Living Kitchen 2013 - Cologne Trade Fair (Part II)

Today, I am posting a few pictures of two dishes that I prepared following the recipes that were posted by one of the participating cooks of the Cologne Trade Fair last week.

The first recipe that I prepared is a type of  Pizza Bianca, Focaccia or Flatbread (that´s what the cook who created this recipe calls it) with a delicious topping of very thinly sliced white potatoes, a layer of crème fraîche, fresh rosemary, herb salt and freshly ground black pepper.

This recipe by cook and cookbook author Christina Richon is called “Kartoffel-Rosmarin-Fladen mit Heidelbeer-Thymian-Sirup” which can be translated as "Potato-Rosemary-Flatbread with Blueberry Syrup".

Carefully slice the potatoes very thinly (about 2mm) for the topping. In order to get the thinnest slices possible, you are well advised to use a good mandoline slicer.

Cutting the potatoes into paper-thin slices will result in a delicious topping with some lightly browned and crunchy bits that are essential to the wonderful rustic taste and look of this Flatbread.

The freshly baked Flatbread gets a delicious and fancy finishing touch of a Blueberry Syrup which consists of blueberries (you can use frozen ones if they are not in season), a bit of white sugar, fresh thyme and fragrant rosemary.The baking of the Flatbread and the preparation of the Blueberry Syrup will fill your entire kitchen will incredibly wonderful smells.

While I had baked a Pizza Bianca or Flatbread topped with thin potato slices before, it certainly had never occurred to me to top the baked Bread with a few drops of a homemade delicate Blueberry Syrup which tastes ever so slightly like the herbs that it was infused with. Absolutely delicious! And certainly worthy of numerous repeat performances!

And even the kids devoured this wonderful savory and pretty appetizer -  love the fact that they will try just about anything, even Potato Flatbread with Blueberry Syrup.

* * *

The second recipe that I am featuring today was also written by cook and cookbook author Christina Richon. It is called “Butterkuchen mit Äpfeln und rosa Pfefferbeeren” which can be translated as "Buttery Cake with Apples and pink Peppercorns".

This is a deliciously moist cake with lots of apple slices using the wonderful baking apple “Boskoop”. This apple was discovered in the Netherlands around 1863 and is still a favorite with bakers around here. While this winter apple tastes somewhat tart it was just right as part of the topping for this cake.

In addition to the apple slices, you will add freshly ground nutmeg and cinnamon, some white sugar, butter and slivered almonds to the topping. It smelled so good while baking...a real comfort style of a cake and a wonderful wintertime treat.

We really enjoyed this wonderfully moist cake and ate it with some decadent Crème Fraîche alongside. It still tasted wonderful the day after I baked it, just make sure to wrap it well.

And if you are an adventurous taste tester, do not forget to add the beautiful Pink Peppercorns as a finishing touch to this cake – let me assure you, this is one very memorable taste experience! If you rather not venture down the somewhat unknown route of pairing sweet cake with mildly spicy pink peppercorns, just do not use them as part of the topping, the cake is absolutely delicious without them too as well.

Pink peppercorns technically are not really peppercorns at all because they come from a different plant but they certainly add a wonderful rosy hue and peppery touch to your baking or cooking. Dried pink peppercorns can be found in some supermarkets and spice stores. They have a delicate warm pepper flavor, just crush them in a pestle and mortar to get that peppery aroma going. You can also use them combined with white, black or green peppercorns as a seasoning for savory dishes or mixed into a salad dressing.

Following are the links to the original recipes. If you need a translation, do not hesitate to contact me at andrea@thekitchenlioness.de

Potato-Rosemary-Flatbread with Blueberry Syrup by Christina Richon:
(http://special.neff.de/kochwelten/index.php?content=content/news/detail&id=40).

Buttery Cake with Apples and pink Peppercorns by Christina Richon:
(http://special.neff.de/kochwelten/index.php?content=content/news/detail&id=47 ).

Living Kitchen 2013 - Cologne Trade Fair (Part I)

Last week I went to a Trade Fair called Living Kitchen 2013 in Cologne (Köln), Germany. Always love to find a reason to go and pay a visit to my hometown...It was the second time this Trade Fair took place and my second time there so I knew that I had to take a few pictures while visiting. 

This is Alfons Schuhbeck, the most famous of all German cooks. He not only makes regular appearances on television, has published about twenty stunning cookbooks (I own a few of them) such as "My Bavarian Cookbook" (translated into English in 2007) but he also owns restaurants, bistros, an ice cream parlor and spice store in Munich (München)....

...but is also one of the most talented cooking instructors that I have ever met.

He is a firm believer in the health benefits of using high-quality oils in cooking. As you can see he also sells his own line of oils including Greek olive oil, argan oil and oils high in omega 3-6-9 fatty acids.

He is well known for using lots of fresh herbs and spices such caraway seeds, vanilla beans, cinnamon sticks, argan nuts...

...and also cardamom, cumin, black cumin and fenugreek.

Alfons Schuhbeck has created an extensive line of herbs, spices and herb mixes. His favorite spice is vanilla and he loves using vanilla beans in conjunction with fresh ginger.

