Game Dinner, German-Style

A five course dinner featuring game hunted by our neighbor Gavin and cooked by his lovely wife Susanne.  Now THAT sounded interesting, and we had the good fortune to be invited.

The hostess, who hails from Munich, smashed all of my negative stereotypes about German cooking.  She offered a variety of dishes which she said would have been typically served at any restaurant in her native land.  When all was said and done, I was ready to book a flight.

We started with consomme of wild pheasant with semolina nocherl.  This mimicked the best version of matzoh ball soup imaginable.  The nocherl was a light, doughy dumpling floating in a rich, flavorful broth, generously laden with chunks of pheasant and vegetables.  A wonderful way to start the meal.

We then proceeded on to a salad--butter lettuce with walnuts, cranberries and gruyere cheese.  Sublime.

The third course moved meat-ward again:  fetuccine with venison sausage and pear ragu.  This was a Marc Vetri recipe from his book Il Viaggo de Vetri which the hostess assured us was simple.   Simple or not, it was absolutely delicious; the perfect interplay between the robust sausage and the sweet pear with the cheese providing the ideal salty counterpoint.

When Susanne served the main course, filets of venison with spaetzle and red cabbage, she told us that virtually every restaurant in Munich had this on its menu.  I bet they're not as good as hers.   She also told us an interesting linguistic fact:  in German, 'red' cabbage is translated as 'blue' cabbage.    Technically, I guess it's purple, so we're both half accurate.  As to the spaetzle, those tiny nuggets of light, doughy carbohydrate heaven set a new standard for noodles.  

And just when I thought it could get no better,  dessert arrived.  Susanne presented a stunning rendition of her grandmother's recipe for millirahmstrudel with vanilla sauce.  This apple strudel was staggeringly good--the pastry was paper-thin, light and crispy, the apples a perfect sweet/tart foil, soft from cooking but with sufficient crunch left to evoke their natural form, topped with fresh, homemade whipped cream and doused with vanilla sauce.  Oh, the sauce.  Picture the best creme anglaise you've ever had, then make it 5 times better, and you'll create an image of Susanne's vanilla sauce.  That type of sauce is tricky; often it has an unfortunate eggy viscosity that is downright repulsive, resulting from a lack of skill on the part of the cook.  This version, thankfully, suffered no such woeful fate, nor did we.   I really had to restrain myself from licking the plate.

We really love our neighbors!  Have you been to any FAB dinner parties lately?   Do tell....

Super Sandwiches for Superbowl Sunday

DiNic's in Reading Terminal Market, the undisputed King of the Pork Sandwich

Super Bowl Sunday is nearly upon us, and the perfect food for game viewing is a hearty handy sandwich.  This eliminates the need for utensils, and keeps a hand free for gleeful high fives or obscene gestures.  In considering sandwiches, we started to think about their history, and their many monikers.   Don't worry, we'll get to menu suggestions shortly.

Beck's Cajun Cafe Shrimp Po'boy--New Orleans without the airfare

It is said that the sandwich is named for John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich (1718-1792), who was an avid gambler and reluctant to leave the gaming table to dine.  By tucking a slab of meat between slices of bread he was able to continue his play uninterrupted through the night, and still have a hand to hold the cards.

Down Home Diner's Cheesesteak

Some years later, across the ocean, the Hoagie was Christened. The Hoagie, that uber-Philadelphian sandwich, traces its name back to the Italian immigrants working in the shipyards on Hog Island in the early 1900s.   Hog Island was located in Philadelphia where the Schuylkill met the Delaware, in the area that now houses Philadelphia International Airport.   The shipbuilders would carry sandwiches to work consisting of meats, cheeses, and lettuce on a long Italian roll.  This came to be known as a "Hog Island Sandwich" and was eventually shortened to hoagie.

By George in Reading Terminal Market has an incredible sandwich selection!

About a thousand miles south, New Orleans found itself home to a similar lunch item:  the po'boy.

