In a land of myth and a time of magic...

Dresden Christmas Stollen

... as rich as the treasury chamber of King August the Strong.

Click here to find out all there is to know about Dresden Stollen, history, recipe, beautiful step-by-step pictures!

December 2nd

making Advent wreathes

It has already become a great tradition that the day before first Advent Christiane, Carina, Nancy and myself get together to turn fresh pine green, ivy, box, holly and laurel into the most beautiful Advent wreathes.

We make wreathes for our doors, for the windows, for the childrens' school and the typical wreathes with four candles to be lighted one more every Advent Sunday.

I'm horribly untalented in tying together the wreathes. My part rather consists in decorating. I love using the hot glue machine to stick on crab apples, nuts, pinecones and apples. I love choosing ribbons, drinking coffee, chatting around and eating Christiane's freshly baked waffles....

 

If you are interested in the recipe,  I'd be happy to request it for you. The only thing I know is that they are made with cream instead of butter. Just sublime!

When everybody had gone I stayed a moment longer to continue chatting with Christiane and, you won't believe it, while talking, my fingers all by themselves had made that sweet little heart from the last twigs remaining on the table.

Brownie Hearts

The little Erzgebirgian incense smoker fills the house with the warm scent of olibanum. The candles on the Advent wreath wait to be lighted. Hot deliciousness bakes in the oven.

Brownie Hearts
As for the recipe  I must confess I took my favourite Brownie mix.  I added butter, eggs and a sip of milk as requested on the package and prepared  the dough.  Then I spread the dough on a baking sheet a bit thinner as you would do for a true brownie, a brownie-brownie. I baked it for 20 minutes at 175°C.

Right out of the oven I cut the dough into hearts with a cookie cutter and dusted them with icing sugar.

To decorate I suggest you take a little crab apple. Isn't it cute?

#12 Pomegranate: a sip of summer

inspired by a beautiful coffee table book about the Venice kitchen and tasted last weekend:

Pomegranate

 1 part freshly squeezed pomegranate juice

2 parts  Prosecco

Squeeze the pomegranate using a lemon squeezer . Pour the juice into chilled champagne glasses and add the Prosecco. Alla salute!

potatoes in pink & purple, best together with Gremolata

Lately Herr Herzog, my organic vegetable provider, asked me if I wanted him to add some pink and purple potatoes to my weekly order. I immediately agreed because 1.) I always love to try something new and 2.) Sophie Calle's chromatic diet in mind, two difficult colours suddenly seemed to come within reach.

But before throwing myself again into the sophisticated Fine Arts of monochromatic cooking I went for a very quick and simple potato lunch: oven roasted wedges with  Gremolata using the last fresh herbs from my garden: rosemary, thyme, parsley and summer savory.

My Gremolata
1/3 cup olive oil
the zest of a small lemon, grated
1/2 ts grated orange zest (optional)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 ts red pepper flakes
2 tbs parsley, chopped
1 ts fresh rosemary, chopped
1 ts fresh thyme
1ts fresh summer savory

Whisk together 1/3 cup olive oil and the herbs, zests, garlic and red pepper. Set aside for at least half an hour.

"Salad Blue" potatoes

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Cut the potatoes into wedges. Toss the potatoes with the gremolata and add salt and pepper to taste. Spread the wedges out on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes.

The result: delicious taste with an avant-garde look!