Volume 11, Issue 79 - October 19, 2006 |
Greetings Member,
 Fashionable
Hotel Dining:
When I was growing up in the Black Forest, delicious,
thoughtfully prepared food was always at hand. My mother's cooking, though most
often fairly simple, was fresh, flavorful and satisfying. Cafés offered
specialty pastries and artfully presented savory bites well worth a day's hike.
Gasthaus restaurants prided themselves on basic hearty fare and daily specials
we often waited all week to savor. And then there were the hotels. They were in
a different league altogether. Hotels were, and still very much are, paragons of
elegant dining, where serious culinary connoisseurs and the social elite
celebrate classic menus and refined hospitality.
My experience cooking in hotels started early. In my day, many families still
adhered to old-world traditions and encouraged their children to choose an
occupation early in life. I had always loved cooking, so after I finished eighth
grade I began my journey towards becoming a chef. I was just fourteen years old.
Excited and anxious to learn from classically trained chefs, my parents sent me
to apprentice and attend the culinary academy at the Hotel Post in Nagold. Like
other elite hotels of its kind, the Hotel Post was famous for its pedigreed
chefs, French inspired menus and celebrated clientele, which included a host of
prime ministers and Napoleon Bonaparte himself.
An excerpt from Black Forest Cuisine.
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.jpg) Frog Legs Provençal
Froschschenkel Provençal
Frog's legs are as popular in the Black Forest as they are in France and it is
common to see them on hotel restaurant menus. The sauce in this dish obviously
gives a nod to Provence with fragrant and fresh ingredients including olive oil,
garlic, tomatoes and fresh herbs. It pairs nicely with the delicate frog's legs
- so well in fact, that we like to serve it with fried frog's legs too.
In my time, we actually had frog farms in the Black Forest, where we obtained
the legs fresh, but they are also available frozen. Simply thaw them in the
refrigerator before proceeding with the recipe.
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
Provençal Sauce:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 large yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
5 large Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
3 large basil leaves, sliced into thin strips, or 1/4 teaspoon dried
1 sprig fresh thyme
salt
freshly ground white pepper
Frog's Legs:
32 pair frog's legs
salt
freshly ground white pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour, for dredging
fresh parsley sprigs, for garnish
Preparation:
To make the sauce, heat the oil over medium heat in a large sauté pan,
add the garlic and sauté until golden, about 1 minute. Add the onion and sauté
until softened and translucent, about one minute more. Toss in the tomatoes and
continue to cook until softened and any liquid they release has evaporated. Pour
in the wine and stir in the basil and thyme sprig, simmering until the pan is
almost dry. Remove the thyme, season with salt and pepper and set aside to keep
warm while finishing the dish.
To make the frog's legs, rinse the legs in cold water and pat dry. Season
with salt and pepper, arrange in a shallow dish and drizzle with Worcestershire
sauce and lemon juice. Set aside to marinate for about 3 minutes.
Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Pat the frog's legs dry
and dredge the frog's legs in flour, shaking to remove any excess. Set in the
pan and sauté on each side for about 2 minutes until fully cooked and golden
brown.
To serve, spoon the Provençal sauce into the center of a serving platter,
arrange the frog's legs on top, and garnish with parsley.
About the following recipe - Stuffed Quail:
Here is yet another game dish much loved in the Black Forest.
Unlike American quail that prefer walking to flying, the European game bird is
migratory. Quail are plentiful in the region, and their robust flavor pairs well
with a variety of equally sturdy ingredients.
Quail are served in many ways and with numerous stuffings. In this recipe, a
stuffing of sweet pears, plump raisins, crunchy walnuts, tender mushrooms, rich
foie gras, and firm bread, all perfumed with Poire Williams (pear-flavored eau
de vie),
perfectly complements the hearty bird. The tangy red wine sauce with sour cream
adds yet another layer of personality, and the sauerkraut served beneath the
quail contributes an even greater depth of flavor.
As the ingredients suggest, this stuffed quail is particularly suited to fall
and winter menus.
