Brunch at the "Café Butter" - A neighborhood corner café (Berlin, Germany)

Everyone has their favorite coffeeshop, may it be because of the comfy armchairs, the free wifi, the nice music, the great coffee and tea selection :) I like this corner café especially because of its location and atmosphere.

Café Butter - the Corner Café

• Location: It is located in the nice area of Prenzlauer Berg in Berlin, at a corner of a side street, a little away from the hustle and bustle of the main touristic streets and train stations. 
• Atmosphere: When you go inside, it does not have the traditional "trashy" character of Berlin, but a nice old-style rustic/romantic atmosphere. They have a little elevated seating area, a few steps up from the ground, where you can sit right next to the window - my favorite spot :)  
• Food/Drinks: They also do have great food and a great tea selection. As I am not a coffee person, tea is really important to me :) Their tea selection includes some nice not so common oolong and white teas. The "Oolong Orange" is currently my favorite. They also offer a few dishes including "Schnitzel" (fried cutlets) and "Knödel" (dumplings), cheese and meat platters, egg dishes, soups, salads, etc. and also a changing weekly menu with some specials. The food tastes fresh, homemade and very flavorful. On the weekends they offer a brunch buffet. 
• Cons: No wifi, however, you can always bring company or a book to keep you busy :)

Great Tea Selection:

• Earl Gray (the classic black tea with bergamot oil)
• Oolong Orange (oolong tea with orange blossoms)
• Li Zi Xiang (silverleave green tea)
• Morgenzauber (green tea with sunflower leaves, roses and cornflower blossoms)
• Silberstück (green and white tea with bamoo leaves, roses, marigold and spearmint)
• Rooibos tea

 

The Brunch Buffet Experience

• On saturdays, they have the rolls from the bakery next door which are nice. They offer a great variety of dishes including a plate with deli meats, cheeses, cream cheeses, salmon, tomatoes/mozarella, and  fruits. They also offer some interesting not so common salads (lentil, curry, potato-apple, etc.). They also have some warm dishes including scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, sausage links, fried cream cheese rolls, and wings. They also have waffles and a table with dessert bowls including different kinds of pudding, yoghurt, fruits, red fruit jelly, chocolate mouse, vanilla cream, etc.  Sometimes they also offer freshly made crepes. Drinks are not included in the buffet. However, as mentioned they have a good tea selection. They also have fresh pressed orange juice, mimosas, and smoothies :)

 Improvement Ideas:

• Their bread/ roll selection is minimalistic, only white bread. I would have enjoyed some variety, some seeded rolls or bread, maybe a croissant. Also, none of the dessert bowls are labeled, and as many have the same color, it is quite difficult to figure out what is what... Also, I do not believe the waffles are fresh made, but they still tasted delicious :)

I highly recommend this corner café :)

My Mom's "Paniertes Schnitzel" (pan-fried breaded pork loin cutlet)

This is a classic and delicious German dish, breaded and shallow-fried pork loin cutlets. You can't go wrong with this favorite! It is a version of the popular "Wiener Schnitzel", but instead of the more delicate veal cutlet of a "Wiener Schnitzel", my Mom uses lean pork loin cutlets.

Of course you can use any kind of gravy and sides, but I grew up with my Mom's version: salted boiled potatoes, veggies and "Jägersoße" (a mushroom gravy).

Alternative popular German sides for a "Wiener Schnitzel" are a Swabian potato salad, a mixed green salad or spätzle pasta that goes well with the gravy.

Ingredients:

Cutlets

• 2-4 pork loin cutlets (lean)
• salt, pepper
• garlic seasoning
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 2-3 cups breadcrumps (e.g., Panko)
• oil (for frying)
• harissa to taste

Mushroom Gravy ("Jägersoße")

• cremini mushrooms  
• 1 teaspoon butter
• instant gravy powder (e.g., Maggie Delikatessen Soße)
• water
• salt, pepper

Sides

• boiled potatoes (peeled and boiled in salt water)
• vegetables (e.g., fresh brussle sprouts, canned peas and carrots, frozen mexican mix, etc.) 

Preparation:

