Die Feuerzangenbowle

The cookies and cakes are only a small part of the German Christmas Market traditions. The drinks are also pretty important - all designed to warm your hands and your insides on a cold night out.

Most stands will serve Glühwein (mulled wine), Glühwein mit Schuss (with a shot of rum or liqueur), and Kinderpunsch (non-alcoholic Glühwein). And sometimes we'll find hot cider, mead, and other variations on Glühwein.  In Munich, cocktails have become quite trendy in the past couple of years - not surprising that this year hot caipirinhas ("Heiße Caipis") showed up in many Christmas Markets.

My favorite, however, is the Feuerzangenbowle. I think it tastes better (like a less sweet, more alcoholic Glühwein) and since it involves fire, it's also pretty cool.

The word translates as "Flaming Tongs Punch," refering to the tongs that hold a sugar cone over the bowl of mulled wine. The sugar cone is soaked in rum, and flaming rum poured over it, dripping caramelized sugar and hot rum into the mulled wine. Delicious!

Many Christmas markets will have a Feuerzangenbowle stand, or people often make it at home for parties during Christmas and New Years. Here in Munich, the English-speaking community refers to the drinks as "Pots of Evil," a very appropriate name given their taste and potency!

 

Here in Munich, we have the World's Largest Feuerzangenbowle, which luckily lasts beyond the Christmas Markets until Epiphany (January 6th). The giant bowl holds up to 9,000 liters of punch. It's set up inside the Isartor, one of the gates from the old city walls. As usual, there are also a few stands serving bratwurst, french fries, crepes and other standard festival fare.

 They project on the walls the movie "Die Feuerzangenbowle," which is one of THE classic German films. Made in 1943 or 44, it's a sentimental story of school days and what makes life worth living...intended to be a morale booster in the final months of the war.

The film stars one of the most beloved German actors of all time, Heinz Rühmann, who made over 100 films from 1926 to 1993.

Today, it's kind of like the Rocky Horror Picture Show of Germany, where most people can quote some (or all!) of the movie today. Many universities have showings before the Christmas break, with props, drinking games, and other traditions. Definitely worth a watch if you can find it with subtitles. (Even if you watch it in German, use the German subtitles....between the sound quality and the old words and accent, it can be tough to understand).

 Feuerzangenbowle at Munich's Tollwood Festival

Many people recreate the experience at home, making Feuerzangenbowle and showing the movie.  

You can order the sets and sugar cones in the US from GermanDeli.com, and probably from other German food sites. They have a good recipe and instructional video in the product details.

Either make your own mulled wine from scratch, buy it premade in bottles, or you can also buy the premixed spice packages to just add to a bottle of wine.

RECIPE
2 bottles of Merlot or Burgundy wine (a dry red wine might be too bitter)
4 thin slices of orange with the peel on
4 thin slices of lemon with the peel on
Juice of 2 fresh oranges
Juice of 2 fresh lemons
½ tsp fresh orange rind
½ tsp fresh lemon rind
4 Cinnamon sticks
1 sugar cone (Zuckerhut)
1 cup (approximately) of Rum (must be 151 proof Rum, or it won't flame)

Equipment:
1 heat and flame-proof Punch Bowl (ideally glass)
1 Stainless Steel Bridge, if not already part of your punch bowl set
Long match or lighter

Directions:
In a large pot add both bottles of wine and all ingredients except the sugar cone and the rum. Simmer the wine and fruit and spices over low heat for about 15 minutes. Don't boil the wine. The wine should be hot but not scalding. If you are using GermanDeli's flame/heat-proof glass punch bowl, carefully add the hot wine (with fruit, cinnamon, etc.) to the punch bowl. With your guests gathered around, place the punch bowl in a dimly-lit room. Light the candle below the punchbowl to help keep the wine warm. Place the stainless steel bridge across the top of the punch bowl. Unwrap the sugar cone and place it on the bridge. Slowly pour the 151-proof rum onto the cone, rotating the cone until it is soaked with the rum. Light the sugar cone with the match or lighter. The sugar cone will dissolve as the burning rum heats up the cone. The caramelized sugar will drip into the punch to sweeten it and the rum will enhance the flavor.

recipe via GermanDeli

A Southern, deep-Fried Christmas

Herr J and I spent Christmas with my family in coastal South Carolina.

Every family has its own traditions, but deep frying the Turkey has become quite popular for Thanksgiving and Christmas in the South. Not only is the turkey tasty and juicy, but the process is fun. To put it in man-friendly terms, there is fire, hot oil, drinking outdoors, and the potential for serious injury and/or property damage. So, who wouldn't love it?

