Coffee + Beer + Cocoa = Xcellent Chilli

Equation doesn´t sound proper? Gotcha. I was suspicious, too. Cocoa, beer and coffee? In a chili? You gotta be kidding. But since I do have a tendency to try irregular stuff, this was a must-try with top priority. What made it worse was this connotation: "The result will be a very hearty, dark, thick chili that was the winner of the "Texas Statewide Chili Championship" in 1999." Hail to the old century - this recipe was finger-licking good. Honestly.


A. even spooned the rest out of the pot in the middle of the night. His comment: "I can´t even decide whether I like it better hot or cold. When are you doing this again? Because you need to make more!" Is there any better compliment in the world?

And I particularly liked this chili, too. It was - as promised in the connotation - very hearty, very thick, a bit sweet, with just the right combo of herbs and spices. Obviously, the Texans sure know how to make one hell of a chili. Like that! Wish I could make cornbread like they do, too - if you have a recipe for that, PLEASE let me know!

Recipe for Coffee Chili


Ingredients for 6

30 ml vegetable oil
2 onions
3 cloves of garlic
500 g ground beef
500 g beef, cubed (goulash)
1 big can of tomatoes
250 ml dark beer
200 ml coffee, strong
2 small cans tomato extract
200 ml broth
3 EL chili powder, mixed with brown sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa, unsweetened
½ teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon cumin
3 chili peppers, chopped
3 cans of kidney beans
½ teaspoon coriander

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a large pot.
2. Sear diced onions, garlic, beef and ground beef for about 10 minutes, until golden brown.
3. Add all other ingredients (except for the beans) and season to taste.
   
4. Reduce heat to low, stir often and let simmer for about 90 minutes.
5. Add the beans and let simmer for another 30 minutes, adding broth or beer if you need to.
6. For US-American Style: serve with cornbread. For European Style: serve with baguette.
   

Guten Appetit! Enjoy your meal! Bon Appétit!

Chili Chocolate

As you might have noticed by now, I am a great admirer of sayings. A famous german saying is: "Small gifts preserve your friendships best." Another one is: "Love goes through the stomach."

Now look what I got from my significant other, A., with no reason other than he just thinking of me while he was buying himself some running gear:


some first class Swiss handcrafted semi-sweet chili chocolate. Beautiful, huh? And delicious, too.
Even more delicious because it´s a gift from a loved one, but I am sure you´ll like it, too.

Läderach is a chocolatier suisse, producing a selected range of chocolate specialties, distributing in their own confiserie´s and in selected stores. They started out as a family business in 1962, invented the chocolate hollow sphere (!) and became a world-wide distributing company. But they kept their love and eye for the detail. Everything is packed neatly, handcrafted beautifully and - most important - tastes wonderful. Definitely worth a try.


Dependance in Dusseldorf:

Läderach inside Karstadt
Schadowstraße 93
40212 Düsseldorf

Lean Cut of Pork with Calvados Creamed Apples

Inspired by a french cookbook I´ve come across, I decided to revive an old recipe: Calvados Creamed Apples. To be honest, I could eat those all alone, as the main. Serious. But their original intend is being the side for a nice piece of meat. I used a lean cut of pork this time.


What really makes the apples special is the hint of Calvados, a french apple brandy, produced in the French region of Basse-Normandie or Lower Normandy. Calvados is distilled from specially grown and selected apples, of which there are over 200 named varieties. It is not uncommon for a Calvados producer to use over 100 specific varieties of apple to produce their Calvados. Don´t save on this ingredient - rather buy a better one, and use it as aperitiv or digestif, too. You´ll thank me later.

Recipe for Lean Cut of Pork with Calvados Creamed Apples


Ingredients for 2

300g lean cut of pork
salt and pepper
rosemary
3 apples
4 tablespoons Calvados
bit of sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
bit of vinegar
100g heavy cream


Preparation

1. Season pork with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a pan.
2. Sear pork, add rosemary.
3. Quench with Calvados. Add vinegar and mustard. Fill with heavy cream.
4. Season with salt, pepper and sugar.
   
5. Peel and slice apples. Add to the pan.
6. Cover with a lid, and let simmer for appr. 10-15 minutes.
7. To serve, pile apples as a bed for the pork. Serve with fresh baguette to dip.

Guten Appetit! Enjoy your meal! Bon Appétit!

Ice Cream Chip Tartelette

This is a wonderful dessert with many lovable features: you can prepare it ahead of time, it´s simple and - most important - it is delicious. Great for topping a nice evening, with hardly any work so you can share your time with your guest rather than standing in the kitchen all night long.