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.jpg) Stuffed Quail
Gefüllte Wachtel
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients:
Foie Gras Stuffing:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
6 white button mushrooms, finely chopped
2 Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, and finely chopped
1 tablespoon Poire Williams (pear-flavored eau de vie)
1 loaf stale French bread, cut into small cubes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
4 ounces foie gras pâté, cubed
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins, chopped
1 cup chicken stock, warmed
Assembly:
16 quail
salt
freshly ground white pepper
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried sage
2 teaspoons dried marjoram
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 rib celery, roughly chopped
1/2 yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped
Sauce:
1 1/2 cups full-bodied red wine, such as Burgundy
1 1/2 cups Demi-Glace (recipe follows), or prepared brown sauce
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons Poire Williams
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 cups Riesling Sauerkraut (recipe follows), for serving
Preparation:
To make the stuffing, melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium
heat, add the onion and sauté until softened and translucent, about 1
minute. Add the mushrooms and sauté until softened and any liquid they release
has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Toss in the pears and sauté until slightly
softened and fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in
the Poire Williams.
Combine the sautéed vegetables and pears with the bread cubes, parsley, pâté,
walnuts and raisins in a large bowl, tossing gently to mix well. Stir in the
stock a little at a time until the stuffing is moist enough to hold together.
Set aside momentarily.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
To assemble the quail, rinse the quail in cold water and pat dry.
Season the cavities of the quail with salt, white pepper and half of the
dried herbs, then fill with the stuffing. Tie the legs together with kitchen
twine and brush each quail all over with oil. Season the outsides with
additional salt, white pepper and the remaining herbs, place in a large
roasting pan breast sides up and roast for 8 to 10 minutes until lightly
browned. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F, toss the carrot, celery and onion in the pan around the
quail and roast, basting frequently,
until a meat thermometer inserted in the thighs registers 185 degrees F, about
15 to 20 minutes.
Remove the quail from the pan and set aside, covered loosely with foil, to
rest while preparing the sauce.
To make the sauce, place the roasting pan over medium-high heat, add
the wine to deglaze, stirring with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits
on the bottom of the pan and simmer until reduced by about two-thirds. Stir
in the demi-glace and simmer until reduced by about half. Remove from heat,
incorporate the sour cream and strain through a wire mesh strainer into a
small saucepan. While off the heat, stir in the Poire Williams and whisk in
the butter.
To serve, spoon some sauerkraut on each plate, arrange two quail on top and drizzle with sauce.
Demi-Glace
Braune Kraftsoße
Demi-glace is another French sauce that every self-respecting restaurant keeps
on hand. As an apprentice, I prepared it thousands of times for use in a
variety of other sauces and dishes.
Also called brown sauce, demi-glace is traditionally prepared with what the
French refer to as espagnole sauce (a mixture of brown stock, vegetables,
brown roux and tomatoes), brown stock and Madeira or sherry. I have
simplified this method to create a flavorful sauce you can keep on hand to add
intense flavor to a number of dishes.
Makes 7 cups
Ingredients:
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1 cup sliced white button mushrooms
3 Roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups full-bodied red wine, such as Burgundy
7 cups beef stock
1/2 cup chopped leek
2 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Preparation:
Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, add the
shallots and sauté until translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes. Toss in the
mushrooms and tomatoes and sauté until any liquid they release has evaporated.
Stir in the tomato paste, then add 1 cup of the wine to deglaze, stirring with
a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Simmer
until almost dry, then deglaze with 1 more cup of the wine. Simmer until
almost dry again.
Add the remaining cup of wine, stock, leek and thyme and bring to a
boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes.
In a medium bowl, knead together the flour and remaining butter to form a
paste (beurre manié). Whisk this paste into the demi-glace and simmer for
about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the sauce is smooth and velvety.
Strain through a fine mesh sieve and cool the demi-glace in an ice bath. Pour
into a jar or plastic container and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Riesling Sauerkraut
Sauerkraut mit Riesling
We have numerous recipes for sauerkraut in the Black Forest, and here is yet
another tasty version. The combination of bacon, caraway seeds and Riesling
wine make this dish at once rich, robust and earthy as well as ever so
slightly fruity and delicate. Given these layers of flavor, this sauerkraut
pairs wonderfully with game dishes.
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
9 slices lean bacon, finely chopped
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
4 cups prepared sauerkraut, rinsed and drained (bagged and refrigerated is
best)
1 (750ml) bottle Riesling or other fruity white wine
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
salt
freshly ground white pepper
Preparation:
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, add the bacon and sauté
until crisp, about 3 minutes. Stir in the onions and garlic and sauté until
golden brown, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the sauerkraut, wine and caraway seeds and bring to a boil over high
heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the liquid is reduced by
about three-quarters, about 30 minutes.
Season with salt and white pepper and serve hot.
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