 

The Setup:

To fry a turkey, you need a couple of things...a huge pot with a propane burner, peanut oil, thermometer, and a rack or basket for the turkey.

For safety, it's also best to have an outdoor non-flammable surface and heavy gloves.

And for enjoyment, a couple of soccer-mom chairs and some adult beverages.

Step 1:
Heat the oil until it reaches 350°.

Because different sized turkeys will displace different amounts of liquid, you'll want to measure how much oil to use. Using too much will cause a spill (and an unpleasant oil fire), and too little will also be a problem. Dad's brilliant method is to test it with your turkey and water to determine the correct amount to cover the turkey. He then removes the turkey, marks the correct water level, and refills the pot with oil up to the mark.  

See here for videos demonstrating exactly why you don't want the oil to overflow...or why not to fry on your deck. ("7 Best Deep-Fried Turkey Disasters")

Step 2:

Best to marinate the turkey the night before - here he used butter and spices. Some people put a rub under the skin or use injectors to inject spices into the turkey. We prefer our turkey to taste like turkey rather than spices, so we went with the simpler method.

Place turkey on the turkey frying rack. Carefully lower into boiling oil.

 Step 3:

Continue to cook (covered, keeping the oil around 325°F) until a meat thermometer reads 170° F in the breast and 180° F in the thigh. It should take around 3 minutes per pound for a whole turkey. Then carefully remove turkey, cool a few minutes, and serve.

Along with the turkey, we usually have prime rib, collards, spiced peaches, rice, green beans (the only green vegetable I would eat as a child...now I also eat asparagus), dressing, gravy, sweet potatoes, and biscuits. And a table full of wonderful homemade desserts....German Chocolate Cake, pecan pie, pound cake (my aunt make the best pound cake in the world!), sweet potato pie, this year's new feature Lemon Coconut Spice Cake, and whatever other cookies or candies people have given us for the holidays. And then we go into a food coma watching football....

What are your Christmas dinner traditions?

More Cupcake Madness, this time with Beer

Guinness chocolate cake, Guinness icing, in the shape of a perfectly poured pint!

Recipe can be found here at The Island of Dr. Gateau

via Must Have Cute

German Christmas Treats

Every culture has its own traditions for the holidays, and food plays a big part in Germany's.

For the month before Christmas, you can enjoy most of these in the Christmas markets that spring up in most public squares in the towns. We've sampled a taste of everything for you here.

First, of course, is Glühwein....It's basically mulled wine and is the most traditional hot beverage enjoyed in the cold in the German-speaking countries. You'll find all sorts of varieties and flavors these days, and even more modern hot cocktails (Hot Caipirinhas, etc).  At a minimum, most stalls offer Kinderpunsch (non-alcoholic), Glühwein, and Glühwein mit Schuss (Glühwein with a shot of rum). It's a good way to stay warm while walking around the markets in winter...warms your hands and your insides!

Gluhwein and Lebkuchen at the Nürnberg Christmas Market

 Gluhwein Varieties

 Vanillekipferl

These small, crescent-shaped cooies are vanilla flavored and coated in powdered sugar. They're usually made with ground almonds. You'll find these throughout most of Germany, as well as in Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, and Slovakia. They vary from kind of tasteless to sublime...luckily these were perfectly vanilla tasting and melt-in-your-mouth. Excellent with coffee!  Vanillekipferl

Lebkuchen                 

Lebkuchen

One of the most ubiquitous Christmas treats around this part of Germany is Lebkuchen. It comes in many varieties and shapes, can be iced or dipped in chocolate... It's spiced a bit like gingerbread, but not exactly the same. They're usually made with ground nuts, honey, and spices such as anise, cloves, ginger, and cardamom.

The quality also can range quite widely, but good Lebkuchen is really tasty and not at all dry. It orinally cam from Franconia, with Nürnberg now the famous source. Actually, Nürnberg has been quite successful in getting their products under "Protected Designation of Origin." (meaning that Nürnberger bratwurst can only come from Nürnberg, and Nürnberger Lebkuchen can only come from Nürnberg). The original variety usually sits atop what's basically the same as a giant communion wafer. Supposedly the monks used it to keep the cookies from sticking to the pan.

Lebkuchen Männer Chocolate Covered Lebkuchen

Dominostein

DominosteinNot my favorite Christmas treat, but they're not bad. These Dominos are a 3 layer treat, dipped in either dark or milk chocolate. Usually it's a lebkuchen bottom, with cherry or apricot jelly in the middle, and marzipan or cream on the top layer. These originated in Dresden, but are sold throughout Germany.