In German, it is called "Eissplittertörtchen". Roughly translated, my guess is to call it Ice Cream Chip Tartelette. If you know the right term, PLEASE let me know!

It is pretty much whipped cream with some nice, flavorful, crunchy components. You can adjust to your personal taste, of course. I used caramellized almonds, dark chocolate and meringue, but I can imagine about a million other tasty combos, so feel free to try them all.

Recipe for Ice Cream Chip Tartelette



Ingredients for 2

200g heavy cream
50g meringue
50g almonds
3 tablespoons sugar
50g dark chocolate


Preparation

1. In a pan, roast almonds. Add sugar, caramellize, set aside and let cool.
2. Crunch meringue into bite-sized pieces.
3. Break chocolate into bite-sized pieces
4. Whip cream.
5. Fold in almonds, chocolate and meringue pieces.
6. Fill into ramekins, cover with Saran wrap and freeze for at least 4 hours, best overnight.
7. Serve either solo, or with fruit puree.

Guten Appetit! Enjoy your meal! Bon Appétit!

Vote Now!

Hey guys, it´s time to raise your voice again - and vote for YOUR very own personal food blogs in 2009.Anyone can vote - you neither have to register nor do you have to have your own blog. Just let them know which food blogs you like. This is going to be an interesting one, so keep checking!

This way to FoodBuzz´s voting site. Including instructions. No misunderstanding possible.

Udon Noodle Soup

And, again, a short trip to the Far East: to Japan, to be quite exact. I love Udon noodle soup, and I´ve eaten it various times in various places here in Dusseldorf. Best at Naniwa, of course. So it was about time to give it a try at home. I had bought Udon Noodles during my last visit at Metro, so the basis was set. Another jump to Shochiku, a wonderful japanese supermarket in Dusseldorf, supplied me with the next core ingredient: dashi.


A fish-broth. Very hearty, fishy, but not too much. Udon noodles look like your regular pasta, but are made from rice, very smooth. Not much of a taste, so you really need to kick it up with the broth and soy sauce. I added some poached chicken and spring onions for more taste. Et voilá: la soup du jour. The soup of the day.


Don´t be distracted by the china, I simply didn´t have any other bowls to fit the amount of soup I wanted to bestow upon us. I´ll definitely have to look for some decent BIG soup bowls one of these days.

Recipe for Udon Noodle Soup


Ingredients

200g udon noodles
salt and pepper
2 spring onions
2 chicken breasts
1 package of dashi broth (or any other stock you like)
1 tablespoon soy sauce


Preparation

1. Bring water to a boil. Add salt. Cook udon noodles for appr. 4-5 minutes.
   
2. Drain and rinse with water, otherwise noodles will stick like hell.
3. Meanwhile, poach chicken (or use pre-cooked chicken, if you have some on hand) and cut into slices.
   
4. Bring 1l of water to a boil. Add soy sauce and dashi broth.
5. Add cooked udon noodles and chicken, and let simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
6. Sprinkle with sliced spring onion.
   
7. Serve straigth away.

Guten Appetit! Enjoy your meal! Bon Appétit!

Daifuku - Japanese Ricecake

Konichiwa. Hello everybody. Another small excursion into the japanese lifestyle for today.
May I introduce? The daifuku. Also known as "rice cake filled with red been paste".


This little beauty smiled so temtingly at me while I was strolling through the japanese supermarket that I just couldn´t resist. I carried it in my hand all the way home because I was afraid it would get smooshed in my bag, surrounded by all the other bottles and boxes I had bought. Yes, you may call me a freak when it comes to food, I know.

I was looking forward to this special treat all day. I´ve never had a daifuku before, so I was really curious. First notice: the little thing was really heavy. I unwrapped it carefully (love the packaging!), and halfed it with a sharp knife.


The texture of the outside is very firm, and the red been paste inside is really sticky. Took a bite, and was surprised: the daifuku outside is firm in texture, you might say gooey, like a very think pancake. The red been paste is sweet, but with a strong kidney bean flavour. Takes getting used to, I guess. I remember my dear friend Megumi giving me candied beans that she had brought from Japan, which were really a question of taste, too - I loved the great white beans, but I loathed the green peas. Anyways.

The daifuku is something well worth a try, although it won´t turn into one of my favourites.
The supermarket where I bought it, though, is definitely a favourite - they carry pretty much everything japanese, and to be honest, I could spend DAYS there just checking out all the fancy products packagings and treats.



