Guest Post: LOUISE'S 'German Cuisine - but not as you know it'

as I am currently in the process of moving, I have found some lovely guest bloggers to take over for me until I'm all settled. today's guest blogger is Louise who blogs over at Beside the Danube, she's a lovely person and I really love the post she's done for today.

German Cuisine (but not as you know it!)

Ask your average Joe what springs to mind when asked to name German specialities and, most of the time, you’ll receive one of two answers: sausages and beer. While it’s true that German (and Bavarians, in particular) love a good Wurst washed down with a Hefeweizen, there’s so much more to German cuisine than first meets the eye.

After almost a decade studying the language, I spent a glorious year teaching English and eating more coffee and cake than ever ever ever medically advised in a pretty medieval city perched on the Danube. During my time in Regensburg, I sampled my fair share of German delicacies (beer and sausages not included). So here’s a little (vegetarian!) checklist of things not to miss out on should you find yourself visiting German lands.

1. Soup (Suppe)

Germany does comfort food well and I ate some of the best soups of my life during the cold Bavarian winter I spent there, where temperatures routinely dipped to – 20 C. Particular favourites included carrot and coconut soup and wild mushroom soup home-brewed with mushrooms from the Bavarian Forest. If you ever find yourself in Hamburg, be sure to take yourself to Oma’s Apotheke (Schanzenstrasse 28) for the creamiest, tastiest tomato soup you’ll ever eat in life. It’s even served in a bowl made of home baked bread!

2. Falafel (Falafel-Döner)

source

Most every German town and city will have one (or three,    or five, or twenty) Döner shops, open late into the night. Because of Germany’s large Turkish minority, the food served at these establishments is often of excellent quality and super tasty. For the vegetarians (like me), try the falafel wraps always on offer: healthier than your average Döner and absolutely delicious. Once I ate Döner Falafel two nights in a row. That’s how good it is.

3. Käsespätzle (the Bavarian’s answer to macaroni cheese)

Soaked in a creamy cheese sauce and topped with roasted shallots, Käsespätzle are Bavaria’s answer to macaroni and cheese. Spätzle are traditional Bavarian noodles made with little more than eggs, flour and salt. Vegetarian in a traditional Biergarten? Order these off the menu and you’ll never look at macaroni and cheese in the same way again!

4. Dampfnudeln

Dampfnudeln are kind of a big deal in Regensburg. One colleague would always invite me for these sweet, steaming dumplings drenched in warm custard after school, served in a traditional hole-in-the-wall called the Dampfnudel Uli. At first the thought of eating boiled bread with custard didn’t really appeal, but like any true Bavarian, I soon came to love this peculiar Bavarian delicacy – another dish perfect for cold winter afternoons.

5. Coffee and Cake (Kaffee und Kuchen)

Coffee and cake is a German tradition beloved by those with a sweet tooth (me! me!) The official Kaffee und Kuchen hour begins at 4pm and is a time for chatting, catching up and munching on the best cake in town. The families I grew to know and love in Germany baked some of wonderful sweet treats, but anyone visiting the country will be spoilt for choice with the endless bakeries and coffeehouses lining city avenues. Take the time to while away an hour or two with a slice of apple cake and a cup of Milchkaffee and you’ll not be disappointed.

I hope you’re as hungry as I am now! For more German-themed nostalgia and sentimental musings, visit my blog over at http://frauleinlouise.blogspot.com

Wishing Magdalena all the best in her big move to the UK!

thank you very much for your post Louise, I hope you all enjoyed this post, make sure to check out Louise's blog over at Besides the Danube.

RECENTLY #5

it's been a pretty long time since I've clicked on that 'new post' button to type something up myself. it's been a busy few weeks and I loved almost every second. 

thanks to some lovely people who did me a huge favour and wrote some guest posts it hasn't been too quiet over here on the blog. but I know it's about time I get on here again as it is my blog, there are still some guest posts to come and I'd love if some more bloggers would like to do some for me, there will always be slots available.

now, what have I been up to. on the first of september I moved into my new house, in a new city, in a now country even. last week I started university and I am absolutely loving it. I didn't go to any parties but I met lovely people on my course and my housemates are great. I'm missing home and my friends sometimes but I know they won't forget me and I won't forget them and see them again soon so I'm mainly happy to be here.

