Chow Down to Eurovision 2015 - Germany

Our culinary journey through Eurovision 2015 has taken us to 36 countries (4 to go) and now brings us to Germany. 

After Vienna I did spend a couple of nights in Dusseldorf for research so I have some great ideas for future Chow Down to Eurovision food adventures......though I'm not sure if the poffertjes and chicken nuggets is a traditional German breakfast but it works for me!

This year Germany offers us a sophisticated take on jelly and ice cream with WINE! 

Rote Grutze would be a perfect eurovision party dessert as it needs to rest overnight in the fridge so you can make it add so as not to spend a second in the kitchen while Eurovision is on!

Rote Grutze
Ingredients

• 250ml cranberry juice
• 250ml red wine
• 750ml jar of cherries
• 230g sugar
• 250g mixed berries
• 250g strawberries quartered
• 50g cornflour (made into a paste with some water)
• 300ml Pouring cream

Method

• Add cranberry juice, wine, juice from the cherries and sugar to saucepan
• Bring to the boil and reduce for about 5 minutes
• Add cornflour and stir to thicken 
• Add all the fruit and stir through for a couple of minutes
• Pour into a bowl and leave in the fridge overnight
• To serve pour some cream into a bowl and top with a good helping of the rote grutze

While this doesn't look the best, ok a blood clot, the combination of the tart berries and the cleanness of the cream is bliss. 

Not every red carpet moment is a huge success, in my head I planed a "clever" tie into Ann Sophie's song Black Smoke.

The lyrics are "too hard to say three words" so my question was going to be "while its hard to say those three words...what 3 words do you want to hear at Saturday's final could it be Douze Points Germany?".....you can see in the video that is not what come out more like a raving jumble.

I did manage to employ that timeless technique when someone is not understanding you of just repeating the same thing just louder and faster!

My favourite part of the interview is when she turns away and says "I don't understand" which is fair enough she was probably thinking who is this raving bearded chap.....didn't he quite in the German national final?

Some people have said we look alike??

Photo of Andreas Kümmert source

Sadly no one did say Douze Points Germany and along with Austria they became the Zeros of our time.

Previous Germany Chow Down to Eurovision:

2014 German Farmer's Breakfast

2013 Beef Gulasch by Selin and friends

Forget soggy bread......Let them eat cake!

The thought of soggy bread makes me physically sick.

It may be the trauma of all day school holiday excursions that involved lunching on  tomato sandwiches fished out of my grandmother's handbag. (Not the cream of chicken soup grandmother, those days were more of a fine dining expedition.)

It's the slimly layer of gum like paste between the bread and the filling that is the real nauseator.

Whenever I would see an amazing looking summer pudding I would just think of the soggy bread but that Maria Antoinette was really onto something, forget the bread, let them eat cake.

With that minor ingredient change from the original recipe summer pudding is my go to dessert, especially if I have to take a dessert to a party.

The best thing is with the range of frozen berries available it is a summer, spring, winter and fall dessert, all you gotta do is call......into the shops and grab a box.

Summer Pudding
Ingredients

• 1 kg frozen mixed berries
• Juice of 3 small limes
• 1- 1 1/2 cups sugar (depending on how tart you like it)
• 2 sponge cakes
• Icing sugar to dust
• Dried rose petals to garnish (optional but they smell pretty)
• Thick cream to serve

Method

• Place berries and lime juice in a large saucepan and heat on medium
• When the berries have thawed add the sugar
• Heat for about 10-15 minutes till the berries have softened and the sugar has dissolved
• Take off the heat.
• Spray a cake tin with oil (spring form or removable base)
• Slice cakes into approx. 1cm thick slices
• It doesn't really matter if it is round or square cake it will all mould together.
• Trim most of the crust from the cake as this can stop the colour soaking into the cake
• Line the cake tin with cake
• Put the cake tin onto a plate and add the berries and juice
• Add a layer of cake on top of the berries to enclose
• Press gently to even out the berries and start the spread of juice
• Cover with plastic wrap and add a weight such as a plate and a can
• Refrigerate over night
• Flip upside down onto a serving plate and unmould the pudding
• Serve dusted with icing sugar, roses and cream
• The colour of this pudding is so beautiful it just makes me happy.

