Fortuna's Feast

A Reminder to Remember

2011-05-20T10:55:00.012+02:00

Back in March I went on a Yoga/Pilates/Meditation holiday on Fuerteventura . It was my reminder holiday, a reminder that in January I told myself that 2011 was going to be about balance and inner peace.

Well, off I went and since I've only sporadically done yoga and pilates, I was a bit nervous. I was about to do them everyday, at least two times a day, for a week... I wasn't sure how I felt about that. When friends would say, "That will be great!", I would answer, weakly, "Yeh-hes". (What I would insert now, if I could, would be that worried looking emoticon)

Needless to say, it was an amazing experience. Yes, at least twice a day I did bend my body into shapes it wasn't always willing to go into but the experience was much, much more than that. It was about the people I met and shared time with. In Berlin, my life is somehow split into two: the public hostess and the private (self professed) cat lady who has a hard time leaving her cozy apartment on days off. The funny thing was, I wasn't expecting to connect to "others"on this trip at all, rather, I thought it was going to be a solitary experience- just me and my out of shape body. How wrong I was.

As always, food was a focal point. I love wandering around super markets in other countries, checking out all the stuff- from weird things in jars to locally grown produce. We also were fortunate enough to have one of the best restaurants on the island nearby, offering tapas like I have never known before- delicious. One night, I even had the pleasure of raiding (permission granted) the villa's fridge to make an emergency dinner for our group when we found out last minute that the whole island shut down to celebrate carnival.

But, the real highlight was Jo, the nutritional advisor for Azul Fit. She offered me a special consultation/cooking course where we made olive tapanade, roasted eggplant, homemade whole grain breads, cocoa-dried fruit truffles and quinoa cake. It has sparked a true interest in such healthy and tasty food. I wish Jo would cook for me everyday... then I'd surely have balance and inner peace.

(I highly recommend Azul Fit Villa for a one of a kind, healthy, relaxing, centering experience. They have two locations and I was in the Villa, up on a hill in the small town Villaverde, completely disconnected from any hustle and bustle. Jamie, Karissa and the entire team go out of their way to make your stay an experience to cherish. I definitely cherish mine. Thanks to the entire Azul Fit family!)

Not Jo's recipe but tasty all the same:

Quinoa Muffins

Makes 12

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1/4 cup vegetable oil, such as safflower, plus more for pan
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
3/4 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins
3/4 cup whole milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan, bring quinoa and 1 cup water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer; cover, and cook until water has been absorbed and quinoa is tender, 11 to 13 minutes.
Meanwhile, brush a standard 12-cup muffin pan with oil; dust with flour, tapping out excess. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, raisins, and 2 cups cooked quinoa; reserve any leftover quinoa for another use.
In a small bowl, whisk together oil, milk, egg, and vanilla. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, and stir just until combined; divide batter among prepared muffin cups.
Bake until toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool muffins in pan, 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Man cannot live on Quinoa alone...

"Everybody's Mama Got a Recipe"

2011-02-24T17:09:00.019+01:00

Every Christmas when I'm in Detroit, one of my very best friends in the whole world, insists on buying me the heaviest cookbook she can find. This normally wouldn't be a problem but since the days of "extra heavy" luggage are long gone, it has become one. She (let's call her A.B.) has great taste and style in the food/cooking dept so I'm not really complaining... but, damn!

This year A.B. gifted me with One Big Table, A Portrait of American Cooking by Molly O'Neill. It's one hefty mama consisting of stories and recipes from real people who love their food. Gourmet, it is not and this is what makes it all the more appealing in a world of Top Chef, Iron Chef, Whatever-else Chef. I really love the sense of migration you get from reading the book... how different ethnic groups spread far and wide after entering the U.S. and how they shaped the food culture in the little (and not so little) towns they landed in.

I will be using One Big Table as inspiration for my tasting evening this Friday night. I pulled out a few of my favorites (not an easy task) and will be doing some cooking a la Americana. Here's the menu. North African Lamb from Oxford, Ohio? Yeah, what about it?

SOUP: Garlic Soup for Gringos
(A Basque inspired soup from Dan Ansotegui, Boise, Idaho)

SALAD: Green on Green tossed with my secret dressing

Little Dish #1 Crostini: Molly's Be-Still-My-Heart Chopped Chicken Liver (Sally Hechinger's Grandmother, Molly's Recipe, Montclair, New Jersey)

Little Dish #2 Bernadette's Cheesy Endive Gratin with mashed potatoes (Los Angeles, California)

Little Dish #3 Chicken Fried Steak and Cream Gravy
(Hoover Night Hawk, Austin, Texas)

Little Dish #4 North African Slow Roasted Lamb from Oxford, Ohio

SWEET: Four-Berry Cobbler with homemade biscuit topping
(Dean McCord, Raleigh, North Carolina)

The Chicken Fried Steak recipe from a Mr. Hoover Alexander himself, looks real good too. If you click on the photo, it should get big enough to read. In there you'll find that the southern favorite may just have been influenced by the Wiener Schnitzel. Duh!? Hopefully the print is clear enough for you to read the entire recipe and try yourself. Now if the Germans would only start smothering their schnitzel with gravy, we'd be getting somewhere.

Long time, no blog.

2011-02-22T16:40:00.013+01:00

Playing catch up is rarely much fun but this time it's proving to be. Since writing last, we cooked lots of Thanksgiving turkey, threw many a private Christmas party and catered a good handful of offsite celebrations. Basically, we've been busy having a good time.

