Cooking and travel blog by Gerlinde de Broekert

Zwetschgenmus or Spiced Plum Butter

9/13/2018

When I was a child, we had several plum trees in our garden. One variety was called Zwetschgen, similar to the prune. Our Zwetschgen tree would overflow with fruit and our family would make Zwetschgenmus (aka spiced plum butter) in a huge copper kettle that was heated by a piece of burning wood from underneath. We would have big glass canning jars with rubber rings in our pantry filled with delicious plum butter.

As children we could not get enough of this sweet, rich and gooey plum butter spread on country bread and topped with schmand. The best way to describe schmand is a fresh cream that is similar to Créme Fraîche or whipping cream. I used greek yogurt on my sandwich .
In this country we call Zwetschgen Italian plums and they are seldom available where I live . You can imagine how happy I was when I found them in a local food stand. I bought all they had and made two different batches of Zwetschgenmus and baked two different cakes.

My Zwetschegenmus is a tartly rich and earthy-tasting fruit butter with a slight taste of cinnamon and allspice. These sour little plums (without much juice or flavor) once baked turn into an amazingly flavorful treat. It’s like the frog that turns into a prince. For the Zwetschgenmus, I chose a recipe from Louisa Weiss’s Classic German Baking book. I have to say it turned out just as good as Helga Papas,’ my village neighbor who has made it for decades in Germany and always shared some with my family. My brother is especially fond of it and I will keep a jar for him to eat when he comes to visit me this year. If you see this little unpretentious plum in a store next to their juicy voluptuous cousins, don’t pass them by. You will not regret it when you have a spoonful of Zwetschgenmus.

click here for the recipe

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Paris in July and Eiskaffe

9/4/2018

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I have an everlasting love for Paris. I discover something new every time I go there and fall in love with it all over again. Click over to my wanderlust blog and read about my last trip to Paris. (Sorry for any inconvenience, but my Wanderlust blog doesn’t send emails to notify you of new blog entries.)

As a treat, I will give you an iced coffee drink that was my absolute favorite when I was a young student. This was long before the era of Starbucks & today’s coffee culture. In those days, Europe had café-bakeries. A good cup of coffee was considered a luxury, so many people drank fake coffee (chicory) because the real stuff wasn’t available, especially in East Germany. Giving someone a pound of good coffee was a great gift. At that time, I wasn’t much of a coffee drinker, but I always loved to have an Eiskaffee (cold coffee with ice cream). As a young student, I was living mostly on french fries with mayonnaise (I switched to ketchup when I came to this country) which was sold from stands on every corner. You could also get currywurst, a sausage topped with ketchup and sprinkled with curry and paprika. However, when I had some extra money, I would treat myself to an Eiskaffee in a fancy coffee house. Whenever I am in Germany in the summertime, I revive memories by having this delicious drink. On my last trip to Europe, my friends from Switzerland took us to Lake Konstanze, which borders Switzerland and Germany. We had a lovely outdoor lunch with a view of the lake, and for dessert we ordered Eiskaffee. What a fun afternoon with good food and good friends. I know the hot weather is mostly over, but enjoy this treat anyway with a friend or loved one. It’s a great way to use up leftover cold coffee. Think of it as a coffee milkshake, only better.

All you need is :

a tall glass
1 scoop vanilla ice cream
1 cup or cold coffee
½ cup or less whipped cream
1 tube-shaped wafer cookie (Trader Joe’s has some good ones).

Scoop the vanilla ice cream into a tall glass.
Poor the cold coffee over the ice cream.
Top with whipped cream and a cookie.

You can sweeten your whipped cream or coffee and add some shaved chocolate to garnish.

Guten Appetit, my friends
recipe by ©sunnycovechef.com

Click here to read about my latest trip to Paris.

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Five years of Blogging

7/21/2018

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Five years of blogging. It is unbelievable how time flies. Wasn’t it just yesterday that my girlfriend took me to a local bookstore to hear an author read about cooking and living in Berlin. When the evening was over, I was mesmerized. The book was My Berlin Kitchen, and the author was Luisa Weiß, who also has a blog called The Wednesday Chef. Even though she is much younger than I am, there are many things she wrote about that I can relate to—her love for Berlin and German cooking comes through loud and clear.
Click here for the crêpe recipe

A recipe for crêpes stuffed with goat cheese and shiitake mushrooms was one of my first posts. I made it many times over the years..