Note: I wouldn't use fresh berries unless you have them growing, frozen are a much better budget option and perfect for this. Also some lime zest can be added for extra zing.

 I bought the sponge this time.

 

 

 

 

 

 Ahhhh that colour, and the cream helps cut the tartness

Chow Down to Eurovision 2013 - France

Bonjour, bonsoir, bienvenue Madame et Monsieur, while French is an official language of Eurovision if I keep going on with this things could get messy.
France is famous for its cuisine and today's recipe comes from a Frenchman I worked with several years back, let's call him François shall we.

He was 6 foot, early 40's salt and pepper hair with more salt than pepper and always dressed with such style people would actually swoon.

I used to find it hilarious that when he spoke, not a word of a lie, there were times when people audibly gasped. One day while dodging lusty bypassers we were discussing offal as one does.

He told me of a childhood treat of pan fried liver with raspberry jam, I told him he was nuts but as adventurous as ever I had to try it.
While his voice did nothing for me I did love his liver, you know what I mean.

Catherine Ferry sang Un, Deux, Trois with such energy in 1976 that she came 2nd and made it to the Chow Down to Eurovision 2013. No matter how hard I try I just can't get the clap, I hope you have better luck.

Liver and Jam

Ingredients

• 1 small liver (lambs fry)
• Seasoned flour
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 2 tbsp. oil

Method

• Cut liver into thin slices
• Coat in the seasoned flour
• Pan fry in butter and oil on medium heat for about 1-2 minutes till cooked through
• Serve spread with raspberry jam, just trust me, oh and François.

Raspberry Jam
Ingredients

• 300g raspberries
• 150g sugar
• Juice of ½ a lemon

Method

• Simmer on low for about 30 mins, till the jam holds it shape on a chilled plate.
• Too simple!

 

 

Amandine Bourgeois will try her best for France on Saturday night with L'enfer Et Moi.

Bonne chance!

 

The one that I want

Despite my previous post about not liking the taste of alcohol, Oh Negroni, how I love you. 

 

This discovery was made over a very long lunch which required test driving the cocktail menu for quality control. Thankfully it was a reasonably responsible afternoon mostly due to the menu not being too long, and my pockets not being that deep.

Of all the cocktails the one that I remember most is the Negroni, not due to the quantity, I promise. The Tuscan martini also went down a treat but the Negroni has become my one true friend in these summer months.

The charm of the negroni is the bitter campari, it ticks my box for not being overly sweet. With all that ice it is practically a drink of water, right?

There is the basic recipe which you could follow, but you know I'm not going to stick to it.

 

 

 

My Negroni

Ingredients

• 30ml gin
• 30ml sweet red Vermouth
• 30ml Campari
• 30ml Rosso Antico
• juice of a lemon wedge
   

Method

• Combine all in a glass with LOTS of ice

Variations

 

Negroni slushy: Blend all ingredients with ice till slushy consistancy.

 

Frutti Negroni: Add some frozen berries and the juice of 1 lime, this one is my favourite. Garnish with mint (if you're taking a photo)

 



 

Ice cream in under 60 seconds

Just like the ice cream this post will be done in under 60 seconds.
Ultra quick and I like to think on the healthier side.
Seriously it too longer to plate and take the photo than to make it.

Mixed Berry 60 Second Gelato

• 500grams frozen mixed berries
• 100grams icing sugar
• 300ml light cream.

Method
In a food processor blend all together for 60 seconds and you're done.
I like the texture of the pips and seeds because it means your eating real fruit and not a fake flavour, but you can blend for longer for a smoother texture.