When so much piles up, it's a lot easier to use photos to tell the story than try and recall through words. We won't cover everything but here are a few highlights of what's been happening at Feast. The point is: we need to get you up to date so we can fill you in on the stuff going on NOW!

Dare I say that we did a catering for Mr. Armani? We did. Actually, what I thought was going to be a high end affair, turned out to be a promotional event out of an eyeglass store off of Friedrichstrasse. Oh well, but it was still a lot of fun and quite special- it certainly challenged our ability to make big things happen out of little spaces! One of the most exciting parts of the event was making these delicious and oh so sweet looking Guyere-Thyme Icebox Crackers. We topped them with a dollop of Delice d’ Argental (a luxurious, double cream cow's milk cheese from France) and our own  Bitter  Orange–Rosewater  Marmelade. 

(makes 20 crackers)

1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
3 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup finely grated Gruyere cheese
1/4 cup milk
1 large egg white, lightly beaten

1) Combine the flour, salt, pepper, and chopped thyme in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles a course meal. Add the cheese and pulse until combined. With the machine running, add the milk. Process until the dough comes together and is well combined.
2) Transfer the dough onto a clean work surface. Shape the dough into a 2-inch wide log. Wrap the log with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.
3) Heat the oven to 163°C/325°F. Slice the well chilled log into 1/4-inch think slices. Place on baking sheet and bake immediately, rotating the baking sheet half way through cooking until crackers are golden brown and firm in the center. Cooking time is approximately 25-35 minutes. Don't let them get too dark! Transfer them to a cooling rack until completely cool and store in air tight container.

We took these caramelized figs and put them on top of goat cheese smeared crostini. Then we drizzled them with our homemade balsamic-rosemary syrup. A fast, tasty and elegant hors d'œuvre.

I've got my sights on starting my own product line in 2011- a little Feast to take home. I offered a small selection of things during December to get an idea of how it would look and of course, how it would taste. People really took to it.. buying 'em up for Christmas gifts and everything! The salted caramel coulis was a big hit, especially after I went around dipping my cut-out Christmas cookies in it and offering samples. Expect more of this soon...

We made time to throw a little Christmas Party/Open House of our own. People came around for some cheer, the buffet and our "honey-pomegranate" prosecco libation. I found a gorgeous honeycomb in a jar of honey at the corner Turkish market and next to it some beautifully plump pomegranates. It was only logical to mix them with alcohol. Quite delicious and don't forget to throw in a few ruby-esque seeds for garnish!

This is my Blue Ribbon Photo of the entire day: Ella. She's the daughter of friends of mine and though she started out quite demure, she was break dancing to Frosty the Snowman before long. A few candy canes and some sugar cookies- would make anybody wanna bust a move.

Moving into the new year, we teamed up with Network Awesome for some viewing fun. Here, the guests anxiously await the showing of Winter of the Witch, an old favorite of mine from elementary school. I had been looking for it for years but our friends at the Network of Awesomeness worked their own magic and made it appear- live streamed- in our Cellar Cinema. Network Awesome is a free online TV network that digs up good old stuff. Watching TV is fun again!

The Original American Feast: Thanksgiving

2010-11-01T15:25:00.003+01:00

Probably one of the most important things I contribute to this world is providing the American Thanksgiving meal to a bunch of expats and German converts. Every year the requests start trickling in as early as August to claim their seats at the table of the most loved feast of the year.

Why? What is it with this meal that makes people so crazy? I guess as an American, it's like eating a plate of nostalgia with a decent portion of sentiment on top. But it's simpler than that, it just tastes so damn good. And you only get it once a year. (Well, unless you come from a family that basically repeats the whole idea for Christmas dinner, which the Fracassa's do not.)

It's the combination of things on that plate and the way they all work together that has impressed the subconscious so deeply that we have become slaves. We must taste that taste every year, at least once.

I must say that I love my role as the Thanksgiving provider to my extended family here in Berlin. Feast screams Thanksgiving in style and form and we must obey.

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What I Did On My Summer Vacation

2010-09-06T17:34:00.008+02:00

Where to begin? It's been awhile since I've made an entry here and I'm sorry about that. I believe I also broke a promise to post the recipes from the BBQ back in July and I'm sorry for that as well. I was supposed to write those up on the plane traveling to Detroit but instead got sidetracked by the inflight movie selection. I'll make it up to you, I promise. I've decided to include more recipes in general so be prepared.

It was always a generic "back to school" assignment, an essay entitled, What I Did on My Summer Vacation. As a kid I remember this assignment to be excruciatingly painful because summer was over and why rub it in?

Funny that I return to that format for this blog post but I guess it's a lot more fun to recall things from an adult perspective- using photos to help in the process and now that drinking alcohol is allowed.

The Feast BBQ turned out to be really great. It was during that heat wave we were having and I wondered if anyone was going to brave the steamy temps to eat our food- but they did! People brought their own blankets and water and we provided the rest. I had some bum coal to work with but with a little help from friends and our Turkish neighbor (who seemed to be a professional) it turned out fine. Oh, and the the nectarine white sangria was a big hit, chilling us out in every way. In the photo, Andrew laments over the dwindling sangria supply.

