A Delicious Adventure

Welcome to The Apron Caper. This blog features recipes, reviews, and tales of escapades from my kitchen.
What makes this blog different from other food blogs is that I'm going to share the good, the bad, and the ugly. In addition to posting successful recipes and writing about delicious meals, I'll let you know when things go wrong and experiments fail. Take for example yesterday's post about my summer roll disaster or Friday's account of authentic Munster cheese.

I hope you find this blog interesting and entertaining. Please send me you comments, suggestions, and recommendations.

Guten Appetit!

Summer Rolls, Take One

This weekend I had a hankering for Thai food. I wasn't in the mood to go out and am still not sure how take-out works in Germany. Even if I did have a to-go menu, my German is terrible on the phone.

There is a pretty good Asian food store in Bad Godesburg. I've been a regular since discovering rooster hot sauce last fall. So, I stopped in and stocked up. At first I intended to make Masaman curry with chicken and rice. Then, when I saw spring roll wrappers in the frozen food case, I changed my mind.

Really, what's a feast with appetizers?

At home I prepped all the fillings — glass noodles, carrots, red onion, tofu, and basil — whipped up some peanut sauce, and started rolling away. I then made another spur of the moment decision. Not wanting to fry them, I decided to make summer rolls instead.

I’d never made a summer roll before. But, having eaten enough in my lifetime, I figured I could winged it. I decided to steam them.

This was not the right answer. The flavors were good, but the wrappers were sticky and chewy. After the fact I looked online and discovered the wrappers are actually supposed to be softened in warm water and then rolled with precooked ingredients. No additional cooking is required.

Be ready for summer rolls, the sequel. I’ve got to try this one again.

Mustering Munster

On my trip to the Rue du Vin in Alsace, France I took a side trip to Munster. The town was awesome — a foodies dream with tons of little stores selling local specialties. And, of course I bought some of its namesake cheese.

In the shop they vacuumed sealed the Munster cheese. That was a very good thing. I don’t think we would have been able to travel home with it in the car otherwise. When I opened the package the smell nearly knocked me over. This was nothing, NOTHING, like the stuff they sell in delis in the states.

Now, I like a strong cheese, but this one was overwhelming. I had made a salad for dinner and planned to have some cheese with a fresh baguette. Kevin, face winced, pretended to enjoy it, but I couldn't even fake it. I had to remove the cheese from the table before continuing with my meal.

My strong aversion surprised me. While in Alsace I had a Munster cheese tart flambé, which is basically a thin-crusted French pizza with cheese, onion, and bacon. The cheese was strong, but the dish was delicious.

The next night I decided to cook with it instead. I made potatoes au gratin with the stinky Munster, plus some Gouda and Parmesan. This was much better. While cooking with potatoes, the Munster lost its sharpness without losing its pronounced flavor.

Herbed Dip With Quark or Yogurt Cheese

Tina and Albert, my German friends who introduced me to Quark, gave me this simple recipe, which is kind of like Germany's answer to spinach dip.

1 cup Quark or Yorgurt cheese
1 package frozen herb mix
Salt and pepper

Mix defrozed herbs into quart or yogurt cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Tortellini With Spring Peas and Herbs

I love peas with tortellini — they just seem to nestle in the nooks perfectly. Also, since quark is my new obsession I want to use it in everything.

1 cup peas
½ pound cheese tortellini
1 medium sized red onion, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup herbed quark or yogurt cheese

Salt and pepper

In a pot of salted, boiling water, blanch peas in a colander of steamer until they turn bright green. Remove peas and run under cold water to stop them from cooking.

In the same pot of water, cook tortellini according to package instructions. When finished, drain and return to the pot. Add peas, olive oil, and quark and gently toss to the pastas. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve.

(Serves 4 as a side dish.)

Yogurt Cheese

Yogurt cheese is nothing more then yogurt that has been thickened by allowing the water to drain out. The consistency is similar to sour cream or crème fresh, and it can be used instead of quark in any of the recipes posted here.

1 quart plain yogurt

Put yogurt in multiple layers of cheesecloth, and tie the top closed. Place the package in a colander set in a bowl. Leave in the refrigerator over night.

Discard liquid from the bowl. Yogurt cheese can be used in any of the following recipes:
• Herbed dip with quark or yogurt cheese
• Tortellini with spring peas
• Composed smoked salmon salad

The Quark Question

While perusing the dairy aisle here in Deutschland, I keep seeing a product called "quark." I've asked my German teachers what the stuff is, but I've never fully understood the answer. "It's like yogurt," one said. "You pour it over fruit," another told me. Uninspired, Quark has remained a low priority on my "to try" list for over six months.

This weekend that all changed. While at a friend’s house for dinner, they set out a bowl of dip. When I complemented them it, I was told that it was not dip, but quark.

After deciding that I like the stuff, I did a little searching around to find out exactly what it is. Quark is a fresh white cheese made from cow’s milk. It has the consistence of sour cream and tastes something like a cross between crème fresh and buttermilk. Quark is relatively low and fat and has live, active cultures, providing similar health benefits as yogurt. Quark is used as a dip or condiment, in desserts, and for baking.

You can find it everywhere in Europe, but is only available on a limited bases in the U.S. (I actually have never seen it in any American grocery stores.) Yogurt cheese is can be used in as a replacement for quark in most recipies.