Spekulatius   

Then we have Spekulatius, Herr J's favorite. These are so tasty! Their taste like a combination of shortbread and gingerbread. They're thin and crunchy and come with designs stamped into them.

These are more traditionally for St. Nikolas Day (November 6th) and made of flour, brown sugar, honey, butter, and spices such as nutmeg, cardamom, ginger, and cloves.

Though they have stamped rolling pins and silicone molds now, the traditional method involves a hand-carved wooden mold. I prefer the spiced variety, but they also have butter Spekulatius, chocolate Spekulatius, and ones with almond slices on the bottom.

They seem to have originated in the Rhineland-Pfalz area, but are found widely across the country, and in Belgium and the Netherlands. Probably because they're so good!

I'm hoping these also might make a good substitute for graham-cracker crust in pies and bars. Graham crackers just don't exist here and key lime pie is soooo good!

Zimtsterne

Literally translated as "cinnamon stars," these little cookies from Schwabia are so tasty! They're chewy, cinnamony, with a crispy sweet icing on top. As with many of the Christmas cookies, these are made with ground almonds instead of flour.

Baumkuchen

 

While they just look like a chocolate covered stack of donuts, this cake is quite impressive. It's also common in Austria. A good, properly made baumkuchen can be rather pricey, too.  The name "tree cake" comes from how it's cooked over a spit (rotisserie style) and the cake batter is applied layer by layer creating tree rings in the cake. Quite an intensive process, sometimes with 20 layers. Then the cake is take off the rotisserie, cut into pieces, and dipped in chocolate or fondant.

BaumkuchenschnittenThere's also a version called Baumkuchenschnitten ("tree cake sections") that are little pieces of the cake, dipped in chocolate. They also have the tree rings on them. The ones I tried have champagne in the cake and are really a little slice of heaven. So moist and tasty, with high quality milk chocolate.

Marzipan Potatoes

    I've not been able to find anyone who knows why marzipan potatoes are traditional gifts in Advent, but they are everywhere. We tried the little ones, but in the markets they sell huge life-sized potatoes, made entirely of marzipan and dusted with cocoa powder. Some friends here say that it just was easier to make potatoes than anything else.  They're marzipan, so are tasty, but in small doses.

 

Coconut Macaroons and Pfeffernüsse

Not to be confused with macarons, these are the chewy coconut ones we all know, with the bottoms dipped in dark chocolate. So tasty!

And on the right are Pfeffernüsse ("Pepper Nuts"), little hard, round cookies made of spiced dough dipped in icing. They're originally Dutch, but have made it down through Denmark, Germany, Austria. The taste is good - a bit spicier than gingerbread, usually with pepper included - but they are super hard and dry. These are traditional for St. Nikolaus Day (5th or 6th of December, depending on the region), but are sold throughout the Christmas season. You need to dip them in coffee, really, or wait a few weeks till they soften up. Given the choice, I'd take the macaroons and skip the pfeffernüsse.

Schneeball

These "Snowballs" are a fun contribution from the beautiful, old little town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. They're basically strips of dough, balled up, fried, and dusted in sugar. They were originally served at weddings in the Franconia region, but now are served year round. OK, I know it's not exactly a Christmas treat only, but the name makes it fit this post!

The plain ones dusted in powdered or cinnamon sugar are the originals, but now they sell 20+ varieties - with different fillings (caramel, Cointreau, marzipan, etc) and toppings (chocolates, nuts, coconut, etc).  We tried an original with cinnamon sugar from Diller in the Nürnberg train station. Pretty tasty! I think the filled ones would be too much, but maybe I'll try one when I finally make it to Rothenburg. It's a well-preserved walled city with a cool night watchman tour.

Candied Nuts

Candied Nuts at the Nürnberg Christmas Market

This is one of those times where I WISH that a photo could capture a scent. The smell of these candied nuts cooking is intoxicating. It makes me forget my words and just follow the scent, like a rat led by the Piper.

These are not exclusively Christmas treats - they're common at Oktoberfest and are sold in front of the Marienplatz Kaufhof year round. However, they are always a presence in every Christmas market.

For Christmas only, Lindt makes milk chocolate-covered almonds and hazelnuts, dusted in powdered sugar. They use their special Christmas chocolate, which has some light spices in it and is so good. These are one of Herr J's favorites, and now one of mine. Between the Spekulatius and the Lindt chocolate hazelnuts, I have to admit he has pretty good taste in Christmas treats!

Spitzbuben

These jam-filled sugar cookies are often called German Jam Cookies or Swiss Sandwiches, but the name translates to "rogues" or "scoundrels." They're a nice plain cookie base, with jam (apricot and currant are most common) in between two cookies, and a star or heart window cut in the top cookie. Then they're dusted with powdered sugar.

