Saarbrücken Christmas Market by the Castle

Lots of Christmas markets (Weihachtsmarkt) this time of year.  Some last more than a month, others just a few days.  Look around.  You’ll find plenty, big and small, sometimes more than one in the same city.

Here’s a partial list for Rheinland Platz http://www.weihnachtsmarkt-deutschland.de/rheinland-pfalz.html Click on the brown lettering to get the dates for a specific market

And another partial list for Saarland: http://www.weihnachtsmarkt-deutschland.de/saarland.html

Click on the red lettering to get the dates for a specific market.

Weihnachtsmarkt is pronounced Vie-knocks-marked, but in English or German, it’s a wonderful tradition for the holiday season.

 

Unlike the United States, where anything suggesting religion is carefully scrutinized before being beheaded, the Germans are unabashedly fond of Christmas and its many celebratory reincarnations.  Nativity scenes are shamelessly displayed.  Join in the fun, or embrace The Grinch.

Remember, this is Germany.  No matter the occasion, the waft of roasting meats and baking bread lusciously fills the air.  Beer and wine flow freely and the click of heavy mugs lets you know you’re in the right place.  My kind of Christmas celebration.  Vendors line the streets.  Artisans display their wares, with everything from intricate tree ornaments to handsomely carved furniture, olive wood kitchen implements, homemade chocolates, and a thousand other things that suddenly look like a fabulous way to spend money and keep the snarling relatives at bay.

 

Roasting Chestnuts

Castle is in the far background

In the city of Saarbrücken (Bridge over the Saar River) you have a bunch of choices.  We picked the Weihnachtsmarkt in the plaza of the Saarbrücken Castle.  Is the castle historic?  Yes and no.  Lots of castles on this site, dating back to around 1000 A.D.  Dukes, Duchesses, wars, revolutions saw so many deconstructions and reconstructions that the history is difficult to follow.  The current buildings got a facelift and architectural changes in the late 20^th Century and are used as offices by the Saarland government.  Still, they stand straight, white, and with a certain majesty.  The cobblestones are a nice touch and it’s the perfect place for a market, which also wanders down the surrounding streets.

But, no matter which Weihnachtsmarkt I pick, I always find something different, something that strikes me as “Hey, never thought of that.”  In some cases I’m pleased that I never thought of that, but often I’m surprised.  

This time it was hot beer.  Glühbier, it’s called.  The thoughtful folks who provided this warmth on a chilly day in Saarbrücken were Belgian as was the Glühbier.

The beer comes out steaming!

Most of us have sampled Glühwein.  Wine with spices, and sugared, then heated.  You can also get it with a shot of this or that, which is always a good idea, but only if you’ve found another driver for the sleigh.   Even with more alcoholic infusions, I can only take one mug of Glühwein.  A bit sweet for my taste.  But, it does get better with age, so wait five minutes, then have another.

Glühbier is a different beast.  You may think fruit flavored beer is sweet.  Not if it’s Belgian.  They add the fruit flavoring before fermentation, so the sugar from the fruit morphs into real beer, with a fruit flavor.  Heat the fruit beer up and you’ve got Glühbier.  First time I tried it, I was ready for another.  Instantly addictive.  A side effect is that suddenly your other hand feels empty without a Brat.  Easily remedied.

Glühbier!  Succulent, with just a bare bite of bitterness.

One thing I really enjoy about a German Weihnachtsmarkt is the attitude of the people.  Happy.  Smiling.  Hail fellow well met!  You well may wonder about the origin of that greeting from medieval times.  Well, join me for a Glühbier, grab a Wurst and let’s talk about it…

Chipotle Sweet Potatoes - by any other name

Chipotle Sweet Potatoes

The holidays are all over us.  Difficult to believe.  Seems like just yesterday we wore shorts and bright sunshine ruled.  Now scarves ward off the chill.  We stomp our feet to keep warm, and every wanna-be-Santa is duded up in fluffy white and red, shaking a bell, and waiting for the tinkle of coins. Shopping blunts our thoughts.  Putting up the tree is our deepest concern. When?  Where?

Appetites have a way of keeping up with the seasons.  Right now, ribs are not on my hungry mind.  Leaning toward roast this and piping hot that.  Sure, you can do the expected, but that’s always the case, n’est pas? Dried out turkey.  Mystery veggies slathered in mystery, soup-can sauce.