First stop: my parents house.
It is a known fact that there is always a special meal prepared for all arriving family members and friends. My meal was grilled lamb chops, oven roasted potatoes and a green salad from the garden. Perfection. No, there aren't the world's smallest farm animals in that barn, just a few old Schwinns.

My Dad does the grilling- I'm not allowed to cook when I'm home. Not that they don't trust I will do a good job, rather they are certain that I will leave a disastrous trail of dirty pots and pans and mess. Well, it's true but I'm an artist, no? ;)

This is a one-of-a-kind grill designed and made my my Uncle Romeo. Yep, that's a beer keg split in half, attached to a post which is connected to a hand poured cement base. This is the deluxe version with the lid- growing up we only had the bottom half of the keg. That one eventually got grilled to death.

Next stop: Northern Michigan.
I was off to a family wedding in Bay Harbor, Michigan. I would have to devote an entire entry to this because it was such an unbelievably beautiful affair in every imaginable way. Instead, here is a sunset over Lake Michigan as the pre-wedding party was coming to a close.

On to Pee Wee!
Named after my Mother (her childhood nickname) Pee Wee is the family cottage that my grandfather bought in St. Clair, Michigan sometime in the 1930's. Ever since then it has been passed down the line for all to enjoy. I spent pretty much every summer weekend here as a kid with aunts and uncles and a myriad of cousins and friends of the family. Those were great days but Pee Wee still gives us love and comfort, seemingly now more than ever. The next generation is swinging from the rope and jumping off the dock into the chilly, rushing river now but you'll find us big kids making the pilgrimage there whenever we possibly can. Long live Pee Wee!

An afternoon snack of grilled flat bread, hummus and minted cucumber tomato salad.

Grilled Red Snapper with fresh herbs and citrus. Remind me to get one of those fish shaped grill baskets for Pee Wee, it would have been much easier to flip 'er over.

Final Stop: NYC/Brooklyn
Just way too much good food to document here but I will let you in on an all time favorite. Thanks to a like minded, equally food loving friend, I have had the pleasure to dine at Diner on most of my visits over the last few years. This time, we walked down the street to Marlow & Daughters, the shop that has the same owners. It was quite a one stop, over the top shop with everything one could possible need for cooking up dinner at home. (phew... that was a long one.)

There was something very "turn of the century" about this moment. This is what I would call getting up close and personal with your butcher.

Damage done.

Upon returning to Berlin, I was greeted by the last few days of summer (unfortunately that was the beginning of August) and made it over to the Turkish market off the canal. Perfect timing for zucchini flowers. Not pictured: those flowers sauteed with lots of garlic in extra virgin olive oil and served up on crusty Italian bread. Heavenly.

The End

Photo Journal: Shellac, Photos and Food

2010-06-30T20:51:00.005+02:00

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Giovanna's Mother prepares the Gnocco Fritto dough, rolling it out with a rolling pin from Giovi's Grandmother.

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It was incredible how the whole family worked together to set up the Gnocco Fritto station. They had never worked in my kitchen before and seemed to somehow know where everything was - and if they didn't, they minced no words asking for what they wanted. Nice and direct, just how I like it.

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Nat, Giovanna's husband and Giovanna's Father, Claudio, were no slouches either.

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We converted the cellar into a gallery and Joe Dilworth exhibited his collection Empty Spaces. It seemed perfect for the cavernous space.

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I bought me one.

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Ray played his collection of 78 shellac records and told stories about the songs and composers.

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Orlando brought her sweet self and her cupcakes.

There was a nice little crowd, it made me very happy.

Elizabeth Rushe was around as well. She played records Saturday night but I was too busy dancing to take photos.

Andrew held down the fort while I chatted away with the guests. Christine did too but still looking for that photo...?

Neukölln is a mixed neighborhood. There seems to be tension sometimes between those moving in and those who have been. I find this totally understandable but at the same time refuse to let it get in the way. This event put Feast on the street for all to enjoy and we had the pleasure of meeting some of our tiny, lovely neighbors. They loved the pancakes.

Ray enjoys his first Slider.

My end of the deal, the casual fun food, seemed to be a success. Sunday's menu of pancakes, coney dogs and sliders was sort of a silly display of American food but I tell you, the peeps loved it.

It wouldn't have been complete without a tall glass of homemade cranberry mint iced tea.

Italian Street Food: Bringing in the Professionals

2010-06-22T22:56:00.010+02:00

She wishes to remain anonymous. One of the best cooks this side of the Po and just south of Wildenbruchstr, has agreed to not only bring her authentic Italian expertise to Feast, but has now also agreed to bring her Mother. This cuoco di mistero has fed me some of the best home cooked meals I've ever had and yes, this includes those cooked by my own parents.

Normally we offer Little Dish on Friday nights here at Feast but in special celebration of 48 Hours Neukölln and as the first installment of the food part of Shellac, Photos and Food, we will be hosting Open Dish instead. We will be opening our door to all a passerby, welcoming them to come in and have a taste or take a taste away.

I consulted this mystery cook earlier in the year about the special menu of Italian street food that I wanted to offer. I can't say that I really knew what Italian street food was, or that I even had had any (gelato surely did not count) but since every culture has street food, I thought the Italians must have their own version and it must be better than all the rest.

Being the master she is, she immediately started brainstorming out loud, going back and forth (in Italian) contemplating the best recipes for my event. She was trying to describe one in particular that seemed perfect for what we wanted but was having a difficult time explaining it in english. She ended by saying with the sweetest Italian accent, "...and then you fry it and it looks like... like a little brain when it's finished." It sounded delicious.