I've also got to terms with my new gas cooker, found the right temperature to make rice, so it's all good and I'm happy with my kitchen, even the spice cupboard is getting there and I've bought herbs for the window sill. 

I know there will be times when I'll regret moving so far away from my family and best friends but I know that it was the right thing to do. I hope that soon I'll have found a spot to take nice food pictures and managed to get into my cooking routine so that I'll be able to post more regularly, until then, bare with me and leave lovely comments for my guest bloggers.

Magdalena.

Guest Post #7: AMY'S PLUM AND ROSE CLAFOUTIS

as I am currently in the process of moving in and starting uni, I have found some lovely guest bloggers to take over for me until I'm all settled. today's guest blogger is Amy who blogs over at The Fresh Fresher, she's one of my favourite food bloggers and I'm really happy to have her over here today sharing a recipe with us.

East Meets West: Individual Plum and Rose Clafoutis

By Amy, aka The Fresh Fresher

The traditional French version of this dish calls for cherries, sugar and oodles of butter, but my inspiration for these flavours is, believe it or not, Polish. 

A long time ago a friend of mine gave me a piece of her Polish mother’s plum cake – a brown, fairly boring looking thing, it has to be said. But when I tasted it I could not believe all the sharp fruitiness tucked away inside. It was soft, spongy and subtle, unlike some British fruit cakes. Baked plums have been a go-to dessert for me ever since. It is amazing how only ten minutes of heat can completely transform this classic summer fruit into a tart and semi-healthy pudding.

I’d like to tell you that the inclusion of rose water has some inspiring back-story to it as well, but really it was just a gut feeling. I’m pretty glad I went with it!

The French origins of this recipe might make it sound complicated, but by cooking the clafoutis in portions is takes hardly any time at all. The clafoutis is really just a gooey pancake, after all (but don’t tell the French I said that). As a balanced fast-food blogger I know how to keep my cooking lazy, and trust me – if I can do it, so can you!

Plum and Rose Clafoutis (serves 2)

1 ripe plum, halved

2 free range eggs

20g caster sugar

1 tsp rosewater

2 tsp plain flour

Pinch of salt

A little butter for greasing

1. Preheat the oven to 200c. Lightly grease two ramekins or small oven-proof dishes and dust with a little flour. Place the plum halves cut-side down in each.

2. In a bowl whisk together the eggs and the sugar until you can no longer see granules in the mixture. Sieve in the flour and pinch of salt and whisk again until smooth. Pour the mixture evenly between the two dishes.

3. Cook in the oven for about 15 minutes, until the top looks completely set. Sprinkle with the rosewater and serve with an extra dusting of icing sugar or a little cream.

thank you very much for your post Amy, I hope you all enjoyed this post, make sure to check out Amy's blog over at The Fresh Fresher, you can also find her on twitter here.

Guest Post #6: MAX'S 'Favourite Things'

as I am currently in the process of moving, I have found some lovely guest bloggers to take over for me until I'm all settled. today's guest blogger is Max who blogs over at WhyAmINotSkinny, today she's going to share some of her favourite things with you.

Heya,

I am WhyIamNotSkinny, a South African who has been living in Brussels, Belgium for the last 5 years – and someone who believes that everything revolves around food! Living with HIM (my amazing Portuguese fiancé) and Trouble (my crazy black cat)… I am  happiest in the kitchen testing out a recipe, trying out a new restaurant or feeding my friends (all of which involve a glass of wine).

And these are a few items of my favourite things!:

1. 

I was recently given a set of 8 individual Le Creuset mini cocotte’s and am now in love with their fabulous colour array and versatility (I have made individual chicken pot pies as well as chocolate mousse in them) – plus they are oven-proof, dishwasher-proof and probably even alien-proof! So my eyes are now eagerly eyeing out the larger casserole cocotte’s…

2.

