Thursday, July 28, 2011

Out of the kitchen & out of the country


bier
 Recently we visited Germany and—along with copious amounts of German beer—enjoyed lots of local foods.

A foodie who marries another foodie (who happens to be a beer snob) is bound to have culinary adventures, particularly when on holiday.

Unfortunately, the camera was not handy when we devoured what had to be The Best liverwurst I have ever had, freshly made at the Pinkus Mueller Brewery in Muenster. We also missed the opportunity to take pictures of pfifferling (commonly known as chanterelle), which was in season. We were also fortunate enough to enjoy the very end of white asparagus season.


schnitzel with mushroom sauce
&  spaetzle
Needless to say, we had our share of wienerschnitzel and spaetzle (served my favorite way, with mushroom sauce), soft pretzels (the waiter was appalled when I asked for mustard!) and my husband's favourite: schweinshaxe.
A lovely dinner: schweinshaxe for my husband, and pike with pfifferling and lemon sauce—spectacular flavor
schnitzel mit"tots"
Several dishes we ordered came with a version of fried potato we fondly referred to as "tots" (a nod to Napolean Dynamite).

These crunchy bits of deliciousness were tasty, but not really my thing, as I tend to prefer my pototoes roasted, not fried, and preferably with the skin intact.
  
We also set out to taste many versions of apfelstrudel. Of all the strudel we had the most interesting was served with the typical vanilla sauce and fresh whipped cream, but also some sort of ice cream and honeydew melon:


apfelstrudel with mystery ice cream
& honeydew melon

In addition to the food, some of the best times were spent walking, hiking, exploring and recollecting. It was always nice to come back to a cold beer and a snack.


cold bier + apfelstrudel = happy

What's more, all that fresh air and walking made us all the more ready to sit down and enjoy a good meal—to the very last bite.

no caption necessary