Heinrich Kühn – (Biersuppe) Beer Soup

Megan Fizell — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 20:57:43 +0000

In the last few weeks of September and the first few of October, the city of Munich holds a festival called Oktoberfest. The calendar is adjusted each year so that the festival will end on the first Sunday of October and this year is the 200th jubilee of the event. Revellers gather and enjoy hearty dishes ranging from sausages to sauerkraut and copious amounts of bier. The event is so popular that cities around the world hold celebrations to mark the occasion. I find that this recipe is best suited for any type of beer and would recommend using your favourite drop, as you are predisposed to already prefer the taste of the soup. I made the version depicted below with a light beer, Pure Blonde to be exact, and instantly wish I had used a stout to capitalise upon it’s sweet caramely flavours. It is also possible to swap the lemon juice with one of your preferred white wines. I have read other recipes that suggest this is a good way to achieve the light touch from the acidity.

Heinrich Kühn, Still Life with Steins, c.1900
gum-bichromate pigment print, 29.8 x 39.7 cm

Heinrich Kühn worked in the late 19th and early 20th century as a photographer and pioneered the use of many new technologies including gummigravüe and syngraphie. Kühn, along with George H. Seeley and Edward Steichen continued using photographs to depict other forms of art, which was popular in the late 19th century. They used the mechanical image to create painterly effects and developed darkroom techniques that combined with the use of a soft-focus lens, gave their prints the look of a charcoal drawing. Kühn often employed a language of iconography that was deeply personal and was one of the first artists to capitalize upon the expressive qualities of the medium (1). His distinct blur aesthetic is present in Still Life with Steins, giving the highlights upon the glass and metal the appearance of dabs of paint, similar to the visual approach of the Impressionist painters he admired.

Celebrations in Köln, Germany & the bell tower at Oktoberfest in Frakenmuth, Michigan

{Beer Soup with Cheddar & Mustard Croutons}

adapted from the Octoberfest Cookbook

1 litre of beer
2 ½ TB butter
1 ½ TB flour
½ tsp cinnamon
1 TB sugar
2 egg yolks
½ c milk
½ lemon, juiced
spring onion, thinly sliced
1 baguette, sliced
grainy mustard
cheddar cheese, grated

Open the beer and pour into a bowl. Let sit for 2 hours until it becomes flat.

In a pot, brown the flour in the butter forming a roux. Slowly add the beer, cinnamon and sugar and bring to a boil. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks, milk and lemon juice. Remove the beer from the heat and while it is still hot (but not boiling) quickly stir in the milk, whisking until combined to keep the egg yolks from curdling.

Slice a baguette and spread grainy mustard over one side. Lay out on a pan and top with the grated cheese. Slide under the broiler until the cheese is golden and bubbling and the baguette has toasted.

Serve the beer soup with the toasted baguette croutons and a sprinkle of spring onion rings.

………………………………………………..

1 Year Ago: William Nicholson – Wild Mushroom Bread Pudding

Paul Klee – Apple & Red Onion Sauerkraut with Wiener Schnitzel

Megan Fizell — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 02:00:00 +0000

I am very excited to introduce a new monthly feature to Feasting on Art – blogger recipe collaboration. It is a great way to highlight some of the writers and photographers that I follow and who influence my work. Each collaboration will focus on one painting and two recipes – one sweet and the other savory. This week you will have to visit Jamie’s post, Baked ‘Fried’ Apple Pie, for the sweet half of this autumnal German menu. With it being the first week of Oktoberfest I would recommend enjoying the meal with a big stein of lager. Although German cuisine is often thought of as heavy and stodgy, the sauerkraut (German for ‘sour cabbage’) balances the schnitzel, lightened through the inclusion of fresh apple in the breading. Side-note: due to a dust storm (see photo) all of the photographs were shot by candlelight.