Come and give it and others a try this Friday night, from 6:30pm until 11pm at Feast. And I wasn't kidding, the mystery cook's Mother will be here too.

On the schedule: Joe Dilworth

2010-06-21T15:45:00.008+02:00

Joe Dilworth is one of those people who you aren't quite sure how to categorize: is he a musician? a photographer? a photographer who takes pictures of musicians? a DJ? ...a teacher? He's one of those multi-talented types, I guess.

Recently it seems Joe is breaking some new ground with his photography. The photo above is from his recent trip to Shanghai and there is more where that came from. I don't have the knowledge or the vocabulary to properly explain why or how his photos inspire me, they just do. He seems to sneak in somehow and grab a nugget of honesty.

Joe will be exhibiting Empty Spaces in Feast's Cellar Gallery during Shellac, Photos and Food. It's a collection of photos of decaying structures: eerie and beautiful. This particular group of pictures resonate with me, bringing me back to my hometown of Detroit- the capital of eerie and beautiful.
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Cellar Gallery - Empty Spaces by Joe Dilworth
Fri 19:00 — 23:00
Sat 13:00 — 19:00
Sun 13:00 — 19:00

On the schedule: Raymond Wolff

2010-06-21T14:13:00.010+02:00

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I first met Raymond Wolff when I was asked to participate in the Mobile Academy's Black Market for Useful Knowledge and Non-Knowledge back in 2007. I was asked to be the "expert" on American Cuisine at the event, making me feel quite like a big fish in a little pond- there weren't (and still aren't) a whole lot of American cooks in town.

We, the experts, were lined up on one side of very long tables set in Hebbel Theater's HAU II main room. They were dimly lit by candle light and the seekers of knowledge would visit us for an exact time of 30 minutes- asking us various things about our area of expertise. FAQ "What is American cuisine?" I spent the evenings defending against stereotypes of hamburgers and hotdogs.

In came Raymond. He was recommended by a colleague of his who I spoke with the night before. I thought she most likely was won over by my offerings of atypical American style snacks. Maybe Ray was just hungry? Well, it turned into a fascinating 30 minute conversation and Raymond Wolff seemed to be more of an expert than I.

Since then, I have had the pleasure to get to know Ray as a friend. He has been a supporter of Fortuna's Feast before it was even conceived. He lives down the street so has become a regular character in the establishment. On any given Friday Night Little Dish or the occasional Sunday Brunch- you may find Ray having an American style meal of some sort and telling a gripping, real life story to anyone lucky enough to be sharing his table.

During Feast's 48 Hours Neukölln: Shellac, Photos and Food, Raymond will grace us all with his collection of 78's and most definitely stories only a historian can tell.

Rixdorf/Neukölln on 78rpm Recordings - Raymond Wolff
Sat 15:00 — 21:00

48 Hours Neukölln: Shellac, Photos and Food

2010-06-21T13:16:00.005+02:00

Fortuna’s Feast will be participating in this years 48 Stunden Neukölln in the most unique ways! This time, the edible creations, though present, will take a back seat to the cultural events. We want to engage a few of your other senses .

Highlights include:

Featuring composers from Neukölln/Rixdorf and/or songs having anything to do with this area, Mr. Wolff will play his rare collection of 78 shellac records spanning the entire spectrum of the 78rpm-making era (1900 to 1960). Between sets he’ll share his knowledge with a bit of story telling.(Feast’s main parlor, Saturday 3-9pm)

Berlin based photographer from the UK, Joe Dilworth will present his recent work, Empty Spaces. Dilworth breaths new life into decaying structures through the eye of his camera. (Feast’s cellar gallery Friday-Sunday)

MotorFM’s, Elizabeth Rushe, host of Off the Record will provide the soundtrack for the evening after parties and Nat Fowler (Oxes on Boxes) does his thing too. (Feast’s cellar gallery Friday thru Sunday)

SCHEDULE:

Friday, June 25th

Feast’s Parlor
6:30pm-11pm

FOOD: Open Dish featuring Italian peasant style street food. Dine in or take away as you wander the streets of Neukölln just as you would Rome.

Cellar Gallery
6pm-11pm

Empty Spaces
Berlin based photographer from the UK, Joe Dilworth will present his recent work. Dilworth breaths new life into decaying structures through the eye of his camera.

Cellar Gallery
9pm – open end

After Party
To start, MotorFM’s, Elizabeth Rushe, host of Off the Record will provide the party’s soundtrack and Nat (Oxes on Boxes) will follow up with his thing.

Saturday, June 26th

Feast’s Parlor
1pm – 10pm

FOOD: Lazy Cafe featuring tasty summer salads, soups and sandwiches. Cupcake menu by Projekt Puder Zucker. Dine in or take away.

3pm – 9pm
Music Historian Raymond Wolff
Featuring composers from Neukölln/Rixdorf and/or songs having anything to do with this area, Mr. Wolff will play his rare collection of 78 shellac records spanning the entire spectrum of the 78rpm-making era (1900 to 1960). Between sets he’ll share his knowledge with a bit of story telling.