At the Trade Fair he and his sous chefs cooked up a storm. We got to taste Pasta Aglio e Olio with the addition of fresh cherry tomatoes, sliced garlic, broth, cheese, lots of fresh chopped parsley and some spices.

There was also Spicy Chicken (using one of his spice mixes), cubes of tender spicy chicken breast.

The breakfast treat was soft Quark (fresh farmers cheese) with Müsli ("muesli"), berries and a few drops of best quality linseed oil.

And there was a very colorful Fruit Salad that consisted of chunks of freshly cut seasonal fruits with cold pressed Greek olive oil and freshly ground black pepper. I had never tasted a fruit salad with pepper before - what a taste experience.

One of the see-through walls was graced with a huge picture of these determined looking young chefs.

There were a lot of  vases and pieces of art for the kitchen with a pearlescent finish...

...and huge bowls and trays in all kinds of modern shapes and sizes.

I loved this "wall" from "Schüller Küchen" ("Schüller kitchens")  which was entirely made of wooden pallets.

This nice vintage scale from a fruit monger and crates of apples caught my attention...

...and I admired these glass domes and étagères...

....and vintage-look potato sacks with the lovely imprint "Gott segne Ackerbau und Viehzucht" ("God bless farming and cattle raising").

Pretty bags of artisanal flour, this being "Weizenmehl" (wheat flour)  and tons of cake stands and cake pans (springform pans, gugelhupf pans) in different materials...

...and more artisanal flour, this being "Dunstmehl" (very fine flour).

I spent quite some time at the kitchends of "Neff", absolutely enjoyed the cooking demonstartions by well-known cooks, cookbook authors and cooking instructors Christina Richon and Frodo Schäfer...look at these "free induction" stoves they were using.

Frodo Schäfer prepared delicious bite-sized Carrot Pancakes with a topping of crème fraîche, smoked salmon and a drop of local beetroot molasses...

...and Christina Richon made Pizza Bianca with thinly sliced potatoes, rosemary, crème fraîche and a bit of a delicately herb-infused (rosemary and thyme) blueberry syrup.

We also got to taste a very tender and moist Apple Cake with almonds, cinnamon, freshly ground nutmeg and delectable whole pink peppercorns.

Since I liked the food so much, I prepared two of the recipes today and will post them tomorrow. My taste testers agreed with me that both dishes tasted absolutely wonderful. Thanks to the wonderful people at "Neff" who posted the recipes on the company´s website right after the Trade Fair!

There were pots with fresh herbs (rosemary, different types of thyme and lavender) absolutely everywhere - they really looked wonderful in these huge planters next to the "Neff" stoves.

There were big white porcelain bowls filled with lots of spices....

...used in Christina Richons recipes...

...such as these fragrant cinnamon sticks...

...and these colorful bright pink peppercorns.

There is a saying in German "Der Himmel hängt voller Geigen" meaning that "someone sees the world through rose-colored glasses" but if you translated this German saying literally, you would say "the skies are filled with violins"  so, this display could be a little play on words...here "the skies are filled with pots and pans"...

...the so-called "long pepper" (long pepper has a similar, but hotter, taste to its close relative the black  pepper) and whole nutmeg.

Jams, jellies, salts, breads, sandwiches, coffee beans, coffees and teas and many more things from "aran" a Munich (Münich) based company.

A "volcano/gas wok burner"...

...and a "still life" with kohlrabi,a loaf of bread and a bottle of white wine vinegar.

Love those "Nolte Küchen" ("Nolte kitchens") from the City of Löhne...

...huge modern porcelain vases in black and white on display in a kitchen with the predominant colors of black, grey and white...

...and a silver work of art hanging on one of the walls in one of the many kitchens...

...and more modern porcelain vases in white...

...and black glass vases on display on a black kitchen counter and filled with long stemmed dried black plants.

A very interesting white see-through wall for the "Nolte" coffee shop (time to catch one´s breath for a little while). The coffee shop was decorated in the colors of the company, namely bright yellow and white.

There were more huge white bowls with dried white plants that looked like a piece of art...

...and huge white vases filled with dried white twigs...

What a wonderful kitchen with hanging lamps that look like they have crocheted white lamp shades...

...and another terrific design kitchen with more large white vases, serving platters and dried plants.

"Huge" seems to have been the "word of the day" for this Trade Fair, even these humongous knife, fork and spoon were on display in one of the kitchens...

...and this rather large "ball" of red wool, what a true eye-catcher.

More colorful orange-white bowls.

And well known chef, cookbook author and cooking school owner Carsten Dohrs gave a cooking demonstration and explained the different salts that he uses for his dishes. I got to taste some of his Asian stir-fry with chicken, noodles, and a red curry and coconut sauce.

Look at these wooden, hand-crafted barrels.

This was, by far, my very favorite catalogue from the Trade Fair, it is by "next 125", a German kitchen manufacturer from Franconia. I really like their vintage pictures.

Tomorrow, I will post two recipes from the dishes that I tasted at this Trade Fair in Cologne. Wonderful and really interesting flavors...