Foodista Blog » German

The World’s Most Neglected Wines (Part Two): Enter the Dragonstone

Jameson — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:30:55 +0000

Last year I declared the dry Rieslings of Australia to be sorely neglected; little did you know, fair Foodista blog reader, that I would not even be done with Riesling. For the Rieslings of Germany are far and away some of the most beautiful and pleasurable wines in the world. So why are they so neglected? In a word: sweetness.

To paraphrase Terry Theise, who has an impeccable record selecting (and astonishing passion for) German Riesling: Sweetness is not a crime. (And if you want to read a 100-page catalog of German wines that will change how you drink and appreciate wine, click here. This will be the most pleasurable pdf you ever read.) I think when we hear that a wine is sweet, we automatically think cloying, cotton candy, juvenile sweetness. But what makes German Riesling so great is the balance. The balance, specifically, between sweetness and acidity. Frankly, if you tasted (blind) a generic, domestic Chardonnay side-by-side with a decent German Riesling, I bet you might find the Chardonnay sweeter. (Try it!) Not only is there balance, but moderate alcohol; you want a glass of wine to refresh on a hot day, you take a well-chilled glass of Riesling out on the patio.

So what do I like about the Dragonstone so much? Well, it’s called the Dragonstone! (Or Drachenstein, even cooler.) Who doesn’t want to ask for a glass of Dragonstone? And it’s not just an imposing name; this is a single-vineyard wine from one of Germany’s best producers, Leitz.

I imagine you would like to enjoy some cuisine with this lovely white? Absolutely. How about sushi? The sweetness of the wine really works with the salty soy and sinus-clearing wasabi. Or take it in a bit of an opposite direction and try it with pork. Chops and applesauce, anybody? Go Riesling!

A final note: My best advice for picking an imported wine, if you are not familiar with any of the names you see, is to look at the back label. There are certain importers, like Michael Skurnik, whose name on the back label assure you of an interesting and delicious wine. So when you find an import you like, look at the back label and seek out other wines in that portfolio.

Jameson Fink is a wine buyer at a bustling grocery store in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. He moved to Seattle from Chicago, where he dabbled in the restaurant and wine industries, five years ago to pursue a full-time career in wine. He’d rather be drinking Champagne and eating popcorn right now.

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Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day

Sheri Wetherell — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 23:12:07 +0000

I remember baking at my grandmother’s house with my Aunt Mimi when I was little. Or, I should say, I remember her baking and me watching the loaves as they took their sweet time rising on the fireplace hearth. Mimi always made me my very own mini loaf, and I could hardly stand the wait until it was baked. Then, she’d cut little slices off for me and slather them in butter.

Heaven. Pure heaven.

To this day I love the smell of yeast, and there’s nothing better than a home filled with the aroma of baking bread.

Alas, I never seem to have the time to bake those wonderful breads that Mimi always made. Then I discovered Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Dr. Jeff Hertzberg and Zöe François and I thought, “Well, I can certainly spare a few minutes for fresh baked bread!” The trick to this five minute method is not kneading the dough. Fascinating, huh!? You simply mix the ingredients in a container and let them sit for a couple of hours to do its business, then you just shape the bread and bake it. Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day (their second book which followed Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day) contains delicious whole grain breads; breads full of yummy nuts and seeds, fruits and vegetables; as well as vegan and gluten-free recipes. It’s also chock full of tips and techniques, a must for baking!

My favorite is the German Vollkornbrot, a 100% whole grain bread. And seriously, not having to knead the bread truly does save a lot of time! Not to mention my back! Though having those bakers arms wouldn’t be such a bad thing…

Vollkornbrot
Printed courtesy of the authors (pg. 83)

“Vollkornbrot is German for “whole kernel bread,” so to make an authentic one, you need to find some wheat or rye berries. The result is a 100% whole grain loaf that is rustic, hearty, and moist – perfect when sliced thinly, slathered with butter, and topped with smoked fish, cold cuts, or cheese.

Because of the high quantity of grains, this dough is not worked like most. The dough has little resiliency, and you can’t tightly shape it; just press the dough into the shape you want. Don’t expect a lot of rising during the long (2-hour) resting time after shaping.”