Paul Klee, Still Life with Four Apples, 1909
oil and gouache on board, 34.3 x 28.2 cm, Museum of Modern Art, New York City

Paul Klee was a Swiss painter (born in Germany) who was linked with Expressionism, Cubism, Futurism, Surrealism, and Abstraction. His work rarely falls into one movement’s classification but always demonstrates his natural ability as a draftsman. Still Life with Four Apples is a monochromatic painting with a focus on the repetitive geometric form of the circle. The perspective of the painting places the viewer directly above the bowl reinforcing the shape and drawing attention to the lack of a specific light source. The tonal variations on the apples are subtle but not consistent and there is a patch of shading in the centre of the bowl that mimics the colouration of the apples. Although colour theory was always at the forefront of Klee’s artistic aesthetic – in 1909, the year Still Life with Four Apples was completed, Klee was struggling to balance his domestic life with new artistic endeavours. This personal grapple with balancing life and art is a possible explanation for the household subject matter and disconnected colouration within the composition.

If you are not familiar with the photoblog From Me To You then I highly suggest paying a visit as soon as possible. Not only do Jamie’s images from New York City make me rethink my status as an ex-pat, she has the most envy-inducing collection of vintage cameras. You can read a great article that Jamie wrote about collecting vintage cameras here. In addition to the beautiful photographs of her travels and styled shoots for Working Class Magazine, she includes a regular feature called Dinner & a Movie. More often than not I secretly wish I lived in the Big Apple and that Jamie would invite me to share one of her delicious meals – especially one like the South American menu. Jamie’s aesthetic is impeccable and her photographs capture the beautiful nuances of everyday life (a favorite being the Bloody Mary in a jam jar). Her portrait series All the President’s Girls demonstrates her mastery of the medium by transforming beautiful paintings into photographs with soft painterly qualities. Jamie’s blog is a continual source of inspiration and I am so pleased she agreed to be my inaugural collaborator! Thanks so much Jamie!

{Apple & Red Onion Sauerkraut}

adapted from Gourmet

1 1/2 heads green cabbage
3 tsp salt
3 TB olive oil
2 red onions, thinly sliced
1 green apple, finely sliced
1 head red cabbage
3 whole cloves
3 TB dark brown sugar
1/2 c dry red wine
1/4 c red wine vinegar
1 bay leaf

Finely slice the heads of green cabbage – 1/2 head at a time. Once each half head is sliced, add to a large crock pot and cover with 1 tsp of salt. Mix well and place a plate over the cabbage to compact it into the bottom of the pot. Continue with all of the cabbage ensuring the salt is evenly distributed and fully compacted. Fill a ziplock bag with water and place on top of the plate to weigh down the cabbage. Cover the pot with plastic cling-wrap and then with a towel. Allow to ferment for 10-14 days. You may need to top up the brine if the salt has not extracted enough liquid to cover all of the cabbage. Mix one mug of water with 1/4 tsp of salt and add to the cabbage. Rinse thoroughly before consumption. *There may be a bit of mold on the top layer of cabbage – simply discard.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and sauté the onion with the cloves until browned, about 10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until tender. Discard bay leaf and serve room temperature. The sauerkraut will keep chilled for two days.

{Wiener Schnitzel}

adapted from Delicious Magazine

2 c breadcrumbs (can be fresh or dried – or a mixture of both)
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 green apple, minced
1/4 c finely chopped parsley
2 eggs beaten
1/4 c milk
4 chicken breasts
1 c flour
1 c olive oil
lemon wedges, to serve

Combine the breadcrumbs, minced apple, Parmesan, and parsley on a large plate. Place the eggs and milk in a bowl and beat lightly. In another bowl, add the flour and season with salt and pepper.

Place the chicken on a cutting board. Slice evenly through the chicken creating two thin escalopes of chicken. Using a meat mallet (or in my case a metal measuring cup) flatten each escalope to a thickness of 1/4 of an inch.

Dip the chicken first in the flour, then the beaten egg and finally the breadcrumbs pressing the mixture so it adheres to the chicken. Heat the oil in a non-stick frypan and fry the chicken over medium heat for one to two minutes until golden. Turn and cook the other side for another minute.

Drain on a paper towel and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining three pieces of chicken. Serve with a wedge of lemon and sauerkraut.