Shochiku
Immermannstr. 15
Dusseldorf
phone +49 211 353851

Great Asian Food - Mai again

Do you know those days were you just don´t have the nerve to stand in the kitchen in the evening and prepare dinner? Well, it happens only about three times a year, but today was one of those days for me. After a 16k run this morning, and a three-hour yoga workshop in the afternoon, I just wasn´t feeling the idea of preparing dinner. Sorry.

But, luckily, we´ve lately discovered Mai, an asian food place just around the corner (see first post about the place). So I decided that it was time for one of the three "I´m hawling in food from outside" days.


And again, I wasn´t disappointed: the service is super-friendly, the food is prepared freshly, but super-fast, and - most importantly - whatever you order tastes super-good. This time, I had the Bami Goreng, fried noodles with veggies, egg, chicken and shrimp. Tasty, with curry, and slightly spicy. Just enough to tickle my taste buds. A. had the fried noodles with chicken only, and was done before I was even half-way through my food, so that must mean he liked it at least as much as I did. Thanks, Mai, for making my day!



Mai
Koelner Landstrasse 195
40591 Dusseldorf
eat in and take out
open daily from 11 a.m. til 10 p.m.

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Last weekend, we finally managed to get together with three other couples for a BBQ. The weather forecast was, well, bad. Really bad. But it proved to be wrong, thank God, and at least it didn´t rain, and the sun came out for a little while.

BBQs in Germany really have some core ingredients that are a MUST: potato salad, pasta salad, and Bratwurst. I opted for bringing the pasta salad, and decided to go for a sunny mediterranean version, just because.



The recipe is fairly easy, and a bit uncommon since it uses cream for the dressing, which is boiled shortly, then mixed with the pasta and the other ingredients, and set to rest. I have to admit, I was a bit sceptical how that was supposed to end in a nice salad, but hey - it sure did.
People liked the summery taste of sundried-tomatoes, roasted pine nuts and braised zucchini very much, and the salad doesn´t turn soggy at all.

The BBQ went great, and one of our friends had brought Chili Bratwurst for grilling - also very good. Besides the rosemary chicken, the pepper meatballs, etc. etc. etc.
I swear, we could have served a soccer team. And the coach. It was a fun evening, and I hope will be meeting again sooner than for the next BBQ next summer. Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. T. for hosting, and the others for their sweet company!

Recipe for Mediterranean Pasta Salad


Ingredients

250g farfalle
100g sundried tomatoes
olive oil
2 zucchini
2 red onions
200g heavy cream
white balsamico
salt and pepper
sugar
pine nuts


Preparation

1. Cook pasta until firm to the bite. Drain.
2. Dice zucchini and onion. Heat olive oil in a pan. Sear onion, then add zucchini.
   
3. Quench with cream, bring to a boil and remove from heat.
4. Add pasta and diced sundried tomatoes.
5. Season with salt, pepper, sugar and vinegar.
6. Roast pine nuts in a pan (no additional fat necessary), and top salad with roasted nuts.
7. Allow to soak for at least two hours.

Guten Appetit! Enjoy your meal! Bon Appétit!

Sarah Challinor Smith´s Cheesecake

I´ve become a great fan of Facebook lately, because it lets you keep track of beloved people all around the world, and the little chit-chat function really deserves an Academy Award or something equal in IT-terms. A couple of days ago, I stumbled upon my host brother, Aut, which is seemingly uncapable of writing eMails. Our mum is complaining about that, too, so it´s not only me who is suffering. No offense, Aut. I know you´ve got more important things to do ;)

Anyhow, we met in the little chit-chat thing, and without any premonition, he wrote: "I´m getting engaged!" Thank God I was already sitting down, because otherwise I could have fainted, let me tell you. I am so happy for those two, and I wish them all the best. You rock, Aut!

What to do when you are overflowing with joy? I don´t know about you, but I bake. And because of the special occasion, it had to be something Original American: Mrs. Sarah Challinor Smith´s Cheesecake.



This is the richest, most sinful, finger-licking good American Cheesecake out there. Starbucks doesn´t even get close to this one. For sure. It takes a little bit of time, because it consists of three layers: the bottom, made from cookies and butter; the middle, consisting of cream cheese and eggs, and the topping, consisting of sour cream and sugar. The topping really adds a refreshing hint to this, well, dense beauty. Definitely not for everyday consumption, but perfect for special occasions.

Aut, I miss you, and congrats again to being engaged! Best wishes for you and future Mrs. Aut. Hope to see you again soon.

Recipe for S.C.Smith´s Cheesecake


Ingredients for 20cm baking pan

100g whole wheat butter cookies
100g butter
550g cream cheese (room temperature!)
100g sugar
3 eggs
pinch of salt
vanilla essence
400g sour cream (10% fat)
50g sugar


Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 180°C, and line baking an with parchment paper.
   