Me, blogging? I never would have considered blogging myself, but I did. And now it is a part of my life that gives me great pleasure and deep satisfaction, not to mention the many virtual friends I have made in the blogging world. Most mornings I read new posts from all over the world, which leaves me feeling connected and freed from the worries of my life. Thank you, my friends, for encouraging me and sharing your lives with me.
Click here for the quesadillas post

My duck quesadillas won a prize at one of my favorite restaurants in town.

At one point, I was thinking about redoing my website, but I didn’t. Maybe if I find the right person to help, I will make some necessary changes. But right now, I am happy with what I have. I continue to be amazed at how many thousands of people visit my little blog. It makes me a bit more careful and I do worry about the mistakes I make.
Click her for the warm goat cheese and roasted garlic dip.

My friends enjoy slurping up this goat cheese appetizer, roasted in olive oil with a lot of garlic and fresh herbs.

When I started this blog, one of my goals was to organize my recipes that were often on scattered pieces of paper with scribbled notes, full of ingredients and additions to the recipe that were difficult to decipher. Now I am able to quickly pull up a recipe when I need one. I like that very much, as it takes the guesswork out of cooking the recipes I use most.
One common thread that runs through my recipes are that my desserts are not overly sweet. I cut down on the sugar as much as I can. I love sweets but my body doesn't, it's not fair. Many of my desserts have nuts in them. Anything with chocolate improves my day.
Click her to visit my chocolate tart post

Chocolate Tart , it satisfies your chocolate cravings.

I love different flavors in my main dishes, and there is always some sort of sauce in my fridge. Whether it’s a Romnesco or a green sauce, vegetables are usually the main ingredients. I love trying new flavors and ingredients. I don’t like my food to be boring.
Click here for my Schnitzel bonanza

This Jägerschnitzel (hunters pork chops) has the right amount of sauce for me.

Thanks to all of you for showing an interest and connecting with me through my cooking and Wanderlust blog. I enjoy the company and hope that I am able to share tidbits of my life, my cooking, and my traveling a little while longer with you.
Gerlinde aka the Sunnycovechef

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Apricot Bliss and Roasted Apricot Sorbet

7/6/2018

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Those of you who follow my blog know I love apricots. I love to bake with them, make dumplings with them, and my apricot jam is an all-time favorite among my friends and family. The year is 2018 and it has been apricot season for several weeks here in northern California. My friend at the farmer’s market sold me some delicious apricots. But not a whole crate like I used to get from a fruit stand in the Central Valley of California. But it was enough to have a week of apricot bliss.

My goal is to add a new apricot recipe to my blog every year. Originally, I had planed to make an Italian roasted apricot ice cream recipe I saw in a magazine called La Cucina Italiana. Unfortunately, I can't find the recipe. This is one of the reasons I have my blog, so that I always have access to my favorite recipes. I think of it as my own personal cookbook. I do like the apricot sorbet I am posting now. It’s easy to make and captures the flavor of apricots in a delicious way. Like most of my desserts, it is not too sweet, but the fruity tart flavor is a great substitute for the lack of sweetness. The apricots are roasted whole and the extra dried apricots contribute more flavor and sweetness.

Every year, I make apricot jam. It is a recipe from Alice Waters' beautiful book Chez Panisse Fruit. I tweaked the recipe for the jam, which I use when I bake, over ice cream, and perhaps a spoonful all by itself.
It is absolutely divine, click here for the recipe

With my surplus apricots, I made a delicious galette using my blueberry galette recipe. It uses almonds in the dough and for the bottom of the crust. This is an easy recipe that can be made with different fruits such as plums, peaches and more.
I happened to have some olalliebeeries that I added to my apricots.
Click here for the recipe.

My German apricot cake (Aprikosenkuchen} has always been well-liked and will be a real treat with the roasted apricot sorbet. The added marzipan in the cake really does the trick.
This is apricot bliss!
Click here for the recipe.

