Happy New Year!

Back on track. We´ve just returned home from a wonderful vacation to Thailand. First time ever that we both immeditaley stated that we want to return, no matter what. Amazing food, wonderful people, great stay. I´ll give you all the details in the coming days, but for right now, I have a truckload of wash to do, and some serious nap time to catch up on.

But I wanted to take to chance to thank you all for your support in 2009, and I sincerely hope we will all meet again in 2010. Happy New Year to you, your families and friends. Have a healthy and successful start into 2010, and come back soon to read all the exciting details about food in Thailand, Jeep safaris with broken gas levers and fireworks off the beach.

Yours sincerely

Jasmin
(Cookinette)

Vacation

Dear readers, long awaited, our yearly vacation finally is drawing close. Tomorrow morning, we´re heading to Frankfurt airport, where our plane to Bangkok will be leaving at 2.10 p.m.
Excitement is growing, and I have the longest list ever of places-to-go and foods-to-eat. Fun!


We will be staying in pulsing Bangkok for three nights, and then head on to Koh Samui - the Baan Haad Ngam Resort, to be precise. So exiting! Can´t wait to turn my cell off, and spend wonderful two weeks on vacation. First time in Asia. Promise I´ll take as many photos as I can to share with you once we´ve returned.

So long, Merry Christmas to you, your family and your friends. May your days be merry and bright, peace- and delightful!

Yours

Jasmin
(Cookinette)

Soft Sugar Cookies

Since we´re leaving for vacation on Monday morning this year, this will be my one and only contribution to the christmas baking frenzy this year. It is not the first christmas we´ll be spending abroad, but the first one we will be spending under palm trees, in Thailand, to be exact. Exiting!!!

Anyhows, let´s get back to business. Last year´s vacation was to Logan, Utah, U.S.A., and since my second mum, Mrs. B., knows how much I am into cooking stuff, she took me to one of the nicest kitchen stores I´ve ever seen. And of course, I couldn´t leave withouth buying THIS:


A cookie mold. Americans will shake their heads in disbelieve, but this is a never-before-seen for a European like me. I have NEVER ever seen such a cookie mold before. No question I had to buy it. But, it took me a whole year (!) to try it out. Shame on me, I know, but it´s never too late, right? So off I went, and the result was truly rewarding:


I was a little disappointed that the designs didn´t stick out as much as I had imagined - but hey, modern women are inventive and flexible. So I grabbed the food colouring, and got a little artsy myself.


I like the teddy bear best. But actually, the lone fact that I can make perfectly shaped cookies with this mold without any work other than pressing the dough into the molds makes me happy.
I bet I will have to lend the mold to all the mums in my circle of friends as soon as I tell them about this ;)


Adorably cute, eh? I love them. And the dough is easy as 1-2-3: butter, flour, sugar, 1 egg. Everything else is optional. Does it get any easier than that? I don´t think so.
And because of that, I want to share this recipe with all the folks from the "Eat Christmas Cookies" Event over @ FoodBlogga: how to participate and the RoundUp.

Recipe for Soft Sugar Cookies


Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 3/4 cup flour, sifted
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla essence


Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 200° C. No convection!
2. Grease mold lights, ideally with cooking spray.
3. Whip butter and sugar until well blended.
4. Add flour, salt and vanilla essence, and knead until smooth.
5. Press dough into molds, about 2/3 full.
6. Bake for 9-10 minutes until golden.
7. Remove from the oven, let cool in the mold for 5 minutes.
8. Turn over and let cool cookies completely on a rack.
9. Decorate (if desired).

Guten Appetit! Enjoy your meal! Bon Appétit!

Nikolaus Present

Nikolaus, the 6th of Decembre, is a very special day in Germany. Kids are putting their shoes outside the door of the house the night before, and if they´ve been good, Sankt Nikolaus comes around and fills their shoes with goodies and sweets.

Guess I must have been good this year, too. Because this is what I found on the living room table:



And I have to say: even though I am a bit old to be counted as a child by now, I certainly felt as much joy as any of the kiddies with the sweets in their shoes ; )

Thanks, A., for making my 6th of Decembre extra-special this year!

Vanilla Roe Deer with Knoedl and Blueberry Sauce

This time of the year calls for some special, heart-warming food. And traditionally, it is also the time for game dishes. This one is one of my all-time favourites, and is always good for a random round of applause, especially if you have dear guests at your table.


Yes, I know, I was sloppy with the sauce. Promise I´ll be better next time. But that surely didn´t hurt the taste. The roe deer is seared in vanilla butter, which adds a nice, warm flavour to the meet. The knoedl are ideal to soak up the wonderful sauce, made of game stock, red wine and blueberries. I´ve tried two different ways of serving this time. Let me know which one you like better!