Stollen

 And it wouldn't be Christmas without fruitcake!  In Germany, we have Stollen, which is a loaf of sweet bread filled with dried fruit and nuts and topped with powdered sugar. They vary quite widely, with "exotic fruit" varieties, marzipan chunks, or other fillings. The German version has been made for Christmas since the 1400's, in Saxony. Dresden still is know as the Stollen capital, I guess like Claxton, Georgia is the fruitcake capital of the US. There's an annual Stollen Festival in Dresden, where a 3-4 ton stollen is paraded through the city and then cut by a ceremonial knife and sold to partiers.

Though Dresdner Stollen is the classic, other regions have created their own. The lady selling Frankish Dresden explained that their variety has fewer nuts and fruit than the super packed Dresdner Stollen. The bakery in my apartment building makes with poppyseed filling or with the same nut filling as used in cinnamon rolls. Not exactly traditional, but really good!

These vagabond shoes...

Yup, they're longing to stray.  Want to wake up in the city that never sleeps... you know the words.

Frau A and I have made some travel plans for the holidays, and it includes a few days in New York City, between Christmas and New Year's Eve..  I’m excited – I visited as a teen, then lived in the Kips Bay neighborhood and worked in the Citicorp building from 2000-2004.  So maybe I don't have the little town blues (although I tease my Munich friends about how small it is here) but the movies are right - Christmastime in NYC can be nice.

Good memories:  my apartment was on the 20th floor of a 70’s-era building.  Looking left out the windows, you could see the Chrysler Building and just a nick of the Met Life Building – overall a decent view of Midtown from the southeast:

Looking straight out the windows, that’s 2nd Avenue.  Luckily, there is an Armenian church right across the street, so there are no tall buildings blocking the view.  Plus, the Queens-Midtown tunnel was right there as well, so it felt quite open and provided a good breeze:  (Of course lots of traffic noise, but it’s New York.  Whatevah!  I didn’t notice it.):

Finally, looking right out the windows, it gets crowded but the East River is only a block or so away.  NYC launched the July 4th fireworks from the pier there, so the “booms” shook the windows and you could see not only the real fireworks but reflections off the windows of the facing buildings.  The booms would echo too.  A real home-entertainment experience.  Here's the "view":

But the real excitement is the chance to take Frau A to some interesting restaurants while we’re there.  I've already booked these restaurants, and can recommend them to anyone visiting The Big Apple.

Frau A is not the biggest cheese eater, but I’ll try to change that here.   Artisanal lies on busy Park Avenue just below Midtown, the interior was designed by noted architect Adam Tihany… but you come for the cheese that they age in their own “cave” (more than 200 varieties) and endless wines available by the glass (over 150).  Food is great (get the gougères appetizer), I love the skate main dish (hope they still have it), and you’ll never get a better cheese plate for dessert – you pick ‘em or have the Fromagier select them for you.

This place is the perfect Sunday brunch spot, but we'll settle for a weekday lunch with the business crowd.

Here's the interior and a example of a cheese plate:

        

Frau A & I like to eat Indian here in Munich, so this is perfect.   Tabla is unique with an Indian/fusion menu, and it’s a nice balance between dressy & relaxed.  Location is lovely too, near Madison Square Park downtown.
I just checked their website – they’re shutting down after at year end!  Glad I get to go one more time.   Wonder what happened?

Here's a view of the 2-story inside and some dishes with nan:           

You might have seen chef Anthony Bourdain on television - he's the resident smart-ass on Food Network (or was... don't get it here on German television).  He has some cookbooks too, that have the same attitude.  Love them.  The motto at Brasserie Les Halles:  American Beef, French Style.  Translation:  the best steak frites in the city.  French fries are fried twice.  Oh yeah.  And there is always room for my favorite chocolate mousse dessert.  Also on Park Avenue, but opened a newer downtown location too.

Here's a view of the restaurant and the famous steak frites:

      

 
Here's the chef (who's really never there anymore) and his book about sex, drugs, and rock & roll in a NYC restaurant kitchen, plus the Les Halles cookbook:

             

Tao is the ultimate example of a guilty pleasure.  It’s like a cross between Sex and the City & Disneyland.  Ladies dressed to the nines, everyone drinking like crazy, a 16-foot tall buddha statue dominating the room and a roving sax player that jams with the pulsating techno music.  Oh, the food?  Not truly gourmet, but actually very respectable Asian/fusion - a bit on the pricey side though.  Definitely a weekend dinner place to take in the scene, but get reservations or wait for hours.