Cornbread: Left-Overs? Left-Lovers

Last week, after finding cornmeal at the BioMarkt in Bonn, I happily came home and whipped up a batch of skillet cornbread. I selected a simple recipe and left out the flourishes. No chipotle, no creamed corn, no roasted red peppers, no cheese. I wanted a classic version that was not too sweet and not too dry.

That night we ate the cornbread with barbequed tempeh and coleslaw. After dinner I placed the leftovers in the freezer, hoping to postpone it from drying out as much as possible. Still, I knew that leftover cornbread is not that exciting on its own.

What makes it exciting? Transforming the leftovers it into savory cornbread pudding. Based on recipes for cornbread dressing, this dish uses milk instead of stock and has more eggs, which created a custard. To the custard I added the cornbread and sautéed veggies, and then baked it until golden. The crisp top gave way to a wonderfully creamy and flavorful interior.

Buttermilk Corn Bread

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 tbs honey
1/4 cup melted butter
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly oil a cast iron skillet and line bottom with parchment paper.

In a medium-size bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, mix buttermilk, honey, butter and eggs. Pour the dry ingredient into the wet ingredients and combine.

Pour batter into skillet and bake for 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Test cornbread by sticking a toothpick in the center. If it comes out clean, it's done.

Eat Cake

Last week I was overcome with the desire to make a cake. Or maybe I was overcome with the desire to eat cake. I'm not exactly sure which came first, but before I knew it I had pulled a recipe and was on my bike to pick up the missing ingredient.

A few days before I used the last vanilla that came with me from the states. The Germans like their cakes, so I assumed this would be an easy-to-find item. In the grocery store I searched high and low. Finally, I found what I was looking for. To my surprise vanilla is sold in a single serving envelope here instead of in a bottle.

Back at home, ready to bake, the rational part of my brain caught hold of me for just a moment. Were Kevin and I really going to eat an entire cake?

Since starting this blog I've become a more dedicated reader of other food blogs. Many – such aaplemint — feature amazing looking desserts day after day. Click on the author's bio and you'll dicover the writer to be lovely and thin. The question is: do these women actually eat what they make?

My solution was to cut the recipe in half. Two mini cakes seemed far less decedent. I was making a Mexican chocolate cake from epicurious.com. Instead of using a bundt pan or cupcake tins as suggested in the head notes I used four three-inch spring form pans. I needed icing and not a glaze as suggested, so the cakes were coated with ganache made from dark chocolate and coconut milk.

Chocolate Ganache

This recipe can be used again and again. Mostly I pour ganache over cake or to dip fruit, but I think it would be delicious on just about anything. To make a vegan version use almond or coconut milk and oil.

5 ounces dark chocolate
1 cup cream, coconut milk, or almond milk
1 teaspoon coconut oil, butter, or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt

Chop the chocolate into small pieces. Melt in a double boiler. Slowly whisk in milk or cream, oil or butter, vanilla, and salt.

Turkey Chili

1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground turkey
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, ribs and seeds removed, munched
1 tablespoon chili pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 8-ounch can kidney beans
2 10-ounch cans whole tomatoes

Preheat a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Add olive oil and sauté onion and garlic until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add turkey, breaking up pieces into quarter-sized chunks, and allow to brown. Add bell pepper and jalapeño and cook for another few minutes. Stir in spices and tomato paste and cook for another minute.

Meanwhile, drain beans and break the whole tomatoes into small pieces.* Add bean then tomatoes with their liquid into the pot. There should be enough liquid in the pot to cover all of the ingredients by an inch or so. If there is not enough liquid, add some water.

Bring the contents of the pot to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered on very low heat for at least one hour. If you have more time the chili benefits from additional cooking. Half cover the pot to slow evaporation.

Roasted Eggplant, Zucchini, Red Pepper, and Onion

1 eggplant, sliced into rounds, salted, and dried (see Uberall for salting procedure)
2 zucchinis, sliced on the bias
1 red pepper, sliced into 1-inch strips
1 red onion, quartered
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup grated mozzarella
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Toss eggplant with 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil and pepper. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toss other vegetables with the remaining olive oil, salt, and pepper. Please in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Roast for 20 minutes, flip vegetables, and roast for an additional 15 minutes, until golden brown. Arrange veggies on a place, sprinkle with cheese and basil.

Eggplant: The Great Salting Debate

Many eggplant recipes recommend that the vegetable — well, it's actually a fruit — is salted before cooking. The process involves slicing or cubing the eggplant, placing it into a colander, and leaving it for 30 minutes or so*. Before cooking, rinse off the excess salt and pat the pieces dry. The eggplant will be thoroughly seasoned, and you don’t need to add anymore salt.

Okay, I may have over stated the title of this post. It may not be a "great debate," but there certainly are varied schools of thought about the value of salting eggplant before cooking it. Salt draws out the excess moisture. The major claims by both sides are:

• The pro-salters say, salting removes bitterness from the eggplant and changes the texture, making it more dense and chewy
• The non-salters say, eggplant is just fine the way it is
  

Where do I stand? Eggplant is not too bitter when it is not salted, but I prefer the texture when it is. Also, I think salted eggplant is easier to cook. Non-salted eggplant tends to burn on the outside before the interior is cooked enough.

Last night I roasted eggplant slices along with some zucchini, red pepper, and onions. We ate it with fresh whole-wheat sourdough and an arugala salad with lemon and shaved Parmesan. It was delicious and a reminder that meat-free meals can be perfectly satisfying.

* I’ve been known to leave my eggplant “salting” for up to 24 hours. I haven’t ever read a recipe the recommends salting for this long, but it was absolutely fine.