Makes enough dough for at least two 2-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved.

5 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup wheat berries
1 cup rye flakes
1.5 tablespoons granulated yeast, or 2 packets
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
3 3/4 cups lukewarm water
2 tablespoons molasses

1. Mixing and storing the dough: Whisk together the flour, wheat berries, rye flakes, yeast, salt, and vital wheat gluten in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.

2. Combine the water and molasses and mix them with the dry ingredients without kneading, using a spoon, a 14-cup food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with paddle). You might need to use wet hands to get the last bit of flour to incorporate if you’re not using a machine.

3. Cover (not airtight), and allow the dough to rest at room temperature until dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.

4. Refrigerate it in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 7 days, but do not use the dough until it has aged at least 24 hours (to give the whole kernels a chance to absorb water).

5. On baking day, lightly grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch nonstick loaf pan. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 2-pound (cantaloupe-size) piece. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go.

6. Elongate the ball into an oval and place it into a loaf pan; your goal is to fill the pan about three-quarters full. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rest for 2 hours.

7. Thirty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F, with a baking stone placed on the middle rack. Place an empty metal broiler tray on any other rack that won’t interfere with the rising bread.

8. Just before baking, use a pastry brush to paint the top with water.

9. Place the loaf on a rack near the center of the oven. Pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray, and quickly close the oven door. Bake for about 45 minutes, until richly browned and firm.

10. Remove the loaf from the pan and allow the bread to cool on a rack before slicing thinly and eating.

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Oktoberfest

Melissa — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 20:21:38 +0000

I used to work at a German pub and instead of celebrating Oktoberfest every fall, we celebrated it all year round. Patrons would sit at long wooden tables, drinking steins of beer in a quaint pub that reeked of slow cooked sauerkraut and hot pretzels, and to every regular at the bar, they wouldn’t have it any other way.

Of course things always got a little crazier at the end of September and the beginning of October when the entire pub was decorated in blue and white checkered signs and the owner would don lederhosen and tap a wooden barrel keg of beer to celebrate Oktoberfest.

Now, since I am no longer a bar maid, I get enjoy a bratwurst with a tall pilsner on the other side of the bar for a change. Perhaps I’ll even make my own soft pretzels and perfume my house with slow cooked sauerkraut to celebrate! Suddenly my mouth is already watering thinking about the tang of vinegary cabbage.

Feeling inspired to celebrate?

German Fare You Can Make at Home

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Grainy Stout Mustard

Sheri Wetherell — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 13:00:47 +0000

About 25 years ago my family went on a glorious ski trip to the Italian Alps, our hotel room nestled at the base of the stunningly spectacular Matterhorn. We heard you could ski across the border into Switzerland, so my brother and I, being the daring teens that we were, took the various lifts and gondole up to the top of the mountain and swooshed our way, miles and miles down the other side, into the charming little town of Zermatt. We plunked our skies into the snow and entered a cozy little tavern where the wooden floors were dented from years of ski boot traffic and the tables and benches were smooth and shiny. Being under 21 we enjoyed the freedom of sipping fine European beer and nibbling on bratwursts in a quaint Alpine beer haus. Needless to say, many trees were visited on the trip back up and over the mountains.

There’s a new German-style tavern in our West Seattle neighborhood called Prost! that reminded me of that little pub visited years ago in the Alps. In addition to Prost!’s fabulous beers (Franziskaner being my favorite) they have a selection of “brats and wursts” that are, in a word, outstanding. We sampled the Landjager, a German dry and smoked sausage, that was served with both a spicy and a grainy mustard. I don’t know which I liked better: the sausage or the mustard!

Reminiscing over that memorable trip and consuming the good beer and sausage at Prost! prompted me to make my own mustard at home.

Grainy Stout Mustard
Adapted from a recipe found in Saveur, January 2009

12 ounces stout beer
1 ½ cups brown mustard seeds
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground allspice

Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive mixing bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 24-48 hours. Transfer mixture to a blender or food processor. Process until seeds are coarsely ground and the mixture becomes thick. Ready for use immediately or store refrigerated in jars for up to 6 months.