Cellar Gallery
1pm-10pm

Empty Spaces – Joe Dilworth
(refer to Friday schedule)

Cellar Gallery
10pm – open end

After Party
MotorFM’s, Elizabeth Rushe

Sunday, June 27th
Feast’s Parlor
12noon – 7pm

FOOD: Weser Street Coney Island
Ray plays American oldies and Suzy serves up pancakes, coney dogs and sliders. What are those? Come and see.

Cellar Gallery
12noon-7pm

Empty Spaces – Joe Dilworth
(refer to Friday schedule)

Cellar Gallery
7pm – open end

Closing Party
Nat (Oxe’s on Boxes) plays Slo-Mo-Mo-town and we’re not talking about Stevie Wonder.

A Moveable Feast

2010-05-30T18:41:00.010+02:00

The sun was shining and there was warmth. To which god did the couple pray? I wondered. It must have been a fairly influential one because making this happen in Berlin, in this less than magnificent May, took some serious pull.

Charmingly rough around the edges, Villa Luise in Kladow was the location of a wedding celebration for about 100 people. Fortuna's Table (the moveable version of Fortuna's Feast) had the pleasure to be the caterer and also the responsibility to keep the guest's glasses full. It was to be a BBQ and hopefully like none other the mostly all German crowd had known before. No wurst here, tut mir leid.

The menu: simple and full of fresh delights, definitely heavy on the American influence. The staff: hard working, gracious and pleasant- also heavy on the American influence.

It was a wonderful success on all counts. Congratulations to the new couple!

For more images of the wedding, click on a photo to instantly access flickr .

Welcome to hard labor, Orlando.

2010-05-15T12:31:00.007+02:00

The timing couldn't be more perfect! Orlando comes on the scene at the very moment I decide to undergo an expansion in my catering business: home baked goods as the norm.

I bought myself quite a large free standing freezer and readied it to be packed full with all sorts of muffins, cakes and cookies for easy access. When catering for smaller functions, it isn't always possible or smart business to bake one batch of brownies to serve as the dessert after a lunch break, as well as it is not cost effective to order one dozen from my local baker. Solution: freezing a ton before hand.

I thought involving Orlando would be a great way to break the ice, get her in the kitchen, show her what goes where and see her in action. Poor thing, I almost killed her. It was her first exposure to "quantity". Oh sure, the quality was there too but if I was going to plug that energy sucking machine into the wall, it was going to have to be worth it. I'd be damned if we didn't have enough baked goods to feed an army of photographers, their assistants and those hungry hair and make-up types. So we toiled about 8 hours away.

It was also about experimenting... what freezes well and what doesn't. We decided on carrot cake, lemon bars, mixed berry cheesecake bars, two types of scones and brownies. We managed to do everything except the brownies. I challenged Orlando to a "Brownie-Off" ( I'm sure to get my booty kicked) and this needs time and maybe a judge or two.

We had fun. Since we both are into taking photos of food and the entire process, we were jumping between stirring the mix and aiming the camera. It was a dizzying combination that had us doing lots of laughing.

More or less, I had Orlando over for a play date. (and the freezer project is on it's way...)

Her name is Orlando.

2010-05-15T10:59:00.008+02:00

I have to introduce you to someone... her name is Orlando. She is 16 years old and is very interested in baking, to put it mildly. She came to me by way of her Mother, a contact I had made quite a few years back- the accomplished Sophie Lovell.

Out of the blue one day I received an email from Sophie telling me that her daughter would like to get some experience in the cooking/catering department and would like to spend the summer helping out around Feast. I did what anyone would do and immediately checked out this youngsters Facebook page. I was sold.

16 years old? It was hard to believe. The photos she had taken of her creations were better than most I've seen... and the creations! Let's not overlook those: sweetly decorated tiny cookies, creamy, billowy, playful cakes, cupcakes of perfection! This and more is on her group page, Projekt Puderzucker. One can see the girl is obsessed with baking, photography, cookbooks.. and friends. There are little clues everywhere that Orlando shows love for those she loves with her baking.

Around this time I got a request for a "special cake" by a client, one that looks a lot like the cake in the main photo of this blog. I don't need to tell you again of my frail baking abilities so I of course needed a professional. Or not? Orlando... could she?

Well, as you can see here, Orlando rose to the occasion- above and beyond, in my opinion. I'd like to mention that this is the first cake the girl had ever done in this fashion. And it was tasty too. I am again reminded that a good challenge helps us breakdown our own barriers, giving way to wondrous possibilities.

Orlando, a baking prodigy? The proof is in the pudding, cake, cookie....

You say holiday, I say vacation.

2010-05-02T12:20:00.009+02:00

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I was raised calling it vacation. We would pack up our station wagon with the faux wood panel siding and vacate to somewhere that took days to get to. All six of us piled in and we had our unofficial assigned places. Mine was in the very back with the flip-up, booth style seats that faced each other. A bonus was the electric rear window that lowered for some fresh exhaust as we motored along. Thanks to all the summer football camps that my Dad worked at across the country, we managed to visit quite a few States, even if a lot of it was seen from the inside of the wagon.

These days, don't ask me how, I've begun to call it holiday. That's what all the Brits and Euros call it and it just rubbed off I guess. Madonna called it a holiday way back when and she is American and also from Michigan so I have to wonder how it happened to her? I still make myself say vacation from time to time: never forget where you came from.

The point is, I got out of Berlin for one whole week and it was lovely. I went to my little, cheap, on the beach, pre-season Ibiza hideaway. I brought my own coffee because theirs isn't so good and I basically did nothing all week except bed to beach to bed again. A much needed respite away from event planning and cooking.

