Guten Morgen, meine Freunde! I'm going to be honest with you... this was kind of a half-assed Culinary Sunday. For starters, we cooked on Monday. (Oh, the horror!) It was just that J&J still had out-of-town company so we opted to hold off a day until it could just be the three of us. It had been over a month since it was the "original" Culinary Sunday group, and we were looking forward to being alone with our food and booze. We also goofed a little because I forgot to bring the spinach with me, and therefore we had no spinach salad with hot bacon dressing for an appetizer. So due to lack of an appetizer, we drank an extra cocktail instead. (And that will explain why the picture quality leaves something to be desired.) Anyways... it was still a fantastic meal, and one that we actually have been cooking for a few years now... so I know you'll still love it!
Cocktail - Gingerbread Martini
Welcome back, vodka! Vodka, gingerbread liqueur, a dash of lemon polar seltzer. Definitely one of our seasonal favorites. (You should be able to find the gingerbread liqueur around this time of the year at the larger liquor stores.)
Entree - Jagerschnitzel with Bacon Gravy
Yeah, the picture is not too good. But who cares? This is one of our favorite fall dishes! Thinly pounded pork chops are coated in a crispy mixture of crushed saltines and panko... then fried up and covered with a rich gravy and crumbled bacon? (We left out the mushrooms because I'm just not a fan, sorry.) This is kind of like the German's answer to Country Fried Steak or something. Regardless... this is super easy (think easy weeknight family meal, people!) and super delicious!
Side Dish - Spaetzle
(See picture above)
Spaetzle is a classic German dumpling dish. It's just a flavored dough that is pushed through a spaetzle maker (in a pinch, use a colander, its the same thing practically) into boiling broth or water. Then once cooked, its fried in butter and served. It's the perfect "backdrop" to any meal, because you can change up the flavors and it absorbs sauce terrifically. I highly recommend giving it a shot some time!
Side Dish - Red Cabbage Salad with Warm Pancetta-Balsamic Dressing
This is not your average red cabbage dish! It is not braised or out of a can and mushy. It is served rather raw, so it holds its crispness, and then tossed with almonds, dried fruits, bacon, and then drizzled with a hot balsamic dressing. (Drizzled, not drenched, folks.) It is the perfect accompaniment to almost any cold-weather dish! (And leftovers make a great lunch!)
Side Dish - Whiskey Braised Applesauce
Whiskey, apples, brown sugar, cinnamon and ginger.. that easy! (I'm convinced that ginger is going to become my new "secret" ingredient in almost any dish.) We followed the recipe exactly, blended it up, and served. It is a fantastic applesauce! (Obviously, not very child-friendly... we're talking a full cup of whiskey!) I would suggest reducing the brown sugar, though. We found 1 cup to be rather sweet.
Entree Wine - 1999 Echelon Pinot Noir
Rating - Not Found
Shame on us. Another week that we never made it to Harry's!!! So instead we reached into the stockpile and pulled out this Pinot. It was ok. It smelled very much like a port and was rather heavy and smoky on the palate, but it worked well with the food. We absolutely promise, scouts-honor, that we will be back with our trusted connoisseurs next week.
Dessert - Black Forest Cake
Family Recipe
Okay, so this is the gist. You make two small dark chocolate cakes. Then you cut them in half, and start putting filling in between the layers. Jennifer wasn't exactly giving away secrets, but here's some of the things I picked up. There were layers of black cherry preserves, the cake was sprinkled with kirsch, and then layers of whipped cream that included dutch cocoa, kirsch, and who knows what else. Final product - delicious! Rich and exploding with different flavors.
Aperitif - Coffee Trash
And this is why I have a headache this morning. Coffee trash is simply put - grain alcohol and coffee. I believe its originated from Jennifer's side of the family, but I could be wrong. Strongly brewed coffee, a shot of pure alcohol, and a spoonful of sugar. So good, but so bad.
Anyways... it may have been slightly "off" compared to our usual evenings, but still a wonderful meal. I promise we will be back to normal next week.
Next Week - Coq au Vin (a la Julia Child!)
I believe ginger makes most things better.
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