My German Kitchen ... in the Rockies

Prune and Port Bread

Kirsten — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:14:17 +0000

I love quick breads! They are an absolutely wonderful invention. Fast to assemble and ready to serve in no time. They keep, transport and freeze well.

This dried prune and port bread is a perfect example and unbelievably scrumptious. The addition of yogurt keeps it moist and the taste of the dried plums gets enhanced with port. I discovered it at least 10 years ago and have been baking it ever since. An absolute keeper recipe that I hope you will also add to your favorite list of quick breads to bake for your family.

Smear this prune and port bread with a little bit of butter and serve with a nice cup of tea.

Enjoy!

Plum and Port Bread

5.0 from 1 reviews

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 1 hour 15 mins

Total time: 1 hour 30 mins

Serves: 12

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped pitted prunes (dried plums), preservative free
1 3/4 cups port or other sweet red wine
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat or all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt (I used organic sour cream)
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar or granulated sugar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan.
In a small bowl over medium heat bring prunes and port to a boil. Take off the heat, cover and let sit for 30 minutes. Drain prunes in a colander over a bowl and reserve the port liquid.
Combine all the dry ingredients (flour through cinnamon) in a bowl and mix together with a whisk.
Combine all the wet ingredients (oil through eggs) and the prune liquid in another bowl and mix well with a whisk.
Pour wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a spatula just until combined. Don’t over mix.
Add prunes to the dough and mix well.
Pour dough into the prepared baking pan, sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes (mine only took 45 minutes, since I bake everything on convection) or until a wooden pick, inserted into the center of the bread, comes out clean.
Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, remove and let cool on wire rack before serving.

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Adapted from cooking light.

Happy Valentine’s Day & David Lebovitz’s Chocolate-Port Truffles

Kirsten — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:05:46 +0000

I am a big fan and follower of David Lebovitz’s blog, David Lebovitz. David is an American living in Paris. He is a pastry chef, writer, culinary tour guide and food blogger. Well, I am sure you already know him. I really enjoy reading his blog. He just makes me laugh.

While thumbing through my copy of David’s book “Ready for Dessert” I decided to recreate his chocolate-port truffles for my family and you for Valentine’s day. They are not your usual truffles, since David’s recipe enhances them with Port and coats the truffles with a thin outer chocolate layer that crunches when you take a bite. They get their finishing touch with a dusting of unsweetened cocoa powder, just perfect!

David recommends not to skimp on the chocolate and to seek out the best you can find.

Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you!

Sending my love,
Kirsten

David Lebovitz’s Chocolate-Port Truffles

5.0 from 1 reviews

Prep time: 4 hours

Total time: 4 hours

Serves: 1-10

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (125 ml) heavy cream
8 ounces (225 g) + 5 ounces (140 g) good bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons (45 g) butter, unsalted, at room temp., cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons (45 ml) tawny port, Grand Manier, whiskey or dark rum
3/4 cup (75 g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa, sifted

Directions:

Bring cream to a boil over medium heat in a smaller pot. Take from the heat and add 8 ounces (225 g) chopped chocolate. Let sit for about 1 minute. Stir chocolate cream with a smooth spatula until all the chocolate is melted. Add the port and butter. Stir until all ingredients are well combined.
Pour mixture in a higher measuring vessel and blend with a stick blender until the ganache is shiny and smooth, about 1 minute. Avoid mixing in air! David mentions that you could also use a whisk or stand mixer, but again, don’t mix in any air!
Transfer ganache into a shallow container, cool, cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Remove ganache from the fridge and form little balls with a melon baller or two teaspoons. I weighed mine to make them more even (each 10 g). Roll the ganache balls with your hands, not quite round, it adds some character. Place the ganache balls on a plate and refrigerate until firm, at least 1/2 hour.
Place sifted cocoa into a shallow bowl with a rim. Melt 5 ounces of chocolate over a water bath. Remove ganache balls from the fridge.
Now the fun starts! Pick up some melted chocolate with one hand, David recommends your dominant one (makes sense, right), place a ganache ball with your clean hand into the “chocolate hand” . Coat the truffle with chocolate and drop it into the sifted cocoa. Repeat the process with all the truffle balls. When done, jiggle the cocoa dish so that the truffle balls get completely covered with cocoa.
Place truffles into a mesh strainer and move it gently to get rid of all the excess cocoa.
David recommends to store the truffles in the fridge, but to remove them at least 1 hour before consumption. I personally like them cold, straight out of the fridge.

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Donauwelle – My Guest Post at “Cooking with Michele”

Kirsten — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:18:37 +0000

Today I am guest posting a German cake, Donauwelle, at “Cooking with Michele”.