I know that summer is almost behind us (or at least in Brussels, the temperatures are starting to drop and the days are not as long as they once were)… but I am now yearning for my own little ice-cream maker… and I have heard some wonderful things about the Magimix Le Glacier Turbine ice-cream maker – apparently being easy to use and easy to clean – sounds *dreamy*

3.

Then of course – and not only because – but since HIM’s and my relationship flourished because of a local Italian restaurant, I have a very soft spot for homemade pasta… it is just something that I have never made myself and I find that the need is growing! Research seems to lean towards Imperia SP150 double cutter pasta machine being the best and most reliable on the market (with a fair amount of folk talking about owning theirs for 10 or more years already!)

4.

A favourite shop of mine in Brussels is Dille & Kamille offering an amazing assortment of house, garden and kitchen basics – all with natural materials, functional designs and an authentic feel! Everything from tea leaves to tagines to pot plants and teapots, they stock it all. It is a pure and utter decadence to wander around the store for and hour or two and I have never managed to walk out empty handed! EVER!

5.

Yuppiechef is a South African based online Kitchen tools shop started in 2006 by 2 good friends in Cape Town. In the meantime – they have acquired a third director and have become SA’s leading e-commerce store with a team over 50! My first experience with ordering with them online was prompt, efficient and super easy. *click click* and you are done. A few days later – you receive your parcel which includes your purchases, hand-wrapped, ribbon-decorated AND a personalized thank you letter for dealing with them. Now THIS is what I call service!

What is on your wish list?

thank you very much for your post Max, I hope you all enjoyed this post, make sure to check out Max's blog over at WhyAmINotSkinny, you can also find her on twitter here.

Guest Post #5: SOPHIE'S TUNA, CARROT AND CHEESE PATTIES

as I am currently in the process of moving, I have found some lovely guest bloggers to take over for me until I'm all settled. today's lovely guest post is by Sophie who blogs over at Soph-isticated, I am especially happy to have a fellow food blogger as my guest blogger today, let's see what recipe she's going to talk about.

Guest post by Sophie Broomfield

A 22 year old blogger from the West Midlands, UK; Sophie is the author of http://soph-isticatedblog.blogspot.co.uk/ a lifestyle and food blog.

A wonderful quick and healthy mid-week dish that you can make from store cupboard basics; I served mine with cajun spiced chips but would also go nicely with a fresh salad. 

Recipe makes 4 patties

Ingredients:

1 can of tuna in water
1 carrot, grated
½ onion finely chopped
50g wholemeal breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten
25g cheddar cheese, grated
Handful of fresh parsley, chopped
Pepper to taste

Recipe:

1. Preheat the oven to 180c and put a little bit of olive oil on a baking tray

2. Drain tuna, and put into a large mixing bowl and mash with a fork

3. Add in the grated carrots and cheese along with the onion, breadcrumbs, parsley, egg and pepper

4. Mix it all together

5. With your hands, shape the mixture into 4 patties and arrange on the baking tray

6. Bake for 20 minutes, turning the patties halfway through baking

Note: This recipe has been adapted from the Change4Life App

Follow me on Twitter

Follow my blog on bloglovin

thank you very much for your post Sophie, I hope you all enjoyed this post, make sure to check out Sophie's blog over at Soph-isticated, you can also find her on twitter here.

Guest Post #4: ERICA'S RASPBERRY WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

as I am currently in the process of moving to the UK I have found some lovely guest bloggers to take over for me while I'm without internet and without time. today's lovely guest post is by Erica of Being Erica, I'm really happy to have her as a guest on my blog as she's definitely one of my favourite bloggers. today she's going to share a cheesecake recipe with you, you can find more of her recipes here.

hey guys! so so sosososososososo happy to be guest posting over here on Mag's blog today simply because - well, I just LOVE her blog and salivate on a daily basis over the goodies she posts! so, here's hoping I do the same to you today! if you like what you see, please do pop on by my blog being erica and check out my other recipes. I hope you'll stay a while!