Here's the inside with the buddha statue:

Blue Smoke has some of the best barbeque in the city.  Ribs are lean and smoked for hours, burgers are juicy, and even the desserts are excellent (yup, they have a pastry chef!).  Sometimes you can smell the meat smoking on the street... yum.  I’m curious how Frau A will compare this BBQ to her experience from Texas and the South.  “Jazz Standard” is their downstairs jazz club, so the music is great too.  Perfect for relaxing lunch or cool dinner.

Here's a view of the artists at work with link to Serious Eats:

Combine Asian and Latin food ("eclectic"), served in a fashionably modern/hip environment?  I think Frau A will love it.  I tend to be skeptical of hotel restaurants, but this one really works.  They have a unique, long "common" table in the middle where a few dozen people sit together, which ironically is how things work in Germany.  A couple looking for seats just needs to ask occupied tables to join them if they see two free seats.  A conversation starts up, and you have new dinner friends.  We'll get some good spice here - maybe Frau A will blog what she thinks...

Here is a view of the decor:

Well, we won't have time for all my favs.  Have to catch these on the next pass through:

• "Restaurant" founded on making homemade peanut butter and the best PB&J anywhere.  Only in New York
• Most famous steak in NYC
• 3-star French/seafood that is truly one of the finest in the world

Gummi Garden of Eden

Trolli "Puzzle Trees" + Katjes "Apple & Eve" gummis = tasty and tempting fun

 

Both of these are cool on their own...the Puzzle trees come in pieces that you mix and match to assemble trees.  The different colored fruits actually are different flavors (pear, apricot, plum, lemon, cherry, and apple).

The Apple & Eve are sour apple gummis in apple and snake shapes, with slogan "Who needs Adam?"

    

Advent Calendars for Everyone

Yesterday was the beginning of one of my favorite holiday traditions. Advent Calendars are great for everyone....for kids, it helps pass the time and count down the days till Christmas and for adults, it helps limit us to a piece of chocolate per day. Or is an excuse to eat some chocolate every day. Not sure which, but both are good ideas.   

The Germans have take Advent Calendars to new heights. They are everywhere, beginning in October. But be warned, if you wait until December, you may not find any! 

It's not just chocolate anymore - there really is something for everyone these days. Chocolate advent calendars still are by far the most popular ones, but there are plenty of non-candy calendars or manly calendars on offer. 

My Advent Calendar Guide: 

For Mom:
(probably you should give her a chocolate one, too)

The Tea Party Advent Calendar, which includes tea bags and holders in the shape of famous politicians, artists, and Biblical characters (Queen Elizabeth, Baby Jesus, Rudolph, Sarkozy, Mozart, and Merkel).  

   

For the Hello Kitty fan in your life:
(it's ok to admit it, you know you have one...or are one!)

For Father/Husband/Boyfriend:
The Handyman Advent Calendar. I got Herr J one so we could see what goodies are inside!  

  

For those who don't like chocolate:
(yes, i have met one or two in life...I both envy and pity them) 

Gummi Bear Advent Calendar, from the neighborhood Bears and Friends.    

For the younger brother:
Unfortunately, I really couldn't find a justification to buy one. But there are a few varieties out there of Lego Advent Calendars.  

For the teenage daughter/sister:
The Body Shop here has an advent calendar full of small-sized products.  

They seem to be out of them, so I'll just show an even more fun one...the famous Selfridge's advent calendar. Similar idea and cost, just the Body Shop uses their own products.  

Selfridge's Advent Calendar

For the Music Lover:
Or also good for parents who don't want to give more candy to the kids... The Musical Advent Calendar, with a new song each day (38 minutes in total).  

 

For children of all ages, or also for yourself:
The Kinder Surprise Egg Advent Calendar. Full of Kinder Eggs, with Christmas toys and ornaments inside. Also it opens up to have a nice 3D scene and a sleigh to hold a Kinder Egg.  

In the interest of full disclosure....I got one for myself. I love Kinder Eggs and am looking forward to hanging some of the ornaments on my Christmas tree.  Will post later pictures of what suprises are inside.

Kinder has a variety of advent calendars on offer...     Kinder Friends - with Bueno, Bons, Country and Chocolate 

Kinder Mix - with Happy Hippos, Bons, Suprise Eggs, and Chocolate

Or if Kinder is not your favorite, all of the major German and Swiss chocolatiers have at least one calendar on the market....

Ritter Sport

       Milka   Mozart

Niederegger (Marzipan and Chocolate) Lindt, as usual, has a wide variety of advent calendars...dark, light, spiced chocolates, kid's chocolates, pralines, and mini-truffels.

  

And, finally, we have my awesome, homemade Advent Calendar. What's in it? We'll see tomorrow....