2. Melt butter in a pan.
3. Crush cookies, either in your blender, or in a freezer bag.
4. Mix butter and cookie crumbs, push into baking pan. Cool for about 5 minutes.
5. Blend cream cheese, sugar, eggs, salt and 8 drops of vanilla essence until smooth.
   
6. Poor on top of cookie base. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until golden brown.
7. Let cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Don´t turn off the oven yet.
8. Blend sour cream, sugar and 5 drops of vanilla essence.
9. Pour onto the slightly cooled down cake, and bake again for 15 minutes.
10. Remove from the oven. Don´t be fooled by the still liquid surface - it hardens when the cake cools.
11. Let cool completely. Cover with cling foil, and chill before serving - best overnight in the fridge.

Guten Appetit! Enjoy your meal! Bon Appétit!

Summer´s Eve 2009

I´m a little late to post this one, but I do want to share a great night out with you. Last monday, we had a Summer Party, hosted by our employer. My dear colleague, Mr.P., and I had been in charge of organising the whole thing, so we were even more excited than all our co-workers, I guess.

We had scouted a couple of locations, and decided for the Unterbacher See in Dusseldorf, because we really wanted to have a summery event, outside, water nearby, sand under our feet. They offered to separate a part of their terrace for us, with our own grill booth and staff, so we amde the deal.


And everything turned out great - people loved the place, weather was great, and the food was wonderful, too. We had ordered a Yacht Harbour BBQ, which included salads, dips and bread, pasta salad, caprese, steaks in any order (chicken, pork, beef), grilled veggies, rosemary potatoes, fruit salad and creme bavaroise. So there was a little of everything, and everybody found something.



We really enjoyed ourselves, even hired some pedal boats before dinner time, and pedaled a round or two on the lake. So much fun! And by the time night fell, I had prepared some small lanterns, made from parchment paper, with our company logo on. Created a very cozy atmosphere, and we sat there until late.



To put it in a nutshell, we all had a grand time, and we picked a great place to celebrate this Summer´s Eve Party. If you´re looking for a sweet place to have a quitting time beer, or want to make a great stop on bike tour, you might want to jot down this address: friendly staff, good food, and a wonderful view, combined with a couple of buckets of sand on the ground - doesn´t get much better. And in case the weather fairy isn´t on your side, they also have two big dining rooms inside, so no worries.


Se[h]restaurant am Bootshafen
Kleiner Torfbruch 31
40627 Dusseldorf
phone +49 211 20 13 91

Chickpea & Apricot Chicken

Chickpeas are one of my favourite pulses. Great texture, and great taste, and a wonderful source of protein. Some people are sceptical about chickpeas because they think of them as somewhat oriental or fancy, but you can prepare them down-to-earth, too.


I went for a cross-continental mix this time: a curried chicken breast, accompanied by chickpeas, sauteed in chicken broth, pimped up with dried apricots and braised red onions. Not to forget the cumin, that really makes the difference in this dish!

You don´t have to cook the chickpeas yourself - it is really timeconsuming since you have to water them overnight before you can actually cook them. I just buy the pre-cooked kind in the supermarket, and I don´t feel guilty about it, so you shouldn´t either.

This dish tastes great because the chicken breast really gets a chance to smother in the chicken broth and absorbs the flavors. And it is no hassle at all, so go grab your shopping basket, and hunt down the chickpeas!

Recipe for Chickpea & Apricot Chicken


Ingredients for 2

2 chicken breasts
salt and pepper
Madras Curry
1 teaspoon cumin
1 red onion
handful of dried apricots (unsulfured)
500ml chicken stock
neutral oil


Preparation

1. Season chicken breast with salt and pepper. Rub with curry.
2. Heat oil in a pan. Sear chicken breast. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Dice onion and dried apricots.
   
4. Add another teaspoon of oil to the pan. Sear onions and apricots. Quinch with chicken broth.
5. Let cook for about 10 minutes.
6. Add chicken breasts and chickpeas to the pan, reduce heat to medium, cover and let simmer for another 15 minutes. Uncover for the last 5 minutes.
7. Serve either plain, or with rice or naan bread.

Guten Appetit! Enjoy your meal! Bon Appétit!

Discovery of the Day - Calpico

I made another wonderful discovery today: Calpico. No, I had never heard of it before either. I stumbled over the name on the menu of a wonderful sushi restaurant in Dusseldorf, the ROPPONGI. Unfortunately, they don´t have their own website, so no link here. The place is tiny and cozy, and everything is made just after you´ve ordered it. I believe it is one of the best places to eat sushi in Dusseldorf. Domo arigato.

