French Fridays with Dorie - Brown-Sugar Squash and Brussels Sprouts en papillote

Today´s recipe for the French Fridays with Dorie group is “Brown-Sugar Squash and Brussels Sprouts en papillote”.

This recipe is very easy to prepare and consists of merely eight ingredients. The vegetables that are baked in parchment are Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash and together with one Granny Smith Apple they make for a delicious and healthy side dish. Although this vegetable dish clearly does have a late autumn/early winter appeal, it is still delicious at this time of year. Other than the two vegetables and the one fruit, all you need is a good-quality olive oil (I used Greek organic olive oil), some freshly ground black pepper, a bit of sea salt, some natural brown sugar and a few fresh Winter Sage leaves (still growing in my garden).

Brussels Sprouts have quite a dreadful reputation. Like miniature versions of the common cabbage, they grow on large stalks and have a sweet, nutty flavor, which some people can find too pungent. But, treated with a touch of love and care, these little buds can become one of your favorite winter vegetables. When shopping for this vegetable, you should look for the ones with tight compact heads and no sign of wilting and the stalks should look moist and freshly cut. Brussels sprouts can be enjoyed shredded, either eaten raw in a salad or fried with bacon and butter. Or they can be blanched in boiling water or baked in the oven as part of a gratin. And although they are in season from September until April around here, I had a hard time finding really fresh ones.

But what proved to be almost impossible to find at the beginning of  February was Butternut Squash. We do not eat that much squash or pumpkins around here and they usually disappear from the stores before Christmas. I had bought some sweet potatoes from Israel as a back-up but finally found what must have been the last butternut squash anywhere in the City of  Bonn. Since I used only about a third for this recipe, I will prepare a Focaccia with roasted Butternut Squash on the weekend.

Granny Smiths, on the other hand, are readily available year round and the cubed apple made an interesting addition to the Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash. Not too sweet and even after baking "en papillote" for a good thirty minutes, the apple cubes still kept their shape.

Since I took so many liberties with last weeks´ recipe, I followed this one to “a T” except for the fact that I baked everything in one package, not four packages and used unbleached parchment paper as opposed to aluminum foil.

I never use aluminum  foil in my cooking or baking and the presentation in a “parchment papillote” is so much prettier than one in foil.

At one of the many fruit & vegetable shops that I went to before I could get started with this recipe, I found some very fresh looking Jerusalem Artichokes and decided to make some veggie chips that I served alongside the Squash and Sprouts. Sprinkled with French sea salt, we find them to be quite tasty. They curl up quite a bit while frying and have to be watched carefully because they are fully cooked in about a minute.

We liked today´s recipe and it was a cinch to prepare. The sweetness from the brown sugar harmonized nicely with the tart apple and the wintry vegetables. Definitely a side-dish to keep in mind for next fall/winter when squash is abundantly available.

To see how the other Doristas prepared the “Brown-Sugar Squash and Brussels Sprouts en papillote”, please click here.

Müller Cloth Mill - Industrial Museum "Tuchfabrik Müller" in Euskirchen (Germany)

The Müller Cloth Mill (Tuchfabrik Müller) is located in the City of  Euskirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany). It is part of a growing group of the so-called "Museums of Industry". This delightful Museum provides interesting and unusual insights into the production process of a Cloth Mill by showing fully working machinery and equipment from around 1900.

The Museum opened its door to the public in 2000. The Museum preserves the Cloth Mill's state exactly as it was when it was closed down for business by the owner Kurt Müller in 1961. He simply walked out the door and locked it behind himself.

This industrial Museum is at the heart of the "European Route of Industrial Heritage" and a central stop on the "Wool Route".

The factory started life as a papermill in 1801. A few decades later things changed quite a bit. In the mid-19th century the building was used to scoure and spin wool and to full the cloth. From 1860 onwards the increasing demand of power supply lead to the installation of a new steam engine, which replaced the old mill wheel.

The building was purchased in 1894 by Ludwig Müller who decided to set up a Cloth Mill.