during the week, my friend carmen wouldn't stop going on about this amazing cheesecake that her mum had made her on the weekend. like, would not stop. so on saturday i decided that in celebration of my renewed bank balance, and through sheer boredom due to the two boys playing fifa in, and taking over my lounge room, that i would try my hand at my first ever, no-bake cheesecake.

it was so good. and i posted pics of it on instagram, and you all wanted a piece. so rather than send pieces all up and down the country (i totally would, you know.), here is the simple-as, 3-step recipe that - if i can follow it, is meant for children, or incredibly clever animals.

here's what you'll need:

//for the base//

16 digestives

125g unsalted butter

//for the filling//

200g light cream cheese

180ml double cream

100g icing sugar

160g white chocolate

1 punnet fresh raspberries

and here's how you'll do it:

*an amazing tip from carmen, because i don't (yet) have a hand blender, is to put the mixing bowl you'll use for the cream in the freezer before you start. something about the cold bowl helps whip the cream without actually having to do anything strenuous with a whisk. it was such a lifesaving trick! so do this first.

1. crush the digestives in a mixing bowl while you melt the butter in the microwave. combine the two, then pat into the bottom of a greased pan. pop this in the fridge for 30-40 minutes to set.

2. in a mixing bowl, combine the philly and the icing sugar. set to the side. in a separate mixing bow, melt your chocolate in the microwave. it will need a few minutes. finally, in your frozen mixing bowl, whisk up the double cream. combine them all into one bowl, and mix in 3/4 of the raspberries.

3. pour the delicious mixture over your biscuit base, and pop in the fridge to set for about an hour. to be fair, depending on how you like your cheesecake, you could chance it in under an hour. i did, and it was slightly sloppy. it was bloody marvellous, but ultimately, not set. the rest of the raspberries are for dressing your dish!

i've just now finished the desert, with the help of the two boys and my ravenous appetite, and after a full 24 hours in the fridge the topping was muuuuch firmer. fresh berries and some white chocolate gratings on top complete the dish, and voila, three steps and you're done! how easy!

so what do you think, easy? will you give this a try? tell me if you do!

thank you very much for your post Erica, I hope you all enjoyed this post, make sure to check out Erica's blog over at Being Erica, you can also find her on twitter here.

Guest Post #3: MERE'S 'Food: The Universal Language'

as I am currently in the process of moving, I have found some lovely guest bloggers to take over for me until I'm all settled. today's guest blogger is Meredith who blogs over at Mere Mai, she's written a really lovely post for my readers and I can't wait for you all to read it.

Hello everyone!

My name is Meredith, or "Mere," as I'm commonly known, and I do have my own blog called Mere Mai, but today I am thrilled to be guest posting here at Lullaby for Pies for the lovely Magdalena!

Recently I returned home from a trip abroad in Europe, and on my way home, we were stuck at the JFK Airport in New York City and our flight was delayed. We were groaning and complaining, just sitting in those lousy airport waiting seats at our gate. Yes, not my finest moment. And out of the blue, these two young men sitting next to us at the gate, who were clearly foreign, asked my mother in choppy English, what was going on with the flight delay. My mother kindly answered their question and in turn they awarded my mother a bag of juicy Turkish pears, explaining that they were moving to the US from Turkey.

At first my mother was hesitant to take the pears. From a young age, we're always taught, "don't take food or candy from strangers." However, the two young men seemed very friendly and also seemed like they really wanted us to try their pears, to sort of share a bit of their culture with us. So we took the small risk and ate the pears which were absolutely delightful and exactly what I needed while waiting for a delayed flight in a stuffy airport.

source

The two Turkish men continued to ask us questions about America, which we gladly answered while trying to decipher their English which they told us was "a work in progress." And I realized then that eating those pears, was sort of like a "peace offering" in a weird way. Although, we could hardly understand each other, and had to repeat ourselves two or three times each time we spoke, we could easily share a food, and exchange cultures.

That's one of the really neat things about food. There's no language barrier when you eat. Food is a way to communicate and share cultures, without ever needing to physically speak. It's a bit of a beautiful thing, really.

Thank you to Magdalena for having me on Lullaby for Pies today! I always love talking about food and Magdalena is absolutely lovely! Again, you can find me at my own blog called Mere Mai, if you're interested.