The apricot dumplings are my personal favorite because I happen to love dumplings. They are called Mariellenknödel in Austria and are considered a delicacy.
It is not just a dessert, it is a whole meal.
Click for the recipe here.

If you are looking for a light but very tasty meal, this apricot, shrimp and jicama salad is for you.
Click for the recipe here.

I made my apricot cobbler twice because it is my husband’s favorite.
Click here for the recipe.

review recipe for Apricot Sorbet

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Waikiki and Summer Salads

6/11/2018

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Waikiki

You all know the special love I feel for the Hawaiian Islands, with their turquoise warm Pacific Ocean and beautiful beaches. From my home in California the islands are within a relatively easy reach. You still have to get on a plane, but for less than five hours, which is enough time for a good read and a little snooze. My goal is to post about all the islands I have visited over the last 30 years. Click here to continue reading about my trip to Wakiki and some new eating places I discovered.

The Beach by the Royal Hawaiian Hotel

Photo by Deb Ryan

This farro salad is perfect for any picnic, barbecue or a healthy lunch for work. Enjoy !
Click here for the recipe
.

I am making my German-American green bean and potato salad for an upcoming party. It's a tasty salad made with a warm oil and vinegar dressing. I like to serve this salad with baked salmon and romesco sauce on the side. Click here for the recipe

This is one of my favorite salads that I have made for many years. If green asparagus is no longer available, you can use roasted eggplant. The recipe is from the original Greens cook book from the restaurant of the same name in San Francisco's historic Ford Mason. It has pioneered vegetarian cooking since the 1970s. I love it. It's a real treat and so is this salad. Click here for the recipe.

a link to my Waikiki post

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Asparagus Frittata

5/31/2018

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If you want a meal that is ready in 20 minutes, this frittata is it. It’s a simple dish, yet full of flavor and somewhat elegant. Serve this with your favorite salad and you have a light, healthy meal for brunch, lunch or dinner. It makes a great leftover to take to work, as you don’t even have to heat it up. Frittata is arguably better at room temperature or cold. I just had the last piece for breakfast.

Think of a frittata as an Italian version of an an open-face omelette, a crustless quiche or scrambled eggs. Wikipedia tells me that frittata roughly translates to “fried”.

We have beautiful, fresh asparagus at our farmer’s market and I have been eating it roasted, steamed, and in salads. I also made a soup, but the recipe needs more work before I'll post it.

I love to talk about food wherever I am and am blown away by how many people tell me that they don’t cook. Maybe that’s why so many younger people have food allergies and digestive problems. I am not a scientist, so I don’t know, but it wouldn’t surprise me if there is a correlation between the two. Today's world is so hectic, and who knows, maybe I wouldn’t cook either if I had children, a full-time job, and a long commute every day. So for all you hard-working people out there, this is a recipe you can make.

view the recipe for asparagus frittata

Click here for a link to an older post for savory crustless muffins .

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Roasted Rhubarb and Strawberry Ice Cream

5/17/2018

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For weeks, I have been obsessed with rhubarb and have been using it in different recipes (as evident in my last post). The more I play with rhubarb, the more fun I have. As a finale for this year's rhubarb season, I am posting my recipe for roasted rhubarb and strawberry ice cream. It took me several tries to come up with this recipe. The strawberry flavor dominates the ice cream, but there there is a hint of rhubarb when you eat it. It has a rich, refreshing taste full of flavor as it melts in your mouth. I hope you enjoy this special treat as much as I do. Just remember, it is not as sweet as most ice creams.

Roasted rhubarb and strawberry ice cream

I roasted the rhubarb following a recipe from The Spruce Eats. It only calls for 2 tsp of brown sugar and 3 tsp orange juice for each pound of rhubarb. I increased the amount of orange juice in my recipe to about ½ cup and ended up with a delicious tart compote, perfect for making ice cream. Here is the link to the recipe and some more information on rhubarb.

Over the years, I have made ice cream and sorbet in my old, noisy ice cream maker that I bought 30 years ago. We keep it in the garage where it does a marvelous job of churning out special treats year after year. Homemade ice cream tastes best when it comes fresh out of the machine, but it is still good after several weeks in the freezer. Just let it come up to room temperature before eating it.

yogurt cream, yogurt mousse, rhubarb strawberry ice cream and rhubarb compote.

