05 July 2008

Hot Dogs & Apple Pie? I Think Not...

"Americans can eat garbage, provided you sprinkle it liberally with ketchup, mustard, chili sauce, Tabasco sauce, cayenne pepper, or any other condiment which destroys the original flavor of the dish."
- Henry Miller, American writer (1891-1980)



First off, let me say that my sister is awesome, for more ways than I care to list here. Thursday when I got home from work a package was waiting for me with the mail. In it were two wonderful presents from her: a bag of imported German Spaetzle, and the classic 1956 French short film "The Red Balloon" on DVD. She rocks.

Fast forward to the evening of the Fourth of July. Classic American holiday meal? Burger, hot dog, apple pie? Mais non, not at Chez Kevin. I made the Spaetzle with sautéed Chanterelle mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Then I added shredded Butterkäse (a mild German cheese) and a bit of cream cheese & real butter. Along with that I grilled a marinated Flat Iron steak (I had wanted to make Veal Milanese, but the local boucherie was out), and sautéed an eggplant in olive oil with herbs & garlic. Whilst cooking I had a Beck's beer and with the dinner a simple bottle of red table wine. Stacie made a lemon custard pie, of which I felt the need to have three pieces. We then watched Seattle's dueling fireworks shows from our back deck. Hands down, the South Lake Union fireworks owned the Space Needle's display. Happy Birthday America.
(I feel I must add a brief caveat here, regarding Miller's quote above. While I can't stand ketchup, and don't care much for yellow mustard, I must admit that I love Dijon or ground mustard, any kind of spicy chili sauce, and any kinds of peppers - but they need to be applied infrequently and in the correct amount.)
KJT - Seattle (2008)

1 comment:

Lara said...

Ah, you made my taste buds pant. And HM! coolness

(Congratulations (from an only child) on having an awesome sister.)