Have a nice day!

xx

Mere

thank you very much for your post Meredith, I hope you all enjoyed this post, make sure to check out Meredith's blog over at Mere Mai, you can also find her on twitter here.

Guest Post #2: SAMANTHA'S CHEESE AND GARLIC TIN LOAF

I am currently in the process of moving into my new house, this leaves me without internet meaning that I've decided to ask some bloggers to help me out and take over for me while I'm gone. today's lovely guest post is by Samantha of Planet Bake Life who has a very delicious bread recipe for you, I am really happy to have her on my blog today as she's a lovely person and a great baker.

Hi there everyone!

So I’d like to first introduce myself by saying that I am Samantha from PlanetBakeLife. Phew, now that’s out of the way, let’s have a little chat. Make yourself at home people, put up your feet and get cosy because this blog post will make you feel all homely on the inside. Let’s be honest, when people think of home they tend to think of fresh bread, hot and steaming from the oven. There is nothing to beat that smell.

Today I am going to show you how to make that bread in your very own home.

Now before you start grumbling that bread is hard to make and takes forever, I’d like you to take a deep breath and calm down. There is nothing scary about making bread and this recipe can be made in the morning or the night before, left in the fridge and baked when you get home. It’s super simple and super tasty and goes with almost everything but perhaps not with pickled fish and chocolate frosting cos that combo sounds a bit gross.

What You’ll Need:

250ml Water

60g Fresh Yeast (20-30g Instant Yeast)

1 Egg

10g Sugar

20g Crushed Garlic

150g Grated Cheese

Strong White Bread Flour

10g Salt

What You Need to Do:

1// You need to activate your instant yeast according to the instructions on the packet (or just chuck in your fresh yeast).

2// Pop your activated yeast, water, egg, sugar, crushed garlic and grated cheese into a good size bowl.  Pop about a cup and a half of the strong white bread flour into the bowl. If you’re hand kneading then use a spatula to mix the dough together or use an electric stand mixer on low speed to combine the ingredients.

3// Slowly add more flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. When this happens, you’ve got a good water to flour ratio.

4// If you’re using a stand mixer, this is the time you want to kick the speed up one or two notches for 5 minutes. If you’re hand kneading then turn your dough onto a floured surface and begin to knead for 15-20 minutes. If the dough gets sticky again, slowly a bit of flour but don’t go over board otherwise you’ll get a hard loaf.

5// Pop your dough back into the bowl, cover with cling film and put in a draft free, warm area to rise for an hour or until doubled. I like to use the microwave (not turned on obviously) because it’s insulated.

6// When your bread has risen, turn it out onto a floured surface and then weigh out your loaves. You should get two decent size loaves from this size dough mixture. I oil my bread tins with olive oil before popping in my dough so it doesn’t stick.

7// Pop the bread tins somewhere warm to rise again for another 30 minutes or doubled in size.

8// Preheat your oven to around 190°C and pop your bread in for 30 minutes. When you take the bread out of the tins, tap the bottom and if it sounds hollow, you’re good, if not then pop them back in for another 5 minutes.

Now if this cheesy, garlicy bread doesn’t get your mouth watering half way through then you need to check your nostrils because this bread is fantastic in every way. I urge you to make at least two batches of this because the neighbours will pop by unexpectedly and demand a slice of whatever they can smell. Yeah. It’s that good.

You can also add some seeds to the top if you’d like.

Crack an egg into a bowl, add a few drops of water and whisk together. Then use the egg wash to brush over the top of the loaves and sprinkle with your topping of choice. I like to add sesame seeds for the crunch and subtle flavour, but the bread is amazing just on it’s own too.

Enjoy!

Samantha

thank you very much for your post Samantha, I hope you all enjoyed this post, make sure to check out Samantha's blog over at PlanetBakeLife, you can also find her on twitter here. 

Guest Post #1: MICHELLE'S EASY BANANA CAKE

as I am currently in the process of moving, I have found some lovely guest bloggers to take over for me until I'm all settled. today's guest bloggers is Michelle who blogs over at Satchels and Pears, I am really happy to have her on the blog today as she's one of my favourite blogging ladies.

