Winter picnic
As is well known, in Hamburg there is no bad weather, only the right clothing. We're not picky about that. But every now and then, there are those biting cold winter days with wonderful sunshine and sparkling ice crystals. Then it's time to put on the lined boots, the cozy winter coat, and the warm knitted hat. Now let's go outside! And what’s fun in summer is also great in winter. Because what could be better than finding a nice spot in nature and enjoying a fine picnic? We fill hot cranberry-elderberry punch and a warming red cabbage soup into thermos flasks and pack small carrot falafels and a rich date-walnut cake into the picnic basket. A sheepskin is worth its weight in gold as a base, a wool blanket warms the legs. And for the feet, there are thermal insoles if needed.
Cranberry-elderberry punch with PATRICKS Gin
Ingredients:
125g sugar
150 ml PATRICKS Gin (or more or less, according to taste)
700 ml cranberry juice
100 ml elderberry juice
Cinnamon stick, star anise
Clove, cardamom pods, rosemary sprigs
possibly 1 egg white
Caramelize the sugar in a pot and deglaze with a good splash of gin. Boil off the caramel and fill up with the juices. Add the spices, bring everything briefly to a boil, then turn off the heat and let the punch steep for at least two hours. Then remove the spices, warm the punch, and add the gin.
For the frosted rosemary sprig, dip the sprigs in egg white, roll in sugar, and let dry overnight.
è PATRICKS Gin by Patrick Diehr from KOCHfabrik is especially suitable for this recipe due to its fruitiness.
è For an alcohol-free version, simply leave out the gin
Red cabbage soup with winter spices and cinnamon croutons
Ingredients:
5 shallots
500g red cabbage
100g potatoes (floury cooking)
1 apple
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp brown sugar
150 ml red wine (a Primitivo works well)
250 ml vegetable stock
250 ml game stock
100 ml elderberry juice
3 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
2 cloves
2 allspice berries
Fleur de Sel
Pepper (a slightly fruity Kampot pepper works very well)
2 slices of toast bread
50 g butter
Fleur de Sel, cinnamon
Cut the red cabbage into strips (first divide the head and remove the core), peel the potatoes and cut into large cubes, separate the apple from the core and also cut roughly, and peel the shallots and cut into large cubes. Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the onions first. Then add the red cabbage, potatoes, and apple and fry everything well for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the vegetables and fry for another 3 minutes. Then deglaze everything with red wine and add both stocks as well as the elderberry juice. Let everything simmer for about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes and red cabbage are soft. Remove the spices and puree the soup finely with an immersion blender or mixer. For an even finer result, the soup can be strained through a fine sieve. Finally, season with fleur de sel and pepper.
For the croutons, dice the toast slices, heat 50g butter in a pan and fry the cubes until crispy. Finally, sprinkle with fleur de sel and cinnamon.
è The soup can be prepared perfectly the day before; it tastes even better after sitting.
è It's best to put the spices in a tea filter and cook them along.
è The soup stays nice and hot in a thermos, be sure to pack the croutons separately for the picnic.
Carrot falafel with vegan sesame mayonnaise
Ingredients:
200 g dried chickpeas
100 g grated carrots
Fresh chopped mint, coriander, and parsley
Cumin, chili flakes
Fleur de Sel, pepper (a lemony variety like Timut pepper works very well here)
Rapeseed oil for frying
80 ml sesame oil
50 ml rapeseed oil
100 ml unsweetened soy milk
1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp ponzu sauce
Agave syrup
2 tsp dukkah spice mix
Fleur de Sel, pepper
For the falafel, soak the chickpeas overnight. Then drain well and puree finely. Knead the carrots, herbs, and spices into the mixture. Form small balls with moistened hands.
Heat the rapeseed oil to 180 degrees in a high-sided pan (it's ready when small bubbles rise on a wooden spoon dipped into the oil) and fry the falafel balls until crispy and brown. Drain on kitchen paper.
For the vegan sesame mayo, blend the soy drink with lime juice and ponzu sauce in a mixer until frothy, slowly drizzle in the two oils in a fine stream while mixing, and blend in. Lightly toast the dukkah spice mix in a pan and season the mayo with it, as well as with salt, pepper, and agave syrup.
Don't be afraid of the spices. The falafel mixture calls for plenty of seasoning.
Date walnut cake
Ingredients:
300 g pitted dates
300g dried cherries
200 g walnuts
250g butter
250 ml water
330 ml condensed milk
300 g spelt flour
1 tsp cream of tartar baking powder
1 tbsp orange marmalade
1 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp cardamom
Preheat the oven to 170 °C and butter a loaf pan. Chop the dates and put them together with the cherries, butter, water, and condensed milk into a pot and bring to a boil. Let it simmer gently for about three minutes while stirring constantly. Then transfer to a bowl and let cool.
Add the flour, baking powder, jam, and spices to the cooled mixture and knead everything into a homogeneous dough. Fill the dough into the loaf pan and bake for about 45 minutes. If the cake gets too dark, it can be covered in the oven with aluminum foil or baking paper.
JDon't get hectic now..! Cooling the date mixture is important, otherwise the baking powder cannot work properly.
The date cake is very rich and keeps well for several days if sealed airtight. If you like, enjoy it with some butter or simply plain.
You have to celebrate the parties as they come!
This is also the opinion of the two marketing experts Jennifer Driesen and Nora Döhmer. The two managers jointly lead the marketing of the sustainable premium caterer Die KOCHfabrik, around the entrepreneur Patrick Diehr. Together they are always looking for exciting new culinary experiences and surprising event concepts. Whether wedding, conference or gala, KOCHfabrik finds the right setting with impressive cuisine. You can find more information about KOCHfabrik on the following pages. Take a look.
Homepage: www.koch-fabrik.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/die_kochfabrik
Facebook: www.facebook.com/DieKOCHfabrik
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/die-kochfabrik
Photos: Chris Hartwich - Hamburg