Po'boys are the quintessential New Orleans lunch food.  Served on an oblong roll, filled with meat or fried seafood, they are everywhere in the Crescent City.  The term po'boy has disputed origins.  Some trace it to the New Orleans restaurant owned by Benny and Clovis Martin.   The Martin brothers had been streetcar conductors prior to their culinary career, so when the transit workers went on strike in 1910, the Martins sympathized--and fed them.  The hungry strikers would enter the restaurant, invariably someone would utter, "Here comes another poor boy," and a sandwich would appear.  Hence the association.    The other claim credits  Trapani's, also in New Orleans.  This bar would offer 5 cent beers at noon and throw in a sandwich for free.  This simple repast came to be known as the poor boy's lunch, and eventually the term came to refer only to the sandwich. 

Turkey on Rye with Beck's Creole Mayo--great condiments make all the difference!

Which brings us to suggestions for this weekend's big game.  If the pictures above didn't tempt you to head to our favorite foodie haven, Reading Terminal Market, and order a tray of something wonderful, consider any of these simple crowd-pleasers from your own kitchen:

• Italian sausages braised with onions and beef broth, simmered til tender, served on rolls
• Meatballs with marinara sauce on long rolls
• A selection of cold meats, assorted breads and condiments in a 'make your own' buffet
• Chicken Cutlets, Broccoli Rabe, and Provolone Cheese on a round roll
• Pulled Pork

Our own bbq pulled pork

Did we forget anything?  What is your favorite sandwich?

The Food Makes the Party

Good food makes a good party.  

Well, maybe that's a bit of an overstatement, because there are a number of factors that can make a party go south--boring guests, insufficient beverages, uncomfortable setting, bad music.  To avoid these and other pitfalls, we sought the advice of an expert:    Stormy Lundy,  Director of Special Events for the Reading Terminal Market Catering Corporation.

Stormy says....

On Setup:  "If you have too many seats, the party stops.  Guests will sit in small groups and no one will mix.  It's important to have seating, but not so much that mingling stalls."

On Quantity:    "For a cocktail party, figure at least 4-6 pieces per person.  I'm talking about substantial appetizers like mini quiches, spanakopita, and 2 bite-sandwiches, not carrot sticks." 

On Menu Selection:  "For a cocktail party, it's best to avoid forks and anything that won't fit on a small 7 inch plate.  You want to encourage movement and interaction.  If people have to sit down and cut a steak or peel shrimp, they aren't mingling." 


On Timing:  "If you are throwing a party on a weekend night that spans the dinner hour in any way, you need to offer a good amount of food.  It does not have to be a sit down meal, but, again, figure at a minimum  4-6 pieces per person because this is substituting for dinner."


Case in point:  I recall a milestone birthday party I attended a few years back.  The party was held on a Saturday night at 7pm, which, no matter how you slice it, falls squarely in the dinner hour so ya better spread out some vittles.  The hostess (who looked like she didn't eat much) had intended a 'grazing' party with all 'pick-ups'.  

Intentions aside, there was such a dearth of food at said party, guests hovered around the servers hungrily asking for replenishment.  In desperation, the servers finally put out crackers and mustard for lack of other options.  We left early, as did most of the guests, who were otherwise fun and festive folks, and stopped for hoagies on the way home.  The other risk to this foodless scenario is that people drink on an empty stomach, and that results in sloppy, inebriated guests.  Not pretty.

Speaking of desperate measures to procure food at a party reminds me of the scene in Seinfeld when George is caught eating an eclair out of the trash can-- 

So that's the worst case scenario.  But even in examples less dramatic, a party can flop if the food doesn't work.  This is not to say that you need to spend days in the kitchen--simple casual is fine, and even takeout is A-OK, but you must pair the menu with the event.  Last fall, we hosted a few game viewing parties in the good old days when our beloved Phillies made the NLCS.  That meant boiling a vat of good quality hot dogs from Smuckers in Reading Terminal Market, opening jars of few different mustards,  supplying rolls, chips, maybe some carrots and celery for the healthy fans, and of course, beer.   It also meant that the food needed to be ready and waiting at first pitch so the hostess, who an avid fan, didn't miss a thing.

In the next few posts, we'll profile party menu ideas for a variety of occasions and themes.  Meanwhile, please share your peaks and valleys of hosting and cooking.  Do you have a happy or horror tale to tell?