For the first time, the whole process of production was then brought together under one roof. Like most other regional mills at the time, Ludwig Müller offered coarse woollen cloth, "loden" ("Loden") and uniform cloth. The machinery that was purchased around 1900 together with the "new" steam engine that dates back to 1903 set the production on a firm basis.

After Ludwig Müller's death in 1929, his son Kurt Müller led the Cloth Mill. In 1961, it was finally closed down, due to a lack of orders. It is hard to believe, but the equipment was never changed or replaced until the factory was closed.

Despite the fact that he had to close down his factory, Kurt Müller had always hoped to start production again one day. However, during the years following the close down, nothing really happened that would have justified re-opening for business. In 1988 the "Rhineland Museum of Industry" ("Rheinisches Industriemuseum") seized the opportunity and took over a completely fitted factory nearly untouched since the last day of work.

The unique building, the machinery and thousands of small pieces of equipment were to be preserved. The building had to be carefully stabilized and the Cloth Mill had to be restored. Today the Cloth Mill turned Museum is providing an insight into the production of woolen cloth, into the different working processes and into the life of the workers. During guided tours through the mill, the old machinery from around 1900 is set in action.

All of the equipment and machinery was restored into conditions that they were in at the time of the closure of the factory in 1961. Therefore the most important machines, the "heart" of the Cloth Mill, such as a "carding machine",a "spinning machine", a "threading machine", four "weaving looms" and a "steam engine" can all be set into motion during guided tours and you can admire the fact that they have been lovingly restored to make them work properly like they did until 1961.

Some machines that are not in action nowadays were also restored by carefully preserving all traces of usage  to provide an authentic insight into the life of a Cloth Mill.

The acids that were necessary for mixing the different dyes were kept in these original glass bottles, some of them leaning up against the wall.

Restrooms for the workers (ladies and gents).

Time for a break.

The following tag was attached to the acid bottles. It is a comment by one of the former worker of the Mill. It reads "Black is the simplest color to mix. But you have to be careful not to mistake one acid for another. Only if the acetic acid has boiled for a half  hour, are you supposed to add the formic acid. Three to four workers were in charge of adding the wool to the mixed dyes."

Tags with wonderful quotes from former workers can be found throughout the Mill.

A belt that was repaired with some metal clips.

Wrenches and metal chains of different sizes that were left right in this spot.

A scale with some orange-yellow wool thread (one of my personal favorite "still lives").

Some of the original machines.

This is the so-called "secret" recipe for mixing one of the dyes. The guide told us that the "recipes" for the dyes were known only to the owner of the Mill and that he would always mix the dyes himself, except for this one time when he had to tell one of his trusted workers how to mix a dye. The worker marked it with white chalk on this wooden door. So much for a secret...

A window where one of the workers had his workspace and kept all his tools close at hand.

One of the bicycles with the original leather saddle used by the former owner to get around the factory premises.

An assortment of spindles all lined-up and with ready to use yarn.

More spindles, this time piled up.

And more spindles - love that striking blue yarn.

One of the most difficult tasks in a Cloth Mill was getting rid of or preventing the infestation of moths. These bags of moth powder were left in this wooden tool box next to some solid looking nuts and bolts.

And a natural way of fighting those pesky moths.There were little white cotton bags filled with dried lavender  in every room. Definitely another one of my personal favorite "still lives".

Wool threads leading from the spindles to the loom.

The finished wool cloth, dyed in different colors, rolled up and lined up for a final inspection.

Handwritten notes in the office of the former owner.

The final fabric was packed up and stored in the office of the owner - no one else was to enter this storage room.

Some glass bottles with different dyes.

What a wonderful "Pfaff" sewing machine.

The brook that flows along the brick walls of the Cloth Mill.

A sample of the different colored wool threads after they were dyed and aligned for weaving.

This Industrial Museum is certainly worth more than one visit - there is also a nice Shop where you can purchase some of the cloth that is still being produced in very small quantities at the Mill. And there is also a wonderful Coffeeshop where you can relax and ponder this charming Museum that you just visited, promising yourself that you will be back soon.

For more information:

LVR-Industriemuseum
Tuchfabrik Müller
Carl-Koenen-Straße
53881 Euskirchen
Germany

e-mail: info@kulturinfo-rheinland.de

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 ).