A Trip to Munich's Oktoberfest plus Beer-Braised Brats and Beer Onions from Cleo Coyle

As Joyce Tremel mentioned on Sunday, with her Soft Pretzel and Beer Cheese recipes, Munich's traditional 16-day Oktoberfest is well underway now and will continue until October 5th.

While I've been to Germany and thoroughly appreciate their mastery at making some of the best beers in the world, I've never made it to an Oktoberfest. Attending this world-famous festival is on my (beer) bucket list. Is it on yours, too? Or have you been to it? Let us know in the comments.

In the meantime, join me now for a little 

video visit to this year's Oktoberfest! 

***********************

To watch the tapping of the first keg,
click the arrow in the window below...

If you do not see the video above, click here.

******

To join me for an Oktoberfest 2014
band stand concert, click the arrow
in the window below...

If you do not see the video above, click here.

*******

For more videos, directly from
this year's Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany,
click here and have fun!

And when you're ready for a food break, 
I've got an easy and delicious recipe for you...

But first...

A quick toast to my fellow 
crime-writing cooks...

Daryl Wood Gerber 

and

Sheila Connolly 

on their new releases today!
(Okay, Sheila's is officially next Tuesday, but
 I'm sure she won't mind an early shout-out.)

Happy Book Birthday to you both!

Cleo Coyle has a partner in

crime-writing—her husband.

Learn about their books

by clicking here and here.

Beer-Braised Brats 

and

Caramelized Beer Onions

by Cleo Coyle


Cooking brats in beer is far from a new idea, but it is a great one, especially if you have a favorite brew! 

We like to butterfly our brats to allow more surface area to absorb the beer flavor, which is why you should use your absolute favorite suds for the recipe. No matter how special or expensive your beer, you don't have to worry, this method will not waste a single drop. It will all go into the infusion process. You'll see what I mean as we braise the brats in one pan, caramelize the onions in another, and use the delicious beer-brat braising liquid to infuse the golden brown onions with even more flavor. 

Then spread your favorite roll (pretzel, potato, or seeded Kaiser) with whole grained mustard, pour an ice cold glass of amber nectar, and you'll be in beer heaven. Follow this recipe, and we'll meet you there!

~ Cleo 

To download this recipe in a 

free PDF document you 

can print, save, or share, click here.

To download this free
recipe PDF, click here.

Serves 4

4 bratwursts (pre-cooked or uncooked)

3 medium or 4 large onions, chopped

12 ounces of your favorite beer

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1-2 tablespoons butter

For serving: 

Fresh rolls (pretzel, potato, or Kaiser)

Whole grained mustard

Optional additions: Sauerkraut, creamy horseradish, pickles, your favorite pepper (banana, jalapeno, etc...)

Directions:

Step 1 - Cut each bratwurst down the middle but not all the way through. (In our photos, you see pre-cooked brats, but you can also use uncooked.) 

Spread the halves enough to flatten them but not enough to separate the halves. Note that brats curve slightly, like bananas. Be sure to cut along the inside curve before butterflying. Set brats aside and start cooking the onions.

Step 2 - In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter. Add the chopped onions and sauté over medium heat, stirring often.

Step 3 - While the onions are cooking, take out a second skillet. Add a bit of butter or oil. When the pan is hot, add the butterflied brats, warming/browning for about 5 minutes. Once brats are warmed/browned on both sides, add about 8 ounces of beer to the pan. 

You are not entirely covering the brats, just creating a shallow bath as shown in the photo below. 

Simmer for about 10 to 12 minutes, flipping at least once during the process. This is the cooking time for pre-cooked. If you are using raw brats, you will need to cook the brats longer. Raw meat should no longer be pink inside, and the internal temperature should reach 165 degrees F.  

When the brats are done cooking, turn off the heat under the pan and allow them to sit while you turn your attention to the onions...

Step 4 - Finish the onions: Continuing cooking the onions. After about 15 to 18 minutes of sautéing, the onions will have absorbed all of the fat in the pan. They will begin to caramelize, turning golden brown. If you need to add a bit more butter or oil to prevent them from burning before turning golden brown, do so. Do not move to the next step until the onions brown as shown or you will boil the onions instead of properly caramelizing them.

Step 5 - Once the onions have turned golden brown, add all of the liquid from the brats pan in Step 3. (We remove the brats from the pan first, putting them in a covered dish to keep them warm.) 


If for some reason you don’t have much liquid left in your brats pan, add a generous splash of fresh beer to the onions. Cook the mixture until the liquid is absorbed by the onions, about 3 to 5 minutes. 

Step 6 - Serve the brats and beer onions on pretzel rolls or potato rolls or Kaisers. 

We like to spread whole-grained mustard onto our rolls (as you see in the picture below). A bit of creamy horseradish is also delicious. Other possible additions include sauerkraut, pickles, and/or hot peppers. 

Click here for the free PDF, and
however you top your own beer-braised
brats and beer onion sandwich,
Marc and sincerely hope you will...

Eat with joy!

~ Cleo Coyle

New York Times bestselling author of

The Coffeehouse Mysteries

Yes, this is me, Cleo (aka Alice). 

