Volume 11, Issue 80 - October 20, 2006 |
Hello Member,
I would like to thank Chef Walter Staib and Jennifer Lindner for sharing these
great stories and recipes this week. Black Forest Cuisine: The Classic Blending
of European Flavors is a beautiful book. I have a copy on the table in front of
me and I am not lending it out :-) Click on the book jacket below for an Amazon
link offering a 34% discount.
Next week we will feature one of my favorite citrus crops...pink grapefruit. So,
stay tuned. Have a great weekend...you deserve it.
 Black
Forest Celebrations:
Spargelzeit - Asparagus Festival
In the Black Forest, food not only plays a significant role in celebrations, but
in many cases, festivities exist specifically to pay homage to certain foods.
Spargelzeit, the annual spring asparagus fest, is one such event. Every year,
Germans eagerly anticipate this celebration showcasing the country's "king of
vegetables." Not all asparagus is featured here - just the tender white variety.
It is attentively grown under the sandy soil to shield it from the sun and
prevent it from turning green, and the growing conditions in the Black Forest
are considered the best in Germany for cultivating the lily-white stalks.
Spargelzeit begins in mid-April, after the first crop of asparagus is harvested
and continues until the Feast of John the Baptist on June 24. For these two
months, all of Germany turns its attention to the vegetable. It is in the Black
Forest, though, where most of the festive events take place. So much asparagus
is grown in the region that the top producing towns of Schwetzingen, Reilingen,
Karlsruhe, and Rastatt are connected by what is know as "Asparagus Road." During
Spargelzeit, this route hosts numerous festivals and peeling contests.
Schwetzingen's celebrations are among the largest in the Black Forest. This
"Asparagus Capital of the World" hosts many eagerly awaited events, the grandest
of which is the naming of the annual asparagus king or queen.
Germans are so fond of asparagus that they consume about 72,000 tons of the
vegetable each year. During Spargelzeit, they take advantage of the country's
abundant crops and are known to enjoy asparagus at least once a day....
An excerpt from Black Forest Cuisine.
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Smoked Trout & Asparagus Salad
Geräucherte Forelle & Spargel Salat
When I worked at the Hotel Post in Nagold, this was the most popular salad on
the menu. It was hardly surprising. Trout is adored throughout the Black
Forest, as is asparagus - especially in the spring and early summer when the
region is flooded with it.
The light and fresh salad, dressed with a European-style sauce and elegantly
brightened with fried lemon zest, is delicious for lunch or as an appetizer at
dinner. As we did at the Hotel Post, I suggest serving the salad in radicchio
cups, but it is also lovely presented in martini glasses or together with
Black Forest Cracker Bread (recipe follows). To make the salad really snazzy,
spoon some caviar or salmon roe on top.
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
Dressing:
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/8 teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon Cognac
1 level teaspoon grated horseradish
salt
freshly ground white pepper
Fried Lemon Zest:
1 cup vegetable oil
zest of 1 lemon, sliced into thin strips
Salad:
8 ounces white asparagus, blanched and cut into slices about 3 inches long and
1/8 inch thick
1 pound green asparagus, blanched and cut into slices about 3 inches long and
1/8 inch thick
1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 large English cucumber, seeded and sliced (about 1 cup)
3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and sliced
3 white button mushrooms, sliced
3 smoked trout fillets, skinned, boned, and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 heads radicchio, cored and leaves separated
chopped fresh chives for garnish
small capers, for garnish
Preparation:
To make the dressing, stir together the mayonnaise, ketchup, vinegar,
curry, Cognac and horseradish in a small bowl and season with salt and white
pepper.
To make the fried lemon zest, heat the oil in a small saucepan to 375
degrees F. Add the lemon zest and fry until golden brown, about 2 to 3
minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on paper towels.
To make the salad, combine the white and green asparagus, onion,
cucumber, tomatoes and mushrooms in a large bowl, tossing to incorporate and
gently fold in the dressing and trout.
To serve, set some radicchio leaves on each plate to form a small cup
and spoon in some salad. Sprinkle some of the fried lemon zest on top and
garnish with chives and capers.
Black Forest Cracker Bread
Knäckebrot
I decided to omit a chapter on bread in this book, as German breads generally
require fairly lengthy discussions. I just had to include this recipe for
cracker bread, however. We prepared it often during my apprenticeships in
hotel kitchens and served it along with other breads in breadbaskets. Crisp
and flavorful, this bread is baked in large sheets and resembles Middle
Eastern lavash.
This recipe calls for flavoring the bread with salt, poppy seeds, and caraway
seeds, but the options are virtually endless. You might try curry powder or
paprika, which are also delicious.
Cracker bread pairs nicely with stews, soups, and salads. For a dramatic and
attractive presentations, break the baked bread haphazardly into large pieces
and arrange them in baskets.
Makes two 11x17-inch baking sheets
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups water
1 1/2 tablespoons dry active yeast
2 tablespoons honey
6 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups bread flour, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease the backs of two 11x17-inch baking
sheets with vegetable shortening.
Combine the water, yeast and honey in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted
with the dough hook attachment and mix on low speed until well combined. Add
the olive oil, flour and salt and continue mixing until incorporated.
Increase the speed to medium and mix the dough until it forms a stiff ball.
(If the dough is too wet, add a bit more flour.)
Remove the dough from the bowl, divide in half and stretch each half over the
back of one of the prepared baking sheets.
Beat the two eggs together with the tablespoon of water to make an egg wash.