Here is a recipe I posted a couple of years ago for lemon sorbet made with buttermilk and lemon juice. It is easy to make and a refreshing treat after a heavy meal.

recipe for roasted rhubarb and strawberry ice cream

recipe for yogurt mousse

recipe for buttermilk lemon sobert

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Rhubarb Compote with Yogurt Cream and or Yogurt Mousse

5/7/2018

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When I was in Germany I came across these interesting recipes that I would like to share with you. It’s a yogurt cream that you can also turn into a mousse by adding gelatin. As soon as I was back in my kitchen at home I started to experiment with these recipes and I am happy to say that I am now ready to post them. You can adjust this recipe to your taste by adding more sugar or lemon zest. It is made in minutes, just remember it is not supposed to be sweet. Surprisingly, my husband likes both recipes and he really has a sweet tooth. One night, my other testers preferred the cream. Of course, you can just make the compote and eat it with ice cream. Whatever you choose, I hope you enjoy this treat as much as I do.

Yogurt Cream with Rhubarb Compote and Raspberries

The rhubarb compote is sweetened with apple juice and some sugar. Once the rhubarb is cooked the liquid is reduced to a syrup. This is a light and delicious spring dessert.

Rhubarb Compote

Rhubarb is a seasonal favorite both in Europe and North America. It is technically a vegetable, but is considered a fruit. Rhubarb stalks will show up in stores and the farmer’s markets from April to June. It comes in in different colors; the ones you find in a store are usually red, but it can also be pale green. It will taste the same despite the different colors. Rhubarb is extremely tart, and is normally cooked and often paired with strawberries or other fruit. Children in Scandinavia will dip the stalk in sugar and eat it raw. The leaves of rhubarb are poisonous, so don't eat them.

Yogurt Mousse with Rhubarb Compote and Raspberries

click here to preview the recipes for rhubarb compote, yogurt cream , and yogurt mousse

Here are some more rhubarb recipes from my previous posts click on the images for the recipes

A German Rhubarb, Strawberry , Meringue Cake

This Rhubarb Strawberry Hazelnut Crisp is easy to make and I love it, especially with ice cream.

Rhubarb, Strawberry, Hazelnut Crisp

And last but not least let's not forget Robert's delicious Rhubarb-Strawberry Pie

Rhubarb-Strawberry Pie

I hope all of you are well my friends and get to sit around the dinner table for a meal to share wherever you are.

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My Easter Trip to Germany

4/24/2018

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This year’s Easter trip to Germany was wonderful. I had a good time being in the village where I grew up, in spite of some bittersweet moments. But I was able to revisit old times with friends and family—and we laughed and cried together. This is why I go back to Germany, so that I can feel my roots, full of priceless memories and stories, as well as traditions. One of them is the Easter Fire in my village, when we burn away the cold winter and bad spirits and welcome Spring—an old pre-Christian tradition. It is always fun, even though it was bitterly cold this year.

The first week, I stayed at our old family farm in my niece’s pied à terre. I went to all the old familiar places, like the farmer’s market in the town of Northeim, 6 miles away from my village. Göttingen is an old university town 10 miles away where they have a cute Easter Market at the center square by the Gänselisel (a girl named Lisel herding geese) fountain.

I grew up in this farmhouse

While in Göttingen, I always have a currywurst at a 40-year old kiosk that is known to all the locals. Whenever possible I have a cappuccino and some sweets at the konditorei Cron& Lanz. They have the best home-baked goods I have ever tasted. (Read about them on an older blog post.)

I took my girlfriend’s daughter out to lunch 7 miles from my village. Located below the ruins of a 1000 year old old castle, the Hardenberg Burghotel has a nice restaurant and hotel with beautiful grounds to wander around in. They have an equestrian facility and dressage training and competition. As a child I often hiked around the castle grounds. I even had my first kiss there.