So I skimmed the menu for drinks, and I read "Calpico. Japanese milk drink.". Curiosity struck. Sounded weird and interesting enough to give it a shot and quiz the waiter.


Calpico is a Japanese uncarbonated soft drink. Light, somewhat milky and slightly acidic in flavor, similar to plain or vanilla-flavored yogurt or Yakult. Its ingredients include water, nonfat dry milk and lactic acid, and is produced by lactic acid fermentation.

The name Calpis was actually constructed as a portmanteau, by combining cal from calcium and pis from Sanskrit sarpis (supreme taste). Sarpis is used to described the essense of Buddhist teaching. Deeper insights. Gosh.

Sounds aren´t everything, though. From the description, I was a bit sceptical about the taste. Fermentation doesn´t necessarily taste good, right? But I was proven wrong. It´s refreshing, milky, in texture like a soda, but much better in taste. Lemony, but not overly sweet. Guess I´ll have to hunt that one down in the asian stores now, because it is definitely a keeper!

And if you want to have sushi in one of the neatest places ever, go to ROPPONGI. Place is tiny, only about 5 tables inside, so if you want to be on the safe side, make a reservation.


Roppongi
Berger Str. 11
40213 Dusseldorf
phone +49 211 8681510

Strawberry Ice Cream

Last, but not least, I proudly present: the last part of our Saturday Night Menu:

Dessert: Strawberry Ice Cream

Bad picture, I know. Sorry about that, but you have to set your priorities, right? ;)
This is the fastest way ever to make ice cream - no ice cream machine necessary. So it´s perfect if you want your ice cream NOW, and not about an hour later. All you need is a powerful blender, frozen fruit and some kind of dairy. Variation possibilities are about endless.

I still had some strawberries in the freezer from one of the last occasions. I took a big handful, and stuffed them into the blender, turned on high, and kept pressing the lid down. Which you should do - frozen fruit in a food processor tends to have its own mind directionwise. When the frozen fruit is crushed, add milk (or buttermilk, or cream, however you like) and confectioner´s sugar (if necessary), and mix everything until you get the consistency you like. Eat straight from the blender, or serve immediately.

Good combos:
frozen banana + buttermilk (and cinnamon)
frozen raspberries + yoghurt
frozen banana + cocoa + coconut

You get the idea, right? Now go and try it yourself - you might get a taste out of this one!

Scaloppina di Vitello ai Salvia

As promised, here comes Part II of our Saturday Night Menu:

Main: Scaloppina di Vitello ai Salvia

Which means: Veal Cutlet with Sage. Accompanied by a White Bean Sugo. I had bought a nice veal cutlet at the local butcher, and my dear colleague, Saint G., had told me several times about the bean sugo he had done, so I had to try those two together. Saint G. serves his as a side for fish - but I thought the veal matched just as well.

The veal cutlet needs a bit of tender care, otherwise it will turn into a shoe sole sooner than later. So be careful when searing it! I flavoured the butter with fresh sage, cut into stripes, which gave the meat a really fresh and hearty flavour.

For the bean sugo, I used half canelli and half giant white beans - adorable. Some dried tomatoes to round off the flavour, and a bit of meat stock for a heartier taste. Saint G. uses rosemary for flavouring, but I didn´t want to distract from the sage, so I skipped that. Unless, as soon as I re-do this with fish, I´ll definitely go for the rosemary.

This is the perfect proof for the thesis that mains, especially in a three-course menu, don´t necessarily need your traditional filling side dish (noodles, potatoes, rice or the like). We were completely satisified with "just" the bean sugo. Actually, I might eat the beans alone, next time I want something quick and heartwarming.

Recipe for Scaloppina di Vitello ai Salvia


Ingredients

2 veal cutlets
salt and pepper
knob of butter
handful of fresh sage
1 can of canelli beans (small white ones)
1 can of giant white beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
5 dried tomatoes
dash of meat stock
salt and pepper


Preparation

1. Drain both kind of beans, rinse shortly to remove extra starch and excess water.
2. Cut dried tomatoes into small pieces.
3. Heat a pan with olive oil. Add beans. Sear for a second. Add tomatoes and meat stock. Reduce heat to medium-low, and let simmer.
4. Heat another pan. Add butter. Cut sage into stripes. Add to the butter.
5. Season veal cutlet with salt and pepper. Sear in sage butter, each side appr. 2 minutes.
6. Season bean sugo with salt and pepper.
7. To serve, pile up bean sugo in the middle of the plate, and place veal cutlet on top.

Guten Appetit! Enjoy your meal! Bon Appétit!