of Kaffee und Kuchen so much stronger. 

I offered to host today's meeting, knowing as I typed my reply exactly what I would make: Dorie Greenspan's French Yogurt Cake.  

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Dorie is the best.  I don't really know how or why I developed such an interest in her recipes but each and every one I have attempted has proved to be successful.  She's an incredibly smart woman and has definitely brought a lot to the culinary world.

I have read about this cake many times.  It's apparently one of the few baked goods the French will actually bake regularly at home as opposed to picking something up and one of the patisseries.  It's incredibly easy to make, requiring no special tools or skills, and is really quite rewarding.  

I don't know what to compare this to in a typical American baker's repertoire.  It's definitely not as dense as a pound cake nor as light as an angel food cake, and a little more tart than a quick bread; perhaps something like a teacake?  But then again, perhaps it can't be grouped at all; it forms it's own genre of cakes.  Bake it, you'll see. The flavors are subtle but certainly not absent; the ground almonds compliment the texture and bring an unexpected slight nuttiness, the lemon zest gives the cake an ever so subtle zing of freshness and citrus flavor, and the yogurt makes the cake perfectly moist and adds just the right amount of tartness.
Make a glaze if you want, either with a jam or simply with powdered sugar and cream, or, there is no shame is serving it au naturel.  It really doesn't need a topping, in my opinion, but typical in France (and definitely would have been nice, had I had them in the apartment) would be a slightly sweetened crème fraîche and fresh berries.

The cake got rave reviews from my guests; it hardly made it through Kaffee und Kuchen!  It really is better if you can give it time to cool to room temperature, probably even better if you can stand to leave it overnight.   

French Yogurt Cake

Dorie Greenspan 

1 cup (128g) all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (85 g) ground almonds 

2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt 

1 cup (201 g) sugar

grated zest of one lemon 

1/2 cup (1 dl) plain yogurt

3 lg eggs 

1/4 tsp vanilla extract 

1/2 (1 dl) cup flavorless oil, such a vegetable or canola 

Preheat the oven to 350 F or 180C and butter a standard loaf pan generously.  

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, almonds, baking powder, and salt.  Set aside.

In a larger bowl, rub the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingertips. This will bring out the aromatic oils of the lemon zest (and it will smell amazing). 

Add the yogurt, the eggs, and the extract to the sugar and whisk together vigorously.  Add the dry ingredients and whisk to combine.    

Switch to a rubber scraper and fold in the oil, until just combined.  

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the edges are starting to pull away from the sides.  

Bon Appétit!