Friend me on facebook here.

Follow me on twitter here. 

Learn about our books here.

***

Download a Free Title Checklist for
all 13 Coffeehouse Mysteries

(with mini plot summaries)
by clicking here.

Visit us our
online coffeehouse here.

Haunted Bookshop
Mysteries

Get a free title checklist,
with mini plot summaries,

by clicking here.

Oktoberfest Soft Pretzels, Beer Cheese, and a fun Giveaway from Author Joyce Tremel!

Please join me in welcoming author Joyce Tremel. Joyce hails from "Someplace Special," as we say back in Pittsburgh, PA. Today she's sharing two wonderful Oktoberfest recipes along with news of her brand new cozy mystery series. She also has a fun comment-to-win giveaway. More on that below. For now...

Take it away, Joyce!

~ Cleo Coyle

* * * * * * 

Author Joyce Tremel
Follow her on Twitter here.
Visit her on Facebook here.

I am so thrilled to be here! Thanks so much to Cleo for inviting me and giving me the first opportunity to let yinz guys (as we also say in Pittsburgh) read a little about my upcoming series.

My cozy series is called Brewing Trouble, and the first book, To Brew Or Not To Brew will be released from Berkley sometime in the fall of 2015. My main character, Maxine “Max” O’Hara is a brewmaster and in the process of opening a brew pub called the Allegheny Brew House in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh. When she finds her assistant and chef dead in one of the beer tanks, Max is determined to find out who killed him. There are some quirky characters, like the woman who owns the bakery who’s a rabid Steelers fan, and a World War II vet who usually has something cranky to say (he’s my favorite). And of course, there’s Max’s love interest, a hunky ex-hockey player who becomes her new chef.

That’s enough about that. You’re here for the food, not my ramblings! Since Max learned how to brew beer in Germany, and it is Oktoberfest right now, I thought some homemade soft pretzels and beer cheese sounded good. I hope you agree!

The pretzels aren’t hard to make, but they do take some time. And they sure beat the ones in the freezer case at the grocery store!

* * * * * * * * * * *

SOFT PRETZELS by Joyce Tremel

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups warm water

1 tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. salt

1 pkg. or 2 ¼ tsp. yeast

4 ½ cups flour

¼ cup canola oil or melted butter

Directions: Combine water, sugar, and salt in large mixing bowl. Sprinkle yeast on top. 

When it starts to foam, add the oil and flour. Mix well. If you have a mixer with a dough hook you can use that, or just do it the old fashioned way, like I did. Knead the dough until it’s smooth and elastic—about 5 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl. 

Cover with plastic wrap. Let it sit in a warm place until it doubles in size. This could take anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour.

In the meantime, preheat oven to 450F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly oil the parchment paper.

Fill a large pot with 10 cups of water, add 2/3 cup baking soda, and bring to a boil. (Note: be sure to use a large enough pot. The bubbles from the baking soda water kind of make a mess. Fortunately it cleans up easily!) While waiting for the water to boil, divide the dough into eight pieces (this makes big pretzels, if you want smaller ones, feel free to break into more pieces). 

With your hands, roll each piece into a rope about 2 feet long. Hold the ends and make a U, then cross the ends over each other and twist to make the pretzel shape. 

When all your pretzels are formed, put each pretzel one by one into the boiling water for about 30 seconds. Remove with slotted spoon or spatula and place on prepared baking sheet. 

Brush with a beaten egg, then sprinkle with pretzel salt (if desired). I left mine unsalted. Bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until they’re a nice, dark golden brown. 

BEER CHEESE by Joyce Tremel

Ingredients:

12 ounces shredded sharp cheddar

1 ½ tbsp. cornstarch

1 bottle of beer (12 oz.)—I suggest using a dark lager or a brown ale.

5 oz evaporated milk

1 tbsp Dijon or brown mustard

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp Frank’s Red Hot-hot sauce (Really. Is there any other kind?)

Salt to taste.


Directions: Toss the shredded cheddar with the corn starch and set aside. Whisk together beer, half & half, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce in a saucepan. Heat until steaming, whisking frequently so it doesn’t scorch. Add cheese, stir until melted and bubbly. Add hot sauce and season with salt. Serve warm.

(Note: When I make the beer cheese again, I’m going to reduce the amount of mustard. It kind of overwhelmed the flavor of the cheese. I also think I may use two cheeses—cheddar and swiss—the next time just to see how it tastes.)

Since Oktoberfest 2014 runs from September 20th to October 5th, I suggest serving the pretzels and beer cheese with your favorite Oktoberfest beer. 

Prost!

Joyce Tremel was a police secretary for ten years and more than once envisioned the demise of certain co-workers, but settled on writing as a way to keep herself out of jail. She lives in a suburb of Pittsburgh with her husband and a spoiled cat. Her debut mystery, To Brew Or Not To Brew will be released by Berkley Prime Crime in Fall 2015.

Visit Joyce on Facebook here.

Follow her on Twitter here.

Coming Fall 2015

To Brew Or Not To Brew

Someone doesn’t want the Allegheny Brew House to open, and Maxine “Max” O’Hara is determined to find out why.

With her brand-new brewmