Is it possible that the tiny man who is responsible

Is it possible that the tiny man who is responsible for pushing the clock hands is in a rush these days? Where did the last weeks go, are we really approaching Easter weekend yet? My oh my. Maybe writing a book puts you in some sort of zombie mode, there is so much to do, so many different aspects to take care off, life outside your kitchen simply ceases to exist, vanishing behind a thick curtain. This time around, no special Easter treats like I came up with last year or some years ago. Yet I don’t want to skip all the bunny and egg festivities, hoping my latest discovery qualifies for the Easter theme, too.

Someday last year I had spent my entire lunch break at a nearby bookstore, one that is well-known for its unusual assortment, and yes, they even carry a small shelf of rather extraordinary cookbooks. That’s where “La grande Fête – Das große Fest” fell into my hands, written by restaurant chef Alain Weissgerber and his partner Barbara Eselböck. A book loaded with atmosphere in which Alain Weissgerber presents his cuisine, a happy marriage between his Alsatian roots and Austrian influences. (His restaurant Blaue Gans has a pretty cool website, although a bit tricky to navigate.) One small detail in his book struck me the most – he had used an ingenious method to poach an egg (p.132). In case your Easter plans warrants a poached egg, why not try this for yourself?

　Bring a pot of water to a boil. Line a small bowl or ramekin with foil cling film and brush its inside with a few drops of sunflower oil. Carefully break a fresh egg – the yolk has to stay whole – and let it slide into the foil-lined cling film-lined bowl. Close the foil cling film above the egg, keeping a little air trapped inside, then close with a clip (the clip part is my addition to Weissgerber’s methode). Now lower the “egg-bag” into the simmering water and turn the egg every 30 seconds or so for an evenly cooked result. The trapped air helps to keep the egg’s surface relatively smooth. The book suggests to remove it after 2.5 minutes and dipping it into ice water to stop the cooking process. However, my large sized eggs took almost 4 minutes. They slipped out of the foil cling film like nothing else and – except for a few wrinkles – their even appearance made it unnecessary to cut off any excess egg white! Poached eggs – a piece of cake.

There are certain recipes that are not to be messed with

There are certain recipes that are not to be messed with. No culinary experiments, no fanciful pimpin’. Real classics don’t need it. Instead it’s all about flavorful ingredients that shine on their own. Whenever we attempt a Spanish classic, our friend Carlos is the first reference person. He supplies us with the best Chorizo, feeds his friends the most amazing Jamón Ibérico de Bellota, serves stunning Queimada and has taught us how to make Tortilla de Betanzos together with his friend Juan.

Since he taught us his Gazpacho recipe a few weeks ago we’ve come to realize how many bland and mediocre lookalikes we’ve had before. Tasty, ripe tomatoes are a must, but well balanced seasoning is equally important. The best about this summer soup? It’s healthy, addictive, refreshing – and prepared within less than 10 minutes. But I have more: just like a good Chili con Carne or Lasagne, this soup tastes even better on the next day, when the flavors had time to sit and mingle. Give it a try, even if you’re not a soup person!

And if you’re in the mood for something more elaborate, why not freeze your Gazpacho and have a granita or sorbet? It certainly makes for a rather unusual appetizer, just be sure to add some vodka (2-3 tbsp) and strain the final mix through a fine mesh sieve (to enhance its frozen consistency) before moving it to your freezer’s compartment or ice cream machine.

Put the slices of stale white bread in a bowl and cover with cold water. Set aside. Chill serving bowls or glasses (optional).
Prepare the vegetables:
Cut the tomatoes in quarters, stem to tail, then remove the stem ends.
 Quarter and deseed bell peppers (reserve half of the red and half of the green bell pepper for later use), then cut them into long fingerthick stripes, then smaller pieces.
 Cut about half of the small cucumber into thin slices (reserve the other half).
 Peel the onion, then cut half of it into thin slices (reserve the other half).
 Peel the garlic clove(s), then cut them into thin slices.
Prepare the tropezones: Cut the reserved bell pepper, cucumber and onion halves into neat little cubes or bitesize pieces – they will become tropezones (“stumbling stones”) in your final soup. Set aside for later use.
A large blender is the perfect tool to prepare Gazpacho (but a handheld blender can be used, too), just throw all of your prepared vegetables (tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumber, onion, garlic) MINUS the prepared tropezones into your blender and mix at medium speed until your vegetables have turned into juice and their blender volume has decreased significantly.

Add the bread slices (no need to squeeze out the water), season with sea salt, sugar, freshly ground black pepper, chili flakes, vinegar, olive oil and a small handful of ice cubes, before putting the blender to work again. Mix until the Gazpacho reaches a smooth consistency and you cannot hear any more crackling sounds from the added ice cubes (add more ice cubes, if you want your soup more liquid).
Season to taste (there’s nothing more boring than a flavorless seasoned Gazpacho!) and pour into chilled bowls (if you like your soup really cold, add one or two ice cubes to each bowl). Serve with a tablespoon of tropezones, drizzle with some more olive oil and a good pinch of black pepper. Enjoy immediately.

You’ve never heard of Thylehogichi?

What?! You’ve never heard of Thylehogichi? Well, neither have I. But THYme LEmon HOney GInger CHIli tea sounded a little stiff and boring, hence the new word creation by simply using the ingredient’s first letters (the kind of creativity, that arises from somebody who has caught a major cold, *cough*).

Last week I joined my friends Sebastian and Maike for a very special food and wine tasting at restaurant Huber. Yet I felt a little dizzy and my voice started to sound husky – bad timing, if you are surrounded by intriguing people that you’re keen talking to. Of course my intentions to use my voice sparingly fell by the wayside. We talked, we drank, we laughed a lot and left much later than planed. Next morning, the bill. My voice was almost gone, in exchange I couldn’t stop coughing and my head felt like a big balloon.

I remembered a piece of advice Sebastian had given me about his latest remedy drink (his friend Lea had recommended it) and since all the required ingredients were sitting on our kitchen window sill, I decided to give it a go. All its ingredients have a bounty of positive effects on a sore throat (antiseptic, alleviate throat tickle, soothe feeling of throat dryness), but – above all – the result tastes absolutely wonderful! I hope this post made it just in time for my fellow blogging friends – get well Ulrike, Katharina, Silke & Kaltmamsell and do give it a try yourself ;)
Oh, and I haven’t forgotten about the sweet something I promised, just let me get over this nasty cold…

Thoroughly wash your ingredients, cut the ginger into thin slices (I don’t peel mine, but that’s up to you), halve and squeeze out the lemon and cut off a few slices of the chili (optional).
(amounts are really subject of your personal preference, for 500 ml water I use 8-10 sprigs of thyme, 6 rather large slices of ginger, the juice of 1 lemon and 2 slices of chili)
Bring half a liter of water to a boil, then reduce the heat to a minimum and add the ginger slices, the thyme sprigs and chili slices. Let infuse for at least 10 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the drinking glasses/tea cups – add some (1-2 tsp, I prefer more) honey to each as well as the lemon juice.
Pour tea through a fine mesh sieve into the glasses and serve hot with thin lemon slices and/or small thyme sprigs. Feel better :)