Monkfish – an extraordinary fish dish

Monkfish is generally a delicacy, no question. In this recipe the solid fish comes with black, sea-aromatic spaghetti. Together with the tomato sauce, which is deglazed with vodka and refined with vanilla, the plate convinces by strong, bright colors, phantastic flavors, bite-proof fish and very special pasta – all topped off with a little fresh mint. A feast for all senses!

Vanilla shrimp with grilled honey melon

I love vanilla, especially in savory dishes. So this dish really jumped on me when I discovered it years ago in the culinary magazine “Effilee” in the section “Fast Plate” by Stevan Paul. The vanilla shrimp have now found a permanent place among our summer classics. And sometimes we get the summer back on the plate even in winter.

Strawberries, the stars on the early summer stage

When strawberries step on the stage, you can be sure: Now it’s getting delicious! With this strawberry-orange-mascarpone-cake they have a big performance! Their role in the play: the icing of a fine, fresh cake made from orange, mascarpone, curd and cream. Strawberry’s duet partner is the vanilla. Unbeatable!

Greetings from Bella Italia

The temperatures keep up with Bella Italia, the bright colours of this Italian Minestrone soup make you happy. When snipping all the fine vegetables you can almost see him in your mind’s eye: Luigi, who rattles with his red Vespa on the Tuscan country roads. Close your eyes and dream a little bit about Italy… A light meal for those hot days, a feast for all the senses.

Don’t be afraid of game!

Time and again I hear: “I have never prepared game, I don’t know whether I can do that.” This concern is nowadays absolutely unfounded. The days of strong smell and taste are long gone. So-called “Haut goût” (French for „high taste“) referred to the very intense, slightly unpleasant smell that arose when the meat was stored too long without proper cooling. Today, in the age of cold stores and freezers, it does not exist any longer. So, get to the wild feast.

Finally it’s pre-Christmas season again: Vanilla Crescents

A German classic among the Christmas cookies. Vanilla crescents is a must on every plate of Christmas goodies. The crescents taste even better with homemade vanilla sugar. And it’s easy!

Vanilla Quince

Quinces are childhood memory for me. Grew up on the North Sea every summer we visited our grandparents in the Odenwald, a German low mountain range. In their (kitchen) garden they grew a quince tree in addition to many other fruit trees. Plums, apples, pears, we also had in our garden at home, but I had never seen quinces in North Germany. I thought they were unique in my grandparents‘ garden. Grandma Anna’s quince jelly was my favourite!