Brush the dough with the egg wash and sprinkle with equal amounts of the
caraway seeds, poppy seeds and salt. Bake until golden brown, about 25
minutes. Cool the bread directly on the baking sheets and break into pieces to
serve.
Heilige
Silvesternacht - Saint Sylvester Night:
Of all the holidays in the Black Forest, Silvester - our New
Year's Eve - is the largest and grandest of the year. Throughout Germany in
fact, this magical night is filled with an array of festive events. Although
most have come to celebrate Silvester (also called Silvesternacht and
Silvesterabend) with swanky concerts and elegant dinners, the holiday is about
more than simply parties and noisemakers.
Silvester actually takes its name from the Catholic Feast of Saint Sylvester,
which is also celebrated on December 31st. Before Sylvester was canonized, he
was first elected Pope Sylvester I, his pontificate lasting from the year 314
until his death in 335. He is most recognized for his participation in the
Council of Nicea, baptizing the Emperor Constantine, and leading the Church in
its triumph over Roman paganism.
In the Black Forest, as in the rest of Germany, the Feast of Saint Sylvester and
his name sake New Year's celebrations have merged into a single festive holiday
defined by elegance, grand affairs and opulent food. Most events begin in the
evening and extend into the early hours of morning. Some revelers enjoy a light
meal around five o'clock, but usually it isn't until after at least nine o'clock
that the Silvesterfeiern (New Year's Eve parties) begin. Many of these late
nights commence at the opera or theater and continue at elaborate masquerade
balls, for which guest plan costumes and attire months in advance....
An excerpt from Black Forest Cuisine.
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Paupiettes of Brook Trout
Forellen Rouladen
This dish pays tribute to the many classic French recipes and numerous trout
dishes prepared in the Black Forest. Paupiette is a French term that refers
most often to a thin slice of meat rolled around a filling and then fried,
baked, or braised in wine or stock. It is also occasionally wrapped on the
outside with bacon for additional flavor.
In my Black Forest version, trout replaces meat and an elegant green leek is
tied around the paupiette in place of the robust bacon. Trout is much loved
throughout the region,and chefs and diners alike consider it a serious
business. Many restaurants maintain their own trout ponds and tanks and some
even permit diners to pick out their own fish. At the Hotel Post in Nagold,
our trout shared a tank in the courtyard with carp.
These paupiettes are special and served almost exclusively at large elegant
dinners. We often featured them as the fish course on Sylvester Night (New
Year's Eve) menus, for example. They take a bit of time to prepare, but your
guests are sure to be pleased with this beautiful, flavorful dish.
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
Stuffing:
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped green bell pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped red bell pepper
8 ounces jumbo lump crabmeat, bits of shell and cartilage removed
2 eggs
1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs (see Chef's Note)
juice of 1/2 small lemon
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
Paupiette Assembly:
1 large leek, trimmed and cut in half, separating the green and white parts
4 fresh brook trout fillets (6 to 8 ounces each), skinned and pin bones
removed
salt
freshly ground white pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 large shallots, peeled and finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup thinly sliced white button mushrooms
2 cups dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
4 teaspoons salmon or sturgeon roe, for garnish
Preparation:
For the stuffing, melt the butter in a small sauté pan over medium heat,
add the onions and sauté until translucent. Stir in the bell peppers and
sauté until softened and any liquid they release has evaporated, about 2
minutes. Remove from the heat and set in the refrigerator to cool completely.
Combine the cooled vegetables, crabmeat, eggs, bread crumbs, lemon juice,
herbs, salt and pepper, mixing gently until incorporated. Cover and
refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
To assemble paupiettes, bring a medium saucepan of lightly salted water
to a simmer over medium heat. Add the white and green parts of the leek and
poach until tender and the white part is softened. Remove the leek from the
poaching liquid, slice the green part lengthwise into thin strips and set
aside until cool enough to handle.
Score the skin side of each trout fillet (the side formerly covered with skin)
several times using a paring knife and season with salt and white pepper.
Place the stuffing in the center of each fillet and roll the ends securely
around it. Peel back the layers of the cooled leek (the white part), wrap one
or two layers around each fillet and secure with a strip of green leek, tying
it in a knot. Set the assembled paupiettes aside momentarily.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the
shallots and sauté until softened and translucent, about 1 minute. Add the
mushrooms and sauté until softened and any liquid they release has evaporated,
about 2 minutes.
Add the wine to deglaze, stirring with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned
bits on the bottom of the pan. Place the paupiettes in the pan, cover and
cook over high heat for about 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and
simmer until the trout is fully cooked but still tender, about 7 to 10
minutes. Do not overcook. (The trout is fully cooked when it appears opaque.)
Remove the paupiettes from the pan, cover loosely with foil and set aside to
keep warm while finishing the dish.
Place the flour and remaining 3 tablespoons of butter in a small bowl and
knead together to form a beurre manié. Add the cream to the pan, stir in the
beurre manié a little at a time until incorporated and the sauce thickens and
add the parsley.
Set each paupiette on a plate, spoon some of the sauce overtop and garnish
with salmon roe.
Chef's Note: Dry bread crumbs are certainly available in every
supermarket, but it is easy to make them at home and they are much more
flavorful than the canned variety. Simply grate day-old French bread and store
the crumbs in airtight containers. Although Asian panko crumbs are all the
rage at the moment, they are not suited to this sort of classic recipe. For
best results, stick to the traditional bread crumbs whether they are store
bought or homemade.
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