Then I went to Lüneburg for a short visit to see my niece and her husband. Lüneburg is such a beautiful and livable town. I always enjoy walking around and discovering new treasures like the City Hall of Lüneburg. Behind a baroque façade (facing the market) is the biggest City Hall in northern Germany dating back to the 14th century. Yet another chamber was built in the 13th century. Since Lüneburg was one of the few towns not to be bombed during WW2, some of the original furniture is still there for us to admire.

My three days in Berlin were much warmer as the weather improved. I met with friends and family and saw a beautiful production of the opera, Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), in the new Staatsoper. It was such a treat.

The Kulturbraueri is a former brewery that was not destroyed in the war. There are eleven large brick buildings converted into museums, several theaters , restaurants and office space. It is located in the electic Prenzlauerberg district near the Mauerpark. This is a great area to explore and eat good food.

On my last evening, back at my hotel, I had dinner at Lutter and Wegner , enjoying the Gerdamenmarkt and the warm weather.

Time flies and before I knew it, it was time to catch a train to Frankfurt and fly home. I had planned to stay in Frankfurt overnight and do some shopping, but due to a strike, my flight was canceled. I was able to catch an earlier flight to the US before chaos set in, and hundreds more flights were canceled. I was proud of my quick reactions of getting on a new flight within an hour. This old girl can still do it with the help of a friendly check-in person at the United counter. Thank you! I did end up landing in San Francisco at 1:30 am and being picked up by a tired husband, bless his heart.

Special thanks goes to my friend, Herr Lindner, the concierge at the Westin Grand Hotel in Berlin, who not only got me two tickets for the opera, but always helps me with my two girls. He makes my life very easy when staying at the hotel. I even called him from the airplane shortly before takeoff for the US and he gave me the number for the hotel in Frankfurt, so I could cancel my reservation. I hope the Westin realizes what a special person Herr Lindner is. He goes above and beyond the call of duty.

Hopefully I get to visit my friends and family again. In the meantime , if you are looking some good food, try my roasted halibut with butternut squash coulis , edamame and mushroom sauce. It's a great light meal for warmer days.

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Introducing Kohlrabi/ A Vegetarian Delight

3/20/2018

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Kohlrabi has been a staple of German cuisine for hundreds of years. It was bred as a hardier version of cruciferous vegetables to grow in harsh conditions. In Germany it is a basic staple that everyone knows and can afford. You can find kohlrabi in almost every German garden. Even though I am not usually into trends and food fads, who knows, kohlrabi could be the next kale!

Kohlrabi tastes similar to a broccoli stem, but with the flavor of cabbage—almost like radish crossed with jicama. It has a crisp and crunchy texture when eaten raw. According to the internet, kohlrabi has amazing health claims and is low in calories. It is full of nutrients and minerals like copper, potassium, manganese, iron and calcium, and other vitamins. Kohlrabi promotes digestive health and helps with weight management. Do not mistake kohlrabi for a rutabaga or a turnip. It’s almost impossible to find in California grocery stores.

Kohlrabi is one of the most versatile vegetables around. My husband likes kohlrabi raw, thinly sliced. You can easily add it to any salad or soup. The leaves can be steamed like most greens, although I have not tried that. I was super excited when I found out that “Route 1,” a local organic farm, was selling kohlrabi at the Westside farmer’s market (on Saturday morning) here in Santa Cruz. I bought several bunches last week and two more this week.

My favorite recipe for kohlrabi is the one I made with my mother when would visit her in Germany. Basically, it’s meatballs cooked with kohlrabi in a white sauce. Here’s the link to one of my earliest posts:

I found a vegetarian recipe using kohlrabi on a German website that I liked. The kohlrabi is hollowed out and stuffed with a mixture of spinach and feta cheese. The kohlrabi stays firm and crunchy and compliments the soft stuffing. The sauce is made from the hollowed out kohlrabi meat mixed with the cooking water and some cream. This dish makes an impressive lunch or dinner. I ate it for lunch for a week since I had to work on the recipe and enjoyed it while losing a couple of pounds.

I am on my way to Germany to visit friends and family for two weeks. I hope you all have a wonderful Easter holiday. Here are some previous posts where I celebrated Easter in Germany and some ideas for you to make something special for your loved ones.