If I lived in Arizona I'd definitely get pulled over for proof of citizenship because I am now nice and brown. I guess I would be pulled over pre- tan as well, for that matter. I digress... anyway, I spent many hours in the sun catching up on some reading. There was the terrible book I bought at Tegel before boarding, the entire April issue of Vanity Fair, two of my favorite food mags and one of those miniature versions of Elle for good measure.

It's those two food magazines that I want to tell you about. They get delivered to me (a huge treat in itself) and when I'm busy they often are neglected, sometimes only a quick leaf through. BUT when I'm on... vacation... they are savored front to back.

La Cucina Italiana, a subscription that my Mom gives me yearly, keeps me connected to the real stuff. These recipes are authentic. The features about Italy are informative and capture that Italian magic. I believe the magazine got a makeover a couple of years ago and is really beautifully laid out with nice photography and without any pretension. I get a lot of inspiration from this magazine and so should you.

The other is Cook's Illustrated. I have to admit, I was slow on the uptake with this magazine, the majority of it is in black and white, for god's sake. Finally, by unseen forces that are working for the greatest good, I was given a subscription from a close friend's Mother. As a self taught cook, I cannot tell you how helpful it is. Everything You Wanted to Know About Cooking but Were Afraid to Ask... a better title in my opinion. In this May & June edition alone you get the low down on the three types of Miso, a trick for perfectly charred, seared tuna steaks,three ways to skin a clove of garlic, the recipe for the ultimate chocolate cupcake (and believe me, they wouldn't throw that term around loosely), the perfect boiled egg, how to "map" your broiler, a vinegar fly trap and a delicious sounding empanada recipe that is explained in so much detail, even an Arizona State Trooper couldn't get it wrong. (couldn't resist)

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Me and my Mother,1971. Somewhere on the way to California.
Photo: Alberto Fracassa

Hey! A recipe!

2010-04-15T00:38:00.014+02:00

My first recipe for the blog... a magnanimous moment. You will find a few here and there but I am holding firm on this not becoming one of "those" recipe blogs. I hereby promise to only post the ones that I have no doubt will change your life.

Cream Drop Biscuits: so easy and crazy good. They can be savory or sweet- your every wish is their command. They are the biscuits I use for my Biscuits and Gravy on my brunch menu (picture in Brunch a la carte post) and I also use them for my strawberry shortcake dessert as well. They are heavenly dipped in greek yogurt and honey and try stirring in some cheddar and chives into the batter- kicks a cheese pretzel's ass . A dozen make a great gift if you are invited for breakfast somewhere, just make sure there's some good butter and raspberry jam around and you'll be a star.

Did I mention that they are really easy to make?

Cream Drop Biscuits

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups chilled heavy cream

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F/220°C

Stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Add cream, then stir just until a dough forms.
Drop heaping 1/4 cups of batter* (for larger biscuits) about 1 inch apart on an ungreased large baking sheet. Bake in middle of oven until tops are pale golden and bottoms are golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes.

* Sometimes I like to make smaller biscuits so I use about 1 heaping table spoon. They cook faster so keep an eye!

The Neighborhood

2010-04-12T01:28:00.005+02:00

I recently took a walk with my new camera and enjoyed a day off. Neukölln seems to be bursting at the seams with promise these days but I'm proud to say that I have been a resident for the last nine and a half years- the first eight on Boddinstr. I try to ignore the hype and stay focused on the things that drew me here in the first place: the diverse culture, the working class, the not so perfectly kept buildings, the Turkish markets, the One Euro stores, the people.

It's not nice to play favorites but...

2010-04-08T21:00:00.008+02:00

Easter Brunch was a success. It seems the guests were happy and I found two new favorite brunch dishes. Ham and Sweet Potato Bake with Fried Eggs and Bittersweet Chocolate Waffles with Strawberry Sauce.

Both were concocted dreams of mine and I didn't really know how they were going to turn out. Yeah, yeah, it's risky to put something on a menu that one has not "tested" but that's the point- Feast events are for experimenting. ( fair warning)

There was something automatically delicious about sweet potatoes mixed with caramelized onions and sage- then baked with guyere cheese... it was good but it needed something else. Bacon? No... it was Easter, it needed HAM, a thick cut of pan grilled ham. And no option on those eggs... they had to be fried. I thought this brain child might be orphaned, left behind the poached eggs with salmon and sauce hollandaise but nobody puts cheese bake in the corner. It flew out of the kitchen.

And the chocolate waffles... well, that was a no brainer. It came with a warm homemade strawberry sauce that I spiked with fresh ginger and Jim Beam. I let it bubble on the stove for a hour and a half before throwing in more sliced fresh strawberries. I knew the fresh whipped cream didn't have a chance once plopped on top of the steamy mess but who would really care? Better to seep into the waffle squares, my dear... We even tried to coax an overdue pregnant mommy into labor with them but I guess they weren't that good.

Flattery Will Get You Pancakes

2010-03-27T16:35:00.009+01:00

Looks like the "secret" is out. Feast, the hip eatery that caters to young, beautiful creatives has been discovered . Well, this is what the kind people at the BZ have said anyway.

I'm flattered, really. Making my way through the article (the best way I could with my sorry German skills) I was humbled by the sincere appreciation of not only my cooking but also the atmosphere.

