Goetta

Got some Geotta for Christmas (thanks Jess) and now It's all gone. I would get some more but it's only available in the Cincinnati area.

If you don't know, Goetta is basically Cincinnati's Scrapple. Some might say it's better, but I would never take that position and insult my Philadelphia / Pennsylvania German heritage. Also German in origin, Goetta is pork and beef (including hearts and skins), combined with steel cut oats.

Cooked and served the same way as Scrapple, Goetta has more texture - due to the rough cut oats - and a stronger flavor. Don't be scared. It even converted a few Scrapple haters at breakfast the other day.

It's even prepared in the same way: boil variety cuts of meat on the bone with bay leaves and such for hours; remove meat and chop; cook grain in meat water; fold meat back in; form loaves. Maybe some celery or onions along the way.

Folks tend to look at Scrapple and Goetta as "gross" or "white trash" but really, It's a German terrine. There's even an annual Goettafest with German entertainment and Goetta Calzones.

Brauhaus Schmitz

Initially I wrote this place off as another college sports bar with a fake theme, expecting something like a Bavarian Fado. The 45 flat screen TV's and dudes banging on the table and chugging car bombs sort of confirmed this. But I arrived half drunk myself after a long week of drawing hot dogs and was ready to give it a go.

The food surprised me - pretty much the real thing. The Schlachtplatte (butcher's plate) was as good as any choucroute I've had anywhere. A heaping pile of saurkraut with a pork chop and 3 different serious German sausages (a few of which they make in house) including blood pudding.

Turns out the chef earned his chops at a German Club near Reading, PA and picked up some old school craft from the kitchen elders. Also a million different German beers on tap and well-informed waitresses decked out in Bavarian rennaissance-faire attire. Awesome.

Brauhaus Schmitz
718 South St
Philadelphia, PA 19147

Barrette Beer Dinner - Dec 18th

Who agrees to cook for 40+ people on their 29th birthday for a 3 course beer tasting? I do.

I was recently asked to plan and cook for Barrette's monthly Beer Dinner. Barrette is a local bar at Vanderbilt and Bergen in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. Friend and owner Erica was impressed by my Thanksgiving crockery and asked me to plan the next one. The brewery of the night was Pennsylvania Brewing Company. We met up with their representative and tasted a few flights to pair the courses. The one request was that the menu be style toward German food.

I however, do not cook German food, not often, not really ever. Have I ever made a Spaetzle? No. So I tapped a very good friend and culinary school grad to help me out.

Our decision was to make it semi-authentic, but not break out the sauerkraut.

Appetizer.
German Beer Cheese Soup and Homemade Soft Pretzels. Paired with Penn Pilsner.
This came out really great - The soft pretzels were delicious and a perfect dunkable addition to the thick cheddar soup.

Main.
Pork Tenderloins wrapped in apple, fresh sage and bacon. Red Cabbage and Caraway, and German Potato Salad. Paired with Penn Dark Lager.

The tenderloin came out perfectly. Who doesnt want pork wrapped in more pork? The sweetness of the apple and the herbacious sage complimented. Over the pork we had simmered down apples, maple syrup and lots of cinnamon into a sweet and delicious sauce.

Dessert.
NY is a little cupcake crazy. So we decided to join the ranks with a (not at all German) but mistakenly so Texas Sized German Chocolate Cupcake.

The cake was amazing, tangy from the buttermilk and just enough sweetness. The frosting was overboard. oooey, gooey, and dripping over the sides. So rich and delicious. - Paired with Penn Bach - dark and malty.

The reviews were fantastic, everyone had a great time and left full. I turned 29.