Recipe for Vanilla Roe Deer with Knoedl and Blueberry Sauce


Ingredients for 2
1 strip of roe deer (roast saddle)
knob of butter
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
fleur de sel
6 slices of white bread
1 egg
milk as needed
1 onion, diced
parsley, chopped
salt and pepper
200ml game stock
200ml red wine
2 tablespoons sugar
100g fresh blueberries


Preparation

1. Prepare roe deer. Do NOT season.
2. Preheat oven to 120°C (convection).
   
3. Heat butter in a pan. Sear deer from all sides.
   
4. Pour over vanilla essence. Remove meet from pan, wrap in aluminium foil, and place in the oven on a grill rack. Cook for 20 minutes.
5. Cut bread into cubes.
   
6. In another pan, heat more butter. Sear onion until golden. Add parsley. Remove from heat.
   
7. Whisk egg with a sip of milk.
8. Add onion and milk to the bread cubes. Knead thoroughly. If needed, add more milk or breadcrumbs until you get a nice dough. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
9. Place dough on Saran wrap. Mould into a roll. Wrap ends tightly.
10. Cover in two layers of aluminium foil.
11. Bring water to a boil and lower heat to low.
12. Add knoedl roll and let simmer for 20 minutes.
13. Quench the deer pan with game stock and red wine. Reduce to 1/3.
14. Add sugar, and five minutes before serving, add blueberries.
15. To serve, remove knoedl from pot and unwrap. Cut into slices, and arrange as base.
16. Remove meet from the oven, cut diagonally into two pieces, and set atop.
17. Drizzle with blueberry sauce.

Guten Appetit! Enjoy your meal! Bon Appétit!

Breakfast @ Mangold, Dusseldorf

This is unfortunately another one of the disappointment stories. But let´s start at the beginning.
Weeks ago, we wanted to have breakfast at Mangold. But when we arrived at, like, 10 a.m., the place was packed and people were already waiting outside to get a table. That was too much for my non-existent patience on a sunday morning, so we fled the line and went to Beethovens (read here).



But, of course, this incident had kindled my curiosity. And if a place is that packed, I assume it has to be because it is really good, right?
So when I had the chance to have a half day off work on a Monday, we decided to set sail and try it again. Success. Only three tables were occupied, and we settled in a cozy corner. The place is beautifully set, dark brown fake ostrich leather, dark wooden tables. But, having a closer look, the leather was already torn in some spots, and not very handily patched. I reminded myself to not judge on prejudice, and took a closer look at the menu. A wide selection of breakfast options, and they sounded good. We chose the bigger Vital breakfast and a small breakfast with cheese to share. And this is where the disappointment set in.

When the waitress brought our breakfasts, I didn´t want to trust my eyes: what I had expected to be a BIG breakfast (for more than 10€) turned out to be very countable: no dip for the veggie sticks (how are you supposed to eat them?), no cream cheese, really nothing much at all. And A.´s breakfast wasn´t any better. Too bad. This is definitely no place to return - at least not for breakfast. Sorry, folks.



Check:
1 Cafe Latte 2,60€
1 coffee 1,80€
1 breakfast Vital 10,90€
1 small breafast 5,90€

Total: 21,20€



Mangold
Glockenstrasse 20
40476 Dusseldorf

Gourmandises: Elephant Chai

Last in the row. Read here for Orca Chai and this one here for Pink Flamingo Chai.

This is the classic Chai: sugared, spicy, pure goodness. OK, it has twice as many calories as its sugarfree brothers and sisters, but hey - sometimes, that simply doesn´t count. At least for me.
The Elephant Vanilla Chai is wonderfully balanced, and prepared with 1,5% milk, is just pure goodness to me. And at 165 calories per serving (compared to Orca´s and Flamingo´s 65) I don´t feel too guilty.


Just think of all the sad women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart ; )

Gourmandises: Pink Flamingo Chai

Continuing yesterdays posting (read here if you haven´t done so already).

Yesterday´s Orca Chai was sugarfree. Today´s specialty, the Pink Flamingo Vanilla Decaf Chai, is also sugarfree, but on top of that - like the name implies - vanilla-flavoured and decaf.


Life is just getting better and better - and worse and worse. The more different kinds I try, the less I know which bulk to buy next time. Guess I´ll just have to go for one each. Too bad.

Read tomorrow: recap of Elephant Vanilla Chai.

Gourmandises: Orca Chai

I´ve found a place pretty close to Gourmet Heaven: an all-new supermarket 15 minutes away by car. Edeka Zurheide, for those who live in Dusseldorf or the vicinity. Seriously, I could spend days in there. And supermarket doesn´t describe even 20% of the spectrum they offer. From whole foods to international specialties to coloured sugar. Separate fresh counters for cheese, meat, poultry. A sushi bar. A wine bar. A coffee bar. A bakery. You get the idea, right?

But what really got me was a pillar close to the exit: all stuffed with David Rio Chai Tea. This has to be heaven. Thank God. They don´t ship overseas for individuals, you know...
The only thing I am really regretting is that I didn´t buy the big box, but individual packages because I wanted to try the different flavours. Shame on me. I should have bought the boxes. This one is the Orca Chai. The difference to the Elephant Vanilla Chai I´ve written about before is that it is actually sugarfree. The taste is wonderful, spicy and balanced.


You can prepare it with hot water, or with hot milk. I prefer a mixture of half water and half milk, with a top of milk foam. Unbeatable for cold and rainy afternoons!