They left off pointing readers in the direction of this blog (welcome, BZ reader) for more information about Easter Brunch and about renting the space privately. So, just to let you know, I'll be opening my doors on Easter Sunday, April 4th, taking reservations for two seatings 10:30am and 2pm. I will welcome old and new friends alike to what I would like to call a proper brunch. We Americans believe we have a corner on that market. For reservations send an email to events@fortunastable.de or for more information, click here.

I do these events from time to time to give people a chance to see the inside of Feast and have a taste of the sort of things I prepare. Though, Feast's main desire is to be your private dancer. That's right- yours for a night. Or a day. Not only is it home to my catering kitchen and storage space- it is a legitimate private dinning room for rent. Birthday parties, weddings, office gatherings, private dinner parties and so on...

For every private party booked at Feast, I plan a personalized menu according to the host or hostess' every whim- we can even pick out some wine to match. But, you know what the best part is of having your party at Feast? We clean up. Anyone who knows anything, knows that this is worth more than the the food and drink combined.

If you would like more information about renting Feast for your private event... don't look for a website- it seems to be caught in limbo at the moment. Instead, feel free to email me directly at suzy@fortunasfeast.de or call my business line +49 30 627 32 538.

Well, that's enough self promotion for one day. I'm exhausted.

Lovely people, lovely day.

2010-03-17T00:12:00.004+01:00

Some images from last Sunday's Brunch a la carte.

Secrets Revealed: Cooking with Essential Oils

2010-03-16T14:49:00.010+01:00

Sometime ago I was approached by a couple of hungry entrepreneurs who asked if I would test out their new product line: essential cooking oils by Quintessenzia . I was to use them in my kitchen and give them feedback on all thoughts and outcomes of my tinkering.

I was curious and so I started to add a drop here, a few drops there to the dishes I was preparing . They were a peculiar bunch, these strange oils- too much, too many, had my taste buds completely confused BUT just the right amount: absolutely amazing. It took time to get to know them, just like any worthwhile relationship, I guess.

This is where I find it hard to express through words just how essential oils effect food. I've been told that I sound like a new age weirdo when I free associate on what they do to the sense of taste. Sorry but it's true, cooking with these oils is like cooking in the fourth dimension. They ever so subtly (or not) elevate the flavor of a dish in such a way that seems to elevate the entire eating experience on a whole. See? I'm doing it again...

The funny thing is, once you get acquainted with these oils, they are so easy to use. They have saved the blah sauce, the so-so salad dressing, the neither here nor there soup- many, many times in my kitchen and all in a matter of moments.

You have to try them yourself. There is really no other way to communicate how great they are in words so I'll stop attempting to.

Here are a couple ways to check them out:

For the next two Little Dish evenings at Feast (Friday, March 19th and Friday the 26th) I will feature at least one essential oil in all little dishes on the menu.

Also...

I will be teaching the cooking course "Cooking with Essential Oils - Elevating Food with Aroma" at the one and only Goldhahn and Sampson in Prenzlauerberg. Goldhahn and Sampson is, by far, the best food and condiment store/cookbook store/fine wines and spirits store/cooking school- in all of Berlin. Come and actually cook with these oils, with me, up close and personal!
Sign up now and get a free tasting menu at one of the special Essential Oil Little Dish evenings. That's right, free!

http://goldhahnundsampson.de/shop/products/de/Kochkurse/Cooking-with-essential-oils--Thursday-April-1-2010-at-19-h.html?XTCsid=7d9bc67ac2f08136c826b5549c1ecf55

The company that produces these oils is Quintessenzia. They have searched the world over to find thee best organic producers of these oils and then bring them back here, to Berlin, where they are mixed together with an organic soy oil and then finally bottled.

To buy online and for more info:
http://www.quintessenzia.com/

Do we pursue our dreams or do they pursue us?

2010-03-10T22:27:00.008+01:00

For me, it's a nagging thing- a thought, an idea, an image, a reference- it keeps reappearing until I act. This is how the interior of Feast came to be or I guess, how Feast came to be at all. It may seem cliche to be inspired by a classical artist and if so, then please call me cliche because I swear the ghost of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio took hold of my aesthetic.

It first started from a book given to me by a dear friend which had Caravaggio's "Boy with a Basket of Fruit" on the cover. It's lusciousness, it's vibrant bursts of color mixed with dark shadows, it's not so subtle mingling of sex and food- it captured my attention and held it. I kept "running into it" and everytime I did, I had to study it in great depth. Not knowing much about Caravaggio, I read about his life and all of it's controversy. From what I gather, he was a difficult man, to say the least. The only things truly known about Caravaggio are from public records and quite frankly, his rap sheet. He liked picking fights and this fact got him into considerable trouble. It was recorded that he started a brawl at a local Roman tavern over some artichokes... my kinda man.

I then followed this little obsession to the 1986 movie "Caravaggio" by Dereck Jarman staring, among others, a stunning young Tilda Swinton. Jarman's sets were gorgeous, often mixing the odd contemporary prop in with early 1600 AD period props, making me do double takes throughout the film. The walls looked like they had been steeped in many humid Roman summer evenings. I wanted my walls to look like that. And I also wanted heavy wooden tables and benches, just like the ones Caravaggio must have sat at when he sent the artichokes flying.