1. Breading: Place some plastic wrap over the cutlets and tenderize with a meat hammer from both sides. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder from both sides. Then, prepare the breading stations. Add the eggs into a deep plate, add some salt and pepper, and stir with a fork. Place some flour and some bread crumps, each on a large square piece of tin foil. Alternatively, you can also use a deep plate. However, the tin foil makes it easier to cover the entire cutlet as you can take it in the hand and wrap it around the cutlet. Now, one cutlet at a time, first place it in the flour and move the cutlet and tin foil so, that the entire cutlet is covered with flour, from both sides. Then, pull the cutlet through the mixed eggs, also from both sides. Lastly, place the now wet cutlet on the breadcrumps and move the tin foil and cutlet till it is completely breaded. If needed, sprinkle some more fresh breadcrumps on top. 
2. Fake (egg) cutlets: With the leftover stirred eggs and breadcrumps, create some "fake" cutlets. Add the remaining breadcrumps to the stirred eggs, bit by bit, till the mix is getting firmer. You may not need to add all the breadcrumps, you do not want it too firm. Just enough, so that you can form little round flat cutlets.
3. Shallow-frying: Add oil to a frying pan, about 1cm deep. To test whether the oil is hot enough, use a wooden spoon. Dip it into the oil and wait a few seconds. If it is hot enough, little bubbles will form around the wooden spoon. Now, add the cutlets to the frying pan and fry for about 3-5 minutes on one side. When the sides are getting darker and dry, it is time to flip the cutlet around and fry it on the other side for another 3 minutes. The cutlet should be light brown and crispy from both sides. At the end, fry the egg cutlets the same way. Take the cutlets out of the oil and place them on a plate with a paper towl to catch excess oil.
4. Mushroom gravy: Slice the mushrooms. Heat up the butter in a small pot, add the mushrooms and fry for 3-5 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add the water and bring to a boil. Stir in the gravy powder and let simmer till it thickens. If too liquid, add more gravy powder. If too thick, add a bit more water. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5.  Serving: Serve a cutlet (and a fake cutlet) with a side of boiled and salted potatoes, some veggies and the mushroom gravy. Also, I like to drizzle a spoonful of the hot oil with breadcrumps over the potatoes (in the frying pan, there will be some fried breadcrumps, take a spoon and try to get breadcrumps with as little oil as possible). We also like to put a few drops of harissa on top of the cutlet.

Note: Leftover cutlets taste also delicious cold with some harissa on top!

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My Mom's "Hefeküchle" (little yeast cakes)

While I was a little kid, my Mom used to make these little yeast cakes in the evenings for dinner, as a special treat for my brother and me. They are very simple, you just dust them with sugar. So tasty!

This is a recipe that my Mom actually grew up with. Her mother called them something like "Kliemes". I tried to google this name and recipe to find its origin, but wasn't successful. Maybe the name was just a made-up name from my grandmother. However, I did find a similar recipe of so-called "Welsh yeast cakes". Maybe this was originally an English recipe? Or maybe It could also be something from my mother's father's side. My grandfather was from Latvia, and maybe the orginal recipe came from there?

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour (and a little extra)
• 1/8 l milk (and a little more)
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 20 g fresh yeast
• a pinch of salt
• 4 tablespoon oil
• 1-2 tablespoon sugar (as topping)
• Serve with dry fruit compote

Preparation:

1. Prepare the dry fruit compote: Use a package of dried mixed fruit, including for example plums, pineapple, apricots, peaches and dates. Put in a small pot, cover with water, add 1 teaspoon sugar. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 10-15 minutes till soft.
2. Prepare the dough: Add the flour to a bowl and create a little well in the middle. Warm up the milk. Be careful, it must not be hot, only lukewarm. If the milk is too hot, it will kill the yeast. Pour the milk into the well of the flour. Add sugar to the milk. Crumble the yeast into the luke warm milk. Stir the milk-yeast mix a little bit till the yeast is dissolved. Add a little bit of the flour from the sides and stir till the milk-yeast-flour mix is thick but still runny. There should still be some of the flour around the thick batter. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towl and let sit in a warm place for about 30-60 minutes. The yeast will now work (it will create bubbles, if not, the milk may have been too hot) and the batter will rise a little bit. Then, uncover the batter, mix in the remaining flour from the sides and add a pinch of salt. If the batter is too thick, add a bit more lukewarm milk. If it is too thin, add a little bit more flour.
3. Fry the cakes: Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan. Pour several small (about one laddle spoon full of the mix) round cakes in the hot oil. The top side will have a lot of little wholes from the working yeast mix. Let fry from one side till the sides get dry, then flip. Fry the other side for another minute till golden brown. Place on a plate with a paper towl to assorb excess oil. Immediately (while they are still warm) dust with sugar. Keep them warm in the oven at very low heat till you have baked all the cakes.
4. Serve about 5 cakes with a side of dry fruit compote per person.

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Restorani Tbilisi - a Georgian culinary feast (Berlin, Germany)

Last december, we had a nice Christmas dinner at this Georgian restaurant - the Tbilisi. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, I have never had Georgian food before. Well, actually, long long ago, a former student dorm roommate cooked us a delicious roasted chicken and potato dish...

I do like to try new food places and also new flavors, so I was quite excited. As I am very particular about meat, I just hoped the meat and vegetarian options would be balanced. I did not need to worry, they had delicious vegetarian appetizer and stews, but also very tender grilled meat options.

The food was delicious! I actually have to say that the appetizer plate was my highlight, the amazing flavors of the Phkalis just stood out here.