I prefer to explore.  Keep my guests guessing.  Make their taste buds twist and turn as they gulp their way to toxic levels of alcoholic cheer.  

I’m flat out tired of candied sweet potatoes.  Baked, casseroled, dotted with marshmallows, or otherwise subliminally morphed from tuber to dessert.  Sweet Potatoes deserve more respect.  Come on, in North Carolina it’s even the state vegetable.  And all the time, I thought it was barbeque, of the genus grillus hogus.

The question always comes up:  Is a sweet potato a yam?  Yes and no.  Biologically speaking, no.  Food labeling speaking, kinda.  In the U.S., probably because the terms have grown to be synonymous, anything labeled yam must also be labeled sweet potato.  Have a thirst for knowledge?  Pondering more research?  Be my guest.  I wanna talk about cooking.

I rescued this recipe from Bobby Flay, through the internet; but never being content to simply follow a recipe, my wandering mind, like a dog searching for the perfect tree, fabricates my own touches, to try out on unsuspecting, famished friends, often to semi-rave reviews I might add.  Those few friends I have tend to rave a lot anyway.  And sobriety ranks right below celibacy on their what-not-to-do-in-the-nursing-home list.

Chipotle Sweet Potatoes

3 large, robust sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8 inch thick rounds

4 cups heavy cream

2 heaping Tablespoons from a can of un-drained chipotle peppers

2 heaping Tablespoons minced onions

4 little triangles of white cheese

Salt to taste

The Sauce:

Put the cream, and chipotles in a blender.  Err on the side of chipotle caution.  Blend well.  Add salt to taste and more chipotle if you dare.

In a sauté pan, add a bit of butter and the minced onions.  Cook until limp.  Add the cheese and a cup of the cream mixture.  Stir.  After the cheese melts, add the remainder of the cream mixture. Stir well and warm.

Puttin’ It All Together:

In a baking container of your choosing, put down a layer of sweet potato rounds, then spoon on some sauce.  Add another layer of sweet potato and another layer of sauce, etc., until the baking container is full.  Pour extra sauce over the top.  Cover and bake for an hour to an hour and a half at 375ºF (190ºC).  Check from time to time.  You want the potatoes to be soft, but not falling apart.  Time will vary depending on your oven and how thick you cut the potatoes.

layering

Spreading the sauce

Sweet Potatoes after being covered and baked for 80 minutes.

Uncover the potatoes, increase the heat to 400ºF (200ºC) and cook another 30-40 minutes or until the sauce bubbles and just begins to turn golden.

Voilá!  Easy.  Don’t be surprised if you guests overdose.  You may want to pass out extra napkins.  You know how drunks are.  Just getting them to use forks is a dangerous experiment.

Christmas Market, Christkindlmarkt, Weihnachtsmarkt

Christmas Cheer!

Christkindlmarket means Christ Child Market.  Weihnachtsmarkt means Christmas Night Market.  Whatever title you choose, they all mean bright lights, Glühwein, wurst, potatoes, and lots of little thingies to stick on and under your Christmas tree.

What is Glühwein anyway?  In English speaking countries we call it mulled wine.  In German, glüh means glow and you only need a sip to understand the name.  Usually made with red wine and served hot and redolent with spices, you can get it with or without a shot of schnapps or rum.  Either way, the glow translates with ease and on a chilly, red-nose-day, there’s nothing like it.

The recipe is simple and here’s a site for a good one: http://www.food.com/recipe/gluhwein-81041

Almost every German town, from the smallest to the teeming metropolises has a Christmas market.  Depending on the location, they run from late November to late December and sometimes even into early January. The tradition goes way, way back.  Matter of fact, the one in Vienna dates to the 13^th Century.

If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen ‘em all, right?  Not quite.  Different parts of Germany and Austria have different food specialties and the vendors differ everywhere you go.  Woodcarvers come out of the woodwork to sell their wares.  Fanciful Christmas lights wait for you to take them home.  Steam comes off the grills as a chef rakes at the roasting potatoes and grilled meats.

Personally, I like the big markets in the big cities.  They’re spread out and aglow with never ending lights.  Besides the lighted booths, you see gigantic ornaments the size of houses.  In the bigger markets, the stores stay open at night.  Sometimes an ice rink beckons.

A Christmas market is a happy place, as well it should be this time of year.  Once you start, you won’t want to go to just one!

Pork steak with bacon and onion potatoes