Last week, I had the privilege of attending a bread baking course with Zen Master Edward Espe Brown during the FAQ Bregenzerwald. Edward, who made the journey all the way from San Francisco, wrote a legendary bread bible in the 70s, unfortunately long out of print. There are still a few copies being sold at very steep prices on Amazon.
We all have many childhood memories. Beautiful images reminding us of special moments, with special people, eating special food. Fruit loaves always remind me of St. Nicholas, Christmas and visits at my grandma’s.
For men it’s the pub crawl. For women it’s brunch. That’s how it used to be, at least. In German-speaking countries, the ladies don’t brunch but instead hold something called a “Kaffeekränzchen”, which is essentially like brunch, but with coffee and cake. The name, literally meaning “coffee crown”, stems from a crown bequeathed onto the victors of shooting competitions during Lent. The name lost its original meaning over the 16th and 17th centuries and eventually covered get-togethers of varying kinds, but the one remaining original rule was that the participants, by their mere presence, made a commitment to organise the subsequent meeting.
An Easter brunch that agrees with you? Yes! And it has nothing to do with a family get-together that could end up in a screaming argument – quite the contrary. We’re talking about a brunch with something for everyone, whether you’re with the vegan, lactose-free or gluten-free tribe.
It’s been a while since my trip to Iceland and I did want to tell you a little story about elves and trolls and that great island’s culinary highlights – with the most breathtaking backdrop I’ve ever seen (New Zealand coming in at a close second). But that will have to wait. In the meantime, here are a few impressions…
In my last post, I talked a little bit about the Low Carb thing. This time, I’ll focus on the paleo or caveman diet. Around two weeks ago, I was at the Allergy & Free From expo in Berlin and came across the amazing Eat Performance booth, exclusively offering paleo products. As the paleo diet is grain-free, it is naturally gluten-free and mostly low carb, so ideal for my needs. I tasted a heavenly luscious banana-vanilla cake made with tapioca flour and was particularly fascinated by the large variety of flour alternatives and how creative cooking and baking can be.
Bread at the push of a button. Next Generation? – No, already here! How does it work? Just like a capsule-operated espresso maker: Fill up the tank with water, slide the capsule into the compartment, press start and watch the baking programme run its course! It’s not quite as fast as an espresso, but it gives you delicious, crispy bread inside of 2 hours. Isn’t this unbelievable? I was blown away when I first heard about it at the Allergy & Free From expo in Berlin. This concept is just the thing for coeliacs and other gluten-avoiders – fresh, gluten-free bread at the push of a button. A very rare luxury indeed.
No, these aren’t biscuits – but they are still sweet and incredibly delicious: my quinoa rolls, made from red quinoa and dates. They are the ideal healthy between-meal snack for a long workday or for the kids at school. They will keep you feeling fuller longer and provide you with plenty of protein and fibre.
Wraps are a quick and delicious in-between snack and can be filled with a variety of colourful ingredients. Unfortunately, Vienna hasn’t really caught on to the gluten-free wrap trend yet. Cornmeal wraps would be great as well. Wrapstars had the genius idea of selling wraps filled with the most superior ingredients directly from their very stylish food truck.
A deliciously rich feast for the palate during the holiday season This one must be one of the quickest and healthiest recipes I’ve ever come across. It happened after a 24-hour flight to Sydney: I was with my host family and completely jet lagged. I just wanted to go to sleep, but Alicia, my host “sister”, had already organised an elaborate coffee and cake affair with all her friends. One of the dishes on the table was the heavenly date loaf. That was last year, just before Christmas and this year, with Christmas just around the corner again, I couldn’t get this bread out of my head. I’ve never really tried making it myself before, but now that I have, I’m certain it will make a frequent appearance on my dinner table.
Have you been good this year? At least some of the time? Then you’re getting a little goody-bag for St. Nicholas Day! And since “stubborn, sassy and grumpy” can be exhausting as well, the less goody-two-shoe among you will get a horde of Brioche-Krampus snacks. They’re really way too delicious to be given out as any kind of punishment but are an ideal gift for St. Nicholas and pre-Christmas celebrations. So start your ovens early…
If there’s one thing I’ve truly missed ever since I was diagnosed with coeliac disease, it’s brioche buns, or, as they call them in the east of Austria, Striezel. Not that the shape or the terminology matter – it’s the dough. As a kid on my way to school, I stopped at the baker’s to get a fresh bun or “Milchbrötle” every morning. It tasted best slathered in butter and honey accompanied by cold cocoa. Until recently, I’ve only found one coeliac-friendly alternative to this that actually had an acceptable flavour, and that’s the gluten-free brioche croissants by Resch & Frisch. But now I’ve got one better: I asked my lovely friend Zola, a trained pastry chef, if she wanted to take up the challenge of creating a gluten-free bun. She did. And she did! What an unbelievably delicious creation. Bow your heads, ladies and gents.