I found a local artist here in Berlin who knew a technique for the walls and she taught me the basics (which came in handy because she quit the project before completion). I finished them myself with, as they say, blood, sweat and tears. I also found a few angels who crafted the tables by hand.

During the renovations of Feast, I made a pilgrimage to the Galleria Borghese in Rome where a number of Caravaggio's works are housed. For a person who normally gets extremely sleepy twenty minutes inside the doors of a museum, the Borghese Gallery is completely digestible as it is no bigger than a large villa. Also, the pieces inside seem to be a concentrated collection of all things unbelievably beautiful. Anyway, I found my way to where the Caravaggios were and there it was... the Boy with a Basket of Fruit. As I stood two feet away from it, close enough to see the delicate brush strokes that Caravaggio himself had made, feelings of complete gratefulness and awe came over me. I was grateful to have been inspired by this image to begin to realize my dream and I was in total awe of it's own exceptional and utter beauty. My eyes filled with tears to the last possible point before running over and at the same time I was smiling the biggest smile ever, maybe I was even making some funny sounds, I'm not sure. People passing must have thought I was a total loon but I didn't care.

Hope for the Baking Impaired

2010-03-02T16:01:00.003+01:00

Last weekend Feast acted as host to a small club gathering. Since it was held in the early afternoon, they requested some sort of cake and coffee to be available. Ok. Not a problem. Actually, a short time ago this would have been a problem. Yes, I can cook but baking, baking with all of it's exact measurements...

The only new years resolution I ever kept was in 2009 when I decided to do away with this fear. Ever since, I've been doing more and more baking for Feast and my catering jobs, instead of hiring my trusted friend and serious baker, Fenella. (although, Fenella is still the master of the Thanksgiving pumpkin pie) Granted, I don't attempt anything too difficult, not yet anyway, but that's alright with me. Sometimes it's enough to take a little nibble out of your fears.

Ye Olde English Sunday Roast

2010-02-23T16:10:00.002+01:00

Cook's Spotlight with Shannon Campbell

I'm always so impressed by how many great cooks there are out there. I'm not only talking about the professionals, I'm also talking about regular people who just love to do their thing in the kitchen. I decided to open up my kitchen and let these people have a go at it.

Shannon Campbell was the first to visit and he just happens to be a fellow caterer here in Berlin. He's from New Zealand but has a real love and talent for cooking up some seriously amazing English food. Yeah, the menu was a bit daunting for a Non-Englishman: toad in the hole, mashed neeps, pig faggots, roly poly... but I tell you, it was outstanding.

When my mother's side of the family immigrated to the States from Italy, they settled in the hills off of the banks of the Ohio River on the West Virginia side. Coal mining country. It was there that my grandmother, Stella, got a taste of what I like to call: good hillbilly cooking. The love for "cracklins" has been passed down the line and so when Shannon pulled out his homemade "pork scratchings" I was really excited. They were addictive and delicious. All I could think of was how to send my mom a box of them for Mother's Day.

In his own words, this is how Shannon sums it up...

"In the long tradition of British pub food, serving lazy Sunday food, early and late, homemade with classic English ingredients, in a relaxed atmosphere where you can unwind after a long weekend, eat, drink and still make it home for the late movie before bedding down with a full belly and sleepy beer dreams."

Menu
spiced nuts and pork scratchings

Lil Bits
Cock a leekie soup
Lil pork pies with red onion chutney, apple chutney
Potted duck with bloomer bread
Mussels with cider and bacon
Toad in the hole with red onion jam

Mains - served with chicory, stilton and walnut salad

Pigs faggots braised in ale with bashed neeps
Beef cheeks with dumplings
Citrus spatchcocked baby cock with bubble
and squeak

Sweets
jam roly poly
perry poached pear crumble and custard

Brunch a la carte - Valentines Day in disguise

2010-02-23T15:26:00.002+01:00

It had been long time since I hosted a brunch, since the Hazelwood days to be exact. The whole point of having brunch was to show everyone the tasty alternative to the dreaded brunch buffets that plague this town. Where I come from and where I've been, brunch is served up fresh and warm, just for you- not from a picked over, dried up, breathed on mediocre spread. It also comes with a proper Bloody Mary and a Mimosa.

It happened to be Valentines Day. Even though I decided to down play that fact, I did use it as an excuse to buy little roses for my bud vases. You can't really get away with that any other day of the year, in my book anyway.

All in all, it seemed to be a big success- people asking if I was hosting a brunch weekly. I think I'll start bi-monthly.

Buttermilk Pancakes with real maple syrup

Eggs Juanita
with eggs, spiced black beans, grilled chorizo, two flour tortilla, fresh avocado and sour cream

Salmon Hash
two eggs on top of fried potatoes, poached salmon, fresh dill all mashed up and caramelized with maple syrup. topped with a bit of sour cream

Biscuits and Gravy
Homemade biscuits smothered with sausage gravy- for those who know, no more explanation needed

Jalapeno Cheddar Burger
served with home-fries

Homemade Honey-Almond Granola with lemon infused greek yogurt

Eggs Anyway... comes with whole grain toast, butter and jam
add on:
crispy Danish bacon
home-fries

Real Bloody Mary's
Mimosa's with fresh squeezed OJ

2010-02-23T15:02:00.000+01:00

I've succumbed. I'm starting a blog.

Where to start? Well, how about the last couple of events that Feast hosted- Brunch a la carte and Ye Olde English Sunday Roast. As good a place as any, I suppose...