My very first dinner party with Rote Grütze

I woke up this morning feeling hungry, which normally isn't unusual, but considering that I ate an Easter feast big enough to feed an entire village of carnivores just 10 hours earlier, I was a bit weirded out by my stomach pains.

I threw my first dinner party last night, and when I say dinner party, I mean dinner party - long table with white table cloth, decorative candles for ambient lighting, homemade napkin rings (and you better believe I mean cloth napkins), and a perfect mix of music that kept the conversation going for three hours. Nine friends attended and at the end of the night, everyone was stuffed off of honey-glazed ham, mixed vegetables, polenta, crescent rolls, and of course, dessert.


My friend Heidi made a delicious German dessert called Rote Grütze, which is a type of berry pudding. I had never tasted Rote Grütze before, but the best way to describe it would be this: If you could siphon the Summer season into a goblet and serve with whipped cream, it would be Rote Grütze.

I did a bit of research this morning into this German delicacy, and found some interesting information from a 1991 New York Times article. Rote Grütze ("red grits") originates from northern Germany where an array of berries make their delectable appearance in Summer. Basically, red currants, raspberries, cherries, as well as the occasional blackberry or black currant, are cooked with sugar and cornstarch (and in some recipes, German wine) and served with a simple topping.


According to the New York Times:

In the old days Rote Grütze was not a dessert at all but a light summer supper, served with cold milk or cream. Today it is most often served with vanilla sauce, and since the 1970's, when it was suddenly pronounced chic, Rote Grütze can be found at the toniest restaurants and cafes, as well as at Great Aunt Emma's place out in the country.

Depending on whose great-aunt's recipe is being followed, Rote Grutze may contain such optional additions as strawberries, blueberries, rhubarb, a glass of red wine or even a jigger of brandy. What is required in one recipe is disregarded in another. Some profess that the only proper Rote Grutze contains two-thirds red currants; others insist that any amount of any red berries will do. Some swear that the addition of water is anathema, others that a small glass of water is absolutely essential. Purists generally agree, however, that the dessert is never overly sweet, and they draw the line at the addition of gelatin, warning the uninitiated that its addition will produce a stiff aspic.

I know Heidi is into ghosts and scary movies, but I'm beginning to think she might be a mind reader as well, because I can't think of a better accompaniment to my offering of the evening - a lemon tart. Served either on the side or on top, Rote Grütze was a fantastic addition to my basic lemon dessert.

Aside from the food, the event was a huge success in that everyone had a lovely time. It was great seeing some familiar faces (Heidi, John, Jessica, Erikka, Emily, Will), a face I don't get to see often enough because of geography (Mickey), and a new face (Scott). I don't think I could have asked for a better Easter dinner - great friends, great food and great conversation.

The pictures I've posted are of the table pre-food, and then of the ham (obviously). No one took photos of the desserts, which I apologize about - we were too busy stuffing our faces and about half-way into our collective food coma.

German Bakers Outraged by Proposed E.U. Salt Regulations

Whoever thought that baking bread and the energy crisis would go hand in hand? If you are to believe Germany’s finest bread bakers, you’ll see the connection. Apparently, European Union health officials are pushing a mandate to regulate salt content in products, infuriating German bakers whose heavy bread loaves and famous salted pretzels require substantial salt.

Labeling the bureaucrats in Brussels the “taste police,” German bakers have rallied and with the support of multiple unions and lobbies, including the Central Association of German Bakeries, a lobby for 12,000 of the country’s 15,000 bakeries, have forced E.U. officials to continue talks with bakers before making a final decision, originally scheduled to be handed down on Wednesday.

According to today’s New York Times, the bakers remained skeptical, saying they were convinced that Brussels would try to dictate changes to the recipes for their breads and the popular — and heavily salted — pretzel once the European Parliament elections were out of the way in June.

Interviews by the Times’ Judy Dempsey, Matthias Wiemers, chairman of the Central Association of German Bakeries said, “What the E.U. is doing amounts to stupid interference.”

“The E.U. is trying to change the way we bake our bread, change the way we market it — and of all things, change the taste of our bread,” Mr. Wiemers said. “And all this is taking place just months before we go to the polls to elect a new European Parliament. This is exactly the kind of interference and overregulation by Brussels that annoys citizens and even makes the E.U. unpopular.”

You can read the full New York Times story here.