Hello all,
I am still in Germany and it’s snowing here. Of course, Thanksgiving passed me by, but Christmas is fast approaching here. The holiday markets are going strong and everywhere you look you find holiday decorations and everyone has started to bake.
There's an abundance of Advent Calendars available, each designed to mark the countdown to the festive occasion.
This has sparked an idea for me to create one just for you. For those who enjoy baking, join me on a delightful holiday journey.
My calendar features a compilation of 24 traditional German Christmas cookie recipes. It encompasses all the beloved classics, and I'm already scheming for next year's edition. You're not obligated to bake daily or try them all; feel free to select your favorites or venture into new flavors.
Upon signing up, you gain access to the entire collection. You can opt to unveil a "door" each day or dive into several recipes at once.
If you are interested read more here:
As I said it’s cold here and I thought I would share a favorite Glühwein with you. I hope you will try it when feel inspired to do so.
Glühwein is a mulled wine that is very traditional here in Germany, you can get it in most US grocery stores now too. You probably know about it, here at the Christmas markets they serve it in mugs at the booths and you pay a little extra for the mug, as a deposit. But the mugs are often unique for the town, or the booth, or the year and most people take them home. I used to have quite the collection of mugs.
Glühwein recipe:
Ingredients:
1 Cinnamon stick
1 Lemon
1 Orange
3 whole Cloves
1 star anise
6 tbsp Granulated sugar
1 bottle Red wine ( if you want to make it non-alcoholic replace with red grape juice)
Ingredients for decoration (per glass):
1 slice Orange or lemon
1 piece Star anise
1 Cinnamon stick
Instructions:
In a saucepan, add the sugar, lemon & orange peel, cloves, star anise, and break 1 cinnamon stick in half, then juice the lemon and orange and add to the mixture.
Heat the ingredients on medium-low heat, this will infuse all the spices and flavors and create a beautiful syrup.
Once the mixture is nice and hot you can add the red wine, but then immediately lower the heat to a very low simmer. If you boil the wine the alcohol will evaporate.
Then strain it through a sieve and reheat it if necessary before pouring it into suitable punch glasses, or mugs. Add an orange slice, star anise, and cinnamon sticks to the glass and serve.
Enjoy! 🎄
Chef Pascal
a Neighbor’s Snowman ☃️