Georgian Cuisine

The Georgian cuisine counts to one of the healthiest in the world. Some of their most common spices include coriander greens, walnuts, pomegranate, and fenugreek. Some of the most famous dishes include the Mzwadi (marinated shish kebabs cooked on fire), the Chatschapuri (the Georgian alternative to a pizza, a quark sourdough bread filled with cheese and baked in a stone oven), the Phkalis (Georgian tapas, better described as patés with walnut paste, herbs and diverse vegetables), and the dishes baked in so-called kvevris (ancient clay pots) including some tasty vegetarian stews.

It is custom in Georgia to not just dine, but to have a feast (supra) together on a large table with family and friends. Here, a huge variety of appetizer and entrées are served that will cover the entire table. Dinner is a social event :)

Our Christmas Feast:

Appetizer plate:

• Phkali spinach - paté made of steemed and pureed spinach, walnut paste, coariander and pomegranate
• Phkali red beets - paté made of smashed red beets, walnut paste, coriander and pomegranate
• Lobios salad - paste of green beans, walnut paste, coriander and herbs 
• Badrijani nigvsit - baked eggplant stuffed with walnut paste, fresh coriander and pomegranate
• Gebjalia - cheese roll stuffed with Georgian mozzarella and fresh ricotta-mint filling, topped with a mint-milk sauce
• Quartuli - salad with cucumber, tomatoes, spring onions, coriander, parsely and a walnut dressing
  
• Imeruli Chatschapuri - round bread disk made of quark dough, filled with cheese, and baked in a stone oven, similar to a pizza

Main Entrées:

• Mzwadi - marinated shish kebabs (also called "shashlik") with chicken and lamb meat, served with baby potatoes, grilled vegetables and two sauces (a sweet plum sauce and a spicy tomato paprika sauce)
• Tabaka - marinated young chicken, baked in the traditional clay pot (kvevris), served with vegetables and potatoes
• Adjapsandali - vegetable stew with eggplant, potatoes and tomatoes, stewed and served in the traditional clay pot (kvevris)
• Lobio kotanshi - bean stew with red beans, fried onions and herbs, stewed and served in the traditional clay pot (kvevris) with pickled vegetables

 Dessert plate

• Khada - pastry with walnut paste filling
• Thathara - pudding cream made of grape juice and walnut pieces
• Mskali gvinoshi - in redwine poached pear with vanilla ice cream

Appetizer plate (Phkali spinach, Phkali red beat, Lobios salad, Badrijani nigvsit, Gebjalia)

Appetizer plate with Quartuli salad and Imeruli Chatschapuri (cheese bread) in the back

Mzwadi (shashlik) with sauces

Tabaka (baked chicken)

Adjapsandali (tomato-potato-eggplant stew)

Lobio kotanshi (red bean stew)

Dessert plate

Raspberry-Yoghurt Mini Bundt Cakes

I still haven't recreated the orange-poppyseed mini bundt cake that I once ate at a coffee shop in Seattle and that inspired me to bake mini-bundt cakes. However, after trying the delicious chocolate-pear mini bundt cakes a while back, I know tried a little lighter version. A recipe using raspberries and yoghurt, but also some nice müsli for some crunch.

Müsli is a mix of rolled oats with some grains, fresh or dried fruits, seeds and nuts. Some fancier version even include chocolate flakes, coconut, ets. You can use any kind of müsli but make sure that it is broken up in small pieces. Place the müsli in a sandwich bag and roll over with a rolling pin. You can also substitute it for plain oat flakes.

Ingredients (makes 12 mini bundt cakes):

• 30g (2 tablespoons or 1/4 of a stick) butter
• 75g (3/8 cups) sugar
• 1 egg
• 100g (3.5ounces or 0.4 cups) yoghurt
• 50g (3/8 cups) flour 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon lemon peel (freshly grated)
• 1 pinch salt
• 100g raspberries (fresh)
• 75g (3/8 cups) müsli (or oat flakes)

Icing:

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh)
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• water - if necessary

 

Preparation:

Preheat oven at 370 degree Fahrenheit (190 degree Celsius).

1. Prepare the batter: In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Now, beat in the egg. Add the yoghurt and blend well. In a separate smaller bowl, sieve the flour and whisk together with the baking powder, lemon peel and salt. Now, add the flour mix to the butter mixture. Stir till smooth. Lighly fold in the raspberries and the müsli.
2. Bake: Grease the little bundt cake forms. Fill in the batter. Bake for about 12-15 minutes. Insert a little wooden pick in the center of one of the bundt cakes. If it comes out clean, the cakes are done. Take them out and let cool for 30 minutes before icing them.
3. Icing: In a small bowl, sieve the powdered sugar. Add the lemon juice and whisk toghether. Glaze should be thick but pourable. If too thick, add a few drops of water. If too liquid, add a little more powdered sugar. Pour the glaze on top of the cooled mini bundt cakes. It will run a little down the sides, no need to cover everything. Let dry before serving.

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