Hi everyone. I'm Michelle and I blog over at Satchels and Pearls. My blog is mainly lifestyle orientated, throwing a little bit of beauty and pregnancy in to the twist as well.
I just want to say a big thank you to Magdalena for allowing me to guest post on her blog whilst she moves over to the UK! I hope to be seeing her shortly too!

I thought I would share with you an easy banana cake recipe which doesn't take long to prepare not long to bake, and goes fabulously with a nice cup of tea!

What you will need:

175g butter (or margarine as I used)

100g light soft brown sugar

75g caster sugar

225g self raising flour

half a teaspoon of baking powder

half a teaspoon of ground ginger

one teaspoon of cinnamon

half a teaspoon of vanilla extract

3 large eggs

2 medium bananas (I think the black, ripe ones are best)

and soft brown sugar to top the cake before it goes in the oven

What to do:

- cream the light soft brown sugar, caster sugar and butter together



- beat the eggs and add the vanilla extract

- mix the dry ingredients together; flour and spices with the baking powder

- add half of the beaten eggs, along with half of the dry ingredients in with the creamed butter and sugar mixture, keep beating until there are no lumps and all the dry ingredients are combined with the wet

- mash the bananas until there are no lumps

- add the mashed banana mixture to the cake batter

- pour the cake batter into a greaseproof paper lined tin (can be a loaf tin if desired)

- sprinkle with soft brown sugar

- bake at 180/160 fan assisted/gas mark 4 for approximately an hour (always best to test after around 45 minutes with a skewer to see if it's cooked)

- leave to cool on a wire rack or in the tin before serving

And hey presto!

You have a lovely banana loaf cake which goes well with afternoon tea!

What do you think of my cake recipe?

thank you very much for your post Michelle, I hope you all enjoyed this post, make sure to check out Michelle's blog over at Satchels and Pearls, you can also find her on twitter here.

#48 MEDITERRANEAN 'SHEPHERD'S PIE'

this is actually a recipe I 'created' a few weeks back, you can see it being mentioned here. I am sorry it took me a while to get around to posting it but that's what seems to happen with many recipes lately. however, I also thought it would be appropriate to post it now as I've just moved to the UK and this is most definitely inspired by the british cuisine. I have to say though, that I have only once before eaten an actual shepherd's pie made in a proper british way, so this version is really just what came to my mind when I thought I'd make a shepherd's pie.

now, I wouldn't know how to make an actual shepherd's pie, as I said, but this version is definitely incredibly easy as well as good for the summer as it's quite light and fresh. it's also really versatile, the day I made it, me and my mum had it as a main meal in the evening which was really nice, but I also decided to make some in little oven proof dishes to keep. these kept in the fridge for about two days and were great as a light dinner with a big salad. I also thought it would be lovely to serve them as a starter if you're having a proper meal, they're definitely not too heavy for it.

Mediterranean 'Shepherd's Pie'

for two normal size ones

250 g mince

4 carrots

start by boiling your potatoes until they're soft, this will depend on the size of the potatoes you're using but it'll take about 30 minutes. then, take the mince out of the fridge to bring it to room temperature.

then, take your carrots and onions and chop them finely to create little pieces.

heat up some oil in a pan, add carrots and onions first and then the mince, fry until the mince has browned, then add the stock and leave it to simmer over low temperature.

when the potatoes are done, peel them and mash them, then add the parmesan, butter and nutmeg and make a smooth mash.

preheat the oven to about 160°C

when the stock has reduced, take your oven proof dishes and fill them about half way with the mince mixture.

now, grate your courgette and finely chop your tomatoes, arrange them on top of the mince making sure to leave space for the mash.

finish it off with the parmesan mash, then you can put your shepherd's pies in the oven, they'll need about 15-20 minutes, be patient, they're better when you give them more time at a lower temperature.

once you've waited long enough, take them out of the oven and enjoy whatever way you want if it's as a main or a start, but be careful! HOT!

Magdalena.