GUTEN TAG! A letter from Germany . . . and GERMAN PFEFFERNUSS BREAD

When I was in high school, Mr. Kupp, the school principal, set up a penpal program with students in Germany.

One of Horst’s letters.

In 1968, on a damp, gloomy day, I was in Berlin so Horst picked me up with his little 3-wheeled car.   We drove on the Autobahn and he treated me to lunch at his university’s cafeteria. I remember a rich, dark sauce on the meat.  Perhaps it was sauerbraten?

Another mind-picture that has never left me from that trip was of display cases full of cakes covered with fluffy, whipped cream. 

   This is one of  the dresses I bought in Germany on that trip.  Pale blue chiffon: I hardly got to wear it because someone was smoking at a party.

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Bryan and I visited Germany together about ten years ago.  Such good memories!  So:

A CELEBRATION DINNER: 

SAUERBRATEN with SPAETZLE

BRAISED TURNIPS 

 WILTED SPINACH SALAD 

PFEFFERNUSS BROT

Making gingersnaps: we ground some of them up and added them to a sauce for Sauerbraten

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PFEFFERNUSS BROT (Pepper Spice Bread)

            From BERNARD CLAYTON’S NEW COMPLETE BOOK OF BREADS, page 432

Flavored with molasses, aniseed, allspice, cinnamon, black pepper, and walnuts!

·        The book is available online for less than ten dollars Cdn.   This Pfeffernuss Bread is worth the price alone!  Serve it with a salad and soup and you'll have a complete, delicious light dinner.