Michele is one of my local Denver food blogger friends that I highly admire because of her versatile talents. She takes clients to Italy on cooking trips, keeps a successful catering business and just finished her very first cookbook. She teaches cooking classes out of her home, supports a no kid go hungry program called Cooking Matters, and is a successful local food writer.

Michele knows my love for baking and when she asked me to guest post she wondered if I could share a German cake recipe with her and her readers.

Please head over to Michele’s to read my full post, see more pictures and get the recipe for Donauwelle, a traditional German cake that can be found at any get-together in Germany where cakes are served. Enjoy!

Salmon with Balsamic Glaze

Kirsten — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:15:52 +0000

Healthy, delicious and irresistible, that’s what I thought when I purchased these fantastic looking salmon steaks. They were calling me from the display counter at my local health food store. I just couldn’t pass them up. Yes, they were approved by my sea food guide, no worries there. Served with a savory and sweet balsamic glaze it was a dish combined in heaven.

This is a keeper recipe you should absolutely prepare for your family and friends. Don’t miss out!

Salmon with Balsamic Glaze

4.7 from 3 reviews

Recipe type: Main

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 35 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

4 salmon steaks, at room temp.
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
3/4 cup (180 ml) good balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped

Directions:

Heat a griddle to 375 F. Baste with oil.
In a smaller pan, heat vinegar, syrup, mustard and garlic. Bring to a boil and simmer on low for about 12 minutes. Set aside for a few minutes.
Sprinkle salmon steaks with olive oil and season with pepper and salt.
Cook salmon on heated griddle for about 4-5 minutes on each side. Let rest for 6 – 10 minutes.
Plate salmon and drizzle with glaze.

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Adapted form foodnetwork.com.

Shepherd’s Pie

Kirsten — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:23:13 +0000

Shepherd’s Pie is not a German dish at all, but I remember vividly eating it for the very first time. It was on my birthday a few years ago at one of my favorite restaurants here in Boulder, Colorado, “The Kitchen“. “The Kitchen” supports my high standards on food which are locally grown, directly from the farm and organic. I wish “The Kitchen” would be located a little closer to my home, so I could visit more often.

Here is my re-creation of their Shepherd’s Pie. I prepared it with a garlicky mashed potato topping and a base out of ground lamb, bacon, rosemary, onions, carrots and garlic.

Prepare this Shepherd’s Pie on a cold winter’s night as it is a very comforting dish that your family and friends will be raving about, I promise!

Oh, and if you replace the ground lamb with ground beef you will have prepared a delectable cottage pie.

Enjoy!

Shepherd’s Pie

Recipe type: Entree, Main

Prep time: 40 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 1 hour 10 mins

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds (1 kg + 130 g) Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into bigger pieces
8 garlic gloves, peeled
1 cup (240 ml) whole milk, heated
6 tablespoons (85 g) butter, unsalted
salt, to taste
2 pounds (1 kg) organic ground lamb (or beef)
6 slices bacon, chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 carrots, coarsely chopped
7 ounces (200 g) frozen peas
2 Tablespoons (30 ml) tomato paste
2 Tablespoons flour
2 Tablespoons (30 ml) Worcestershire sauce
2 cups beef broth (I used organic chicken base)
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
1/2 cup sharp Cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:

Preheat you oven to 425 F (220 C). Butter a 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Set aside.
Place potatoes and garlic in a bigger pot. Cover with water.
Bring to a boil, add some salt and cook until the potatoes are cooked, about 30 minutes.
Drain the water and add the butter. Let it melt.
Mash potatoes with the milk. Season with salt to your liking.
Heat a larger pan over medium heat and cook the bacon until browned and crisp. Transfer the bacon, without the drippings to a plate. Set aside. Leave about 2 Tablespoons of bacon drippings in the pan. Remove the rest.
Add onions to the pan and cook for a few minutes. Add the carrots and cook both veggies for about 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from pan and set aside.
Add ground lamb to the pan and cook on medium high heat until done, stirring occasionally.
Return the onions and carrots to the pan and sprinkle with the flour. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
Stir in the peas, Worcestershire sauce, beef broth and tomato paste. Scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Simmer on low heat until thickened, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
Spoon lamb mixture in prepared baking dish. Spread mashed potatoes on top, evenly. Bake for about 20-30 minutes or until edges are bubbly and topping is lightly browned.
Sprinkle with cheese and bake for another 10 minutes.
Let rest for a few minutes before serving.

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Limoncello Cake (gluten-free)

Kirsten — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 22:02:43 +0000

Limoncello, an Italian lemon liqueur, can not only be served as a digestivo. It can also enhance the flavor of desserts.

This is very well proven in this flour-less Limoncello cake I baked for my family last weekend. Almonds and Limoncello keep it moist and the addition of the Polenta (corn grits) gives the cake a little crunch. What a heavenly combination!

Mr. Rockies was all over this Limoncello cake and enjoyed several pieces. He told me right away that I could make it any time. That says a lot, since he usual tries to avoid sweets at all times. I know that he especially liked that it was not overly sweet and that it didn’t contain any flour.

I was very happy that this Limoncello cake made it on my husband’s “favorite dessert list”. A new keeper recipe in my house. Give it a try!

Limoncello Cake

Recipe type: Dessert

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 45 mins

Serves: 12

Ingredients:

3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons (200 g) butter, unsalted, at room temperature
3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons (180 g) sugar
1 organic lemon, use grated zest
3 large organic eggs
1 teaspoon good vanilla extract
3/4 cup + 1/2 Tablespoon Polenta, fine
7.05 ounces (200 g) almonds, roasted and ground
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons (30 ml) Limoncello

Directions:

Preheat your oven to Convection 350 F (180 C). Grease a 10 inch spring form pan.
In a bowl mix Polenta, ground almonds, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
In a stand-mixer cream butter and sugar for about four minutes on medium high speed.
Add one egg at a time and mix well.
With the mixer on slow add the vanilla extract and lemon zest. Don’t forget to scrape your bowl.
Add the Polenta mixture alternating with the Limoncello to the stand-mixer bowl. Keep it on low speed. Begin and end the mixing with the dry ingredients.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
Let cool and sprinkle with some confectioners sugar before serving. Enjoy!

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Heavenly Pikes Peak Roast

Kirsten — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:10:44 +0000

The end of last fall I purchased 1/2 a side of beef from a local farmer in Colorado Springs. The cattle he sells are humanly raised and grass fed. The only kind of beef I would ever consider buying and consuming. I was able to pick all the cuts in advance and my family requested “lots of roasts”. They love a good roast with endless flowing gravy. Well, who doesn’t?One of the cuts for the roasts was called Pikes Peak roast. Well, it actually has nothing to do with the mountain Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs. Nevertheless, here is a picture of Pikes Peak . I took this picture just 2 minutes away from my house at the end of October last year. It was a stormy evening with some weather moving in. Isn’t it so dramatic? I love it.

You are may familiar with a Pikes Peak roast under a different name. It is also known as heel of round. A Pikes Peak roast is cut from low in the round, just above the hock. It contains many small muscles and lots of connective tissue. It is the least tender of the round roasts, but cooks up into a pot roast with excellent flavor which my recipe will totally confirm.

Pikes Peak Roast (Heel of Round)

Prep time: 20 min.
Cook time: 2 1/2 – 3 h
Total time: 3- 3 1/2 h
Yield: 6

Ingredients:

3 lbs 8 oz pikes peak roast (Heel of Round), from humanly raised organic grass fed beef
2 Tablespoons coconut oil
1 onion, large, chopped
3 carrots, big, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 cups red wine ( I used Merlot)
3 cups water, divided
salt to taste
freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 325 F.
Wash the roast and pat it dry. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat a bigger dutch oven on medium- high heat, add the coconut oil, and brown the roast from all sides really well.
Remove roast from the pot and add the onions and carrots and cook until well cooked and browned.
Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Pour the red wine into the pot. Stir well to loosen all the brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Add 2 cups of water.
Return the roast to the pot and place the pot with closed lid into the oven. Cook for about 3 hours or until the roast is very tender.
Remove pot from the oven and the roast from the pot. Add one cup of water and mix the sauce with a stick blender until well pureed. Season with salt and pepper.
Cut the roast against the grain into 3/4 inch slices. Return the slices to the pot and cover with the sauce.
Serve with some egg noodles and green salad.

Recipe by Kirsten@My German Kitchen…in the Rockies

Red Lentil Soup Egyptian Style

Kirsten — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:02:00 +0000

This Egyptian red lentil soup was featured in the latest Food & Wine magazine. As soon as I laid eyes on the recipe, dinner decision was made.

What a wonderful meal it turned out to be. I loved the addition of the cumin, coriander and ancho chile, it adds a totally different flavor combination to your traditional red lentil soup.

This Egyptian red lentil soup is also very quick and easy to assemble. It became an instant keeper to my recipe repertoire. Give it a try- I am convinced you will love it, too!

Red Lentil Soup Egyptian Style

Recipe type: Main

Author: Kirsten

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 45 mins

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons butter, unsalted
1 white medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, copped finely
2 celery ribs, chopped finely (I used leeks)
3 garlic gloves, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin, ground
1/2 teaspoon coriander, ground
1/2 teaspoon ancho chile powder
1 pound ( 453 g) tomatoes, seeded and diced (I used organic canned diced tomatoes)
2 cups ( 14 ounces or 396 g) red lentils
8 cups water
salt
yogurt
lemon wedges
warm pita ( I used organic flour tortillas)

Directions:

Melt the butter in a big soup pot on medium heat and add the vegetables (onion, carrots, celery, garlic). Cook until softened for about 5 minutes.
Add the spices ( cumin, coriander, ancho chile) to the veggie mixture and cook for another few minutes until fragrant.
Add the tomatoes and let them cook for two minutes.
Add the lentils and water, season salt and cook the soup over lower heat for about 30 minutes or until the lentils are very soft.
Puree your soup with a stick blender. Add some more salt to taste and serve with yogurt, lemon wedges and warm pita.

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Adapted from my copy of the Food & Wine magazine issue Feb. 2012.

Spiced Red Wine Cake with Dates and Ginger

Kirsten — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:34:00 +0000

Spiced Red Wine Cakeis a very traditional cake in Palatinate Germany, the wine region where I come from. This cake has always been a favorite of mine. We even served it at my wedding. I was in heaven after I found this recipe since my old red wine cake recipe lacked in taste after the necessary high altitude baking adjustments.Red wine cake doesn’t taste like wine and is safe to eat for kids, don’t worry. The alcohol evaporates during the baking time. Chocolate and gingerbread spices are the dominant flavor components. To keep it moist I added some crystallized ginger and dates which turned out to be an ingenious addition. It added an extra layer off flavor to this spiced red wine cake that I would not want to miss anymore.Serve this spiced red wine cake topped with some whipped cream and a good cup of coffee. I am sure it will also become one of your favorites.Enjoy!

Spiced Red Wine Cake

Prep time: 20 min.
Cook time: 45 min.
Total time: 1 h 5 min.
Yield: 12.

Ingredients:

1 1/8 cup (250 g) butter, unsalted
2 cups (250 g) confectionery sugar
4 eggs, large
2 cups 1 1/2 Tablespoons (250 g) flour
1 pinch salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup 1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 pinch red chili powder
3 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 3/4 cup red wine ( I used Merlot)
1/2 cup dates, chopped
1/4 cup crystallized ginger, chopped

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Grease 9 inch loaf pan.
In a separate bowl mix together all the dry ingredients on the ingredients list from flour to pepper. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar in a stand mixer for about 4 minutes on medium high speed. Add the eggs one at a time.
Add the flour mixture in three steps to the butter mixture, alternating with the red wine. Make sure to finish with the flour mixture. Don’t over mix!
Whisk in the dates and crystallized ginger.

Pour batter into the loaf pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the batter comes out clean.

Adapted from chefkoch.de.

Organic Adzuki Bean Miso Soup

Kirsten — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 13:43:00 +0000

Organic Adzuki Bean Miso Soup

My daughter has wanted to accompany me to the Asian supermarket since forever. Winter break gave her the chance and we came home with lots of unknown but very interesting new food finds.

One of the items we purchased was Adzuki beans which are very popular in Japanese cuisine. There they are known for their healing properties and are used to support kidney and bladder function. Adzuki beans are a good source of magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc copper, manganese, B vitamins and soluble fiber. As a high-potassium, low-sodium food they can help reduce blood pressure and act as a natural diuretic. More info here.

I used the organic Adzuki beans we purchased in this delectable vegetarian soup which has an organic white miso base as a broth substitution. I added onions and carrots, but you could substitute or add other vegetables that you prefer.

This organic Adzuki bean miso soup definitely found a top spot in my recipe collection right away. We had no left overs and I am looking forward to preparing it again soon, since I still have a lot of the beans left.

Give it a try today. It is National bean day!

Organic Adzuki Bean Miso Soup

Prep time: 15 min.

Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 15 min.
Yield: 4

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Adzuki beans
6 cups water, divided
3 big carrots,chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 Tablespoons organic white Shinshu miso paste (without MSG)

Directions:

Rinse the beans well and place them in a bigger soup pot. Add 5 cups of the water and cook the beans for about 2 hours on low heat. If you are at sea level you may need less cooking time, just check.
In a different pot heat the coconut oil on medium heat and add the carrots and onions. Cook until veggies are done, but still have a little bight to them.
Mix the miso with the left over cup of water. Stir the mixture into the cooked Adzuki beans. Add the veggies to the bean pot. Heat the mixture and season with salt and pepper to your liking.

Enjoy!

Recipe by Kirsten@My German Kitchen…in the Rockies