Saturday 16 July 2011
This was the Kikoklu summer BBQ and we had invited a couple of friends along as guests. The menu had been arranged over the past couple of weeks.
The planning actually started long before the event, but I shall start off with Friday, Linda and I had arranged to meet up at the wholesalers (CITTI) in Kiel. I had been able to get an early get-a-way as Friday is terrible on the A2 & the A7 Autobahn at the best of time, but at times of the school holidays it is absolute pandemonium.
I actually made quite good time and arrived at Citti an hour before the arranged 18:00 so I went in and got all of my victuals’ for the Saturday BBQ. I had planned to do smoked Baltic Arctic Saibling (Charr-Salvelinus alpinus), but when looking along the fresh fish counter, my eyes alighted on a wonder, fresh Bachforellen (brown trout - Salmo trutta fario). Now the anglers amongst us will know the way to tell a good fresh fish, bright eyes, deep red gills, but these where so fresh that the slime was still running off them, I fell in love with them and had to elope with them there and then, all 8 of them!
I then went shopping for my flour and yeast for the carrot and cumin bins for the game burgers.
I had just finished my shopping when Linda texted me telling me she had just arrived, I said well I have just finished. We met at the check out and I took my stuff down to the car. Linda had said that she was taking me for a spot of Dinner? High Tea? So we went straight to the Gosh fish restaurant inside Citti (where I had been earlier to get my brown trout).
Linda had something exotic, I do believe prawns or some such other crustacean, but I settled for one of my all time favourites’, Bratheringe mit Bratkartoffeln (pickled fried herring with fried potatoes). I do make these from time to time, but honestly, why bother when you can get them served up with a glass of wine for €15,-
We next went and got Linda’s shopping essentials (she was doing the gazpacho soup with tapenade twists and Tandoori prawns on skewers).
So it was off home to do the pre-prep. I had brought some defrosted diced mixed game (red deer, wild boar, pigeon breasts) and some diced pork belly this required marinating. I used gin, martini bianco, cassis and a good dusting of my game spices.
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a drop of this and a drop of that |
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| the mixed game well mixed and set to marinade for 12 hours |
I next put the trout into a 7% brine solution ( I normally make up my own, but this time I used a herb de Provence propriety brand. That was the easy part done. We opened a bottle of wine and settled down to watch a bit of TV recordings.
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| 8 fantastic brown trout |
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| 21g of brining salt for 3ltrs of water |
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| keep your heads down fellas |
I was about bright and early and went across to the market to get the remainder of the BBQ supplies (carrots, Coeur de boeuf tomatoes, zucchinis, sweet long green Turkish peppers). Returning back it was removal of the trout from the brine, drying and covering to keep the flies away.
Next came the mincing of the game and pork adding the rest of the ingredients (cranberries, sauted onions, garlic) and forming the patties.
I also had to start of Dan Lepards Carrot and Cumin buns, these are such a delight and they where first suggested to me by Gill (gillthepainter) another blogger and friend from the BBC and Wildfood boards.
Here is his recipe etc from the Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/jul/11/baking-recipe-carrot-cumin-buns
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| First grate 500g of carrots |
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| Add 250ml of boiling water to 250g cold milk and then add the instant dried yeast |
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| adding a diced onion (1 medium or as in this case 2 small) |
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| give it all a good mixing |
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| 1 kg of strong bakers flour and 200g of corn flour |
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| well mix the all of the ingredients together and allow to raise |
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| Giving it a good knead as was needed every 10 minutes for 10 seconds (twice) then leave to rise for 45 minutes |
This done I had to go out to pick up another table, a couple of chairs, some beer, bottled water and various other odds and sods that Linda had forgotten.
Backjust in time to stop it escaping and to get the buns formed and into the oven.
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| The dough starting to take over the kitchen |
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| forming the buns |
So it was now down to getting the Hof ready, BBQ and smoker filled and ready to fire up, tables and chairs out and covered, glasses, plates and cups etc, all on the tables, serviettes folded (not my job that).
For once we where in front, every thing was ready, but oh no! no ice, quick phone call to Marianne can they pick up some ice on the way here (the ice was to keep the wine and beer cold).
15:00 the weather was sunny and warm, I dashed upstairs had a shower and put a pair of shorts on (NO I had not been down in the Hof naked), well it is after all a summer BBQ.
It was:
Starter Kai’s Bommerlunder Cocktail
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| Kai the butler |
Linda’s Gazpacho and tapenade twists
My smoked fish
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| tender, succulent and falling off the bones |
Linda’s Tandoori prawn skewers
Martins Schaschlik
My game burgers
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| Squeezing it flat so it would fit! |
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| A look of pain and a look of contentment |
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| Grilled pineapple |
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| Chocolate coconut spring rolls |
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| Added to home made elderflower ice cream, chocolate dipped strawberries and a strawberry coolie gives you one hell of a dessert |
Wines various rosé (pink) and white wines
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| A suitable wine for the fish "James" |
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| A discussion about Kalle's loin cloth? |
It was a wonderful afternoon, all of the food went down a treat and even if we (as is normal) had made far, far too much no one went hungry. I am eating a game burger and some of Carolyn’s potato salad as I write this. The wines (I do recollect doing a wine tasting at Jaques where we tried one of the pinks) were exemplary and fittingly suited to the afternoon/evening.
So I wish to thank all of the other Kikokluers and our guests for making it such a success, also to Martin for his troubadour act on the guitar, we did have a nice sing song (that was the Royal ‘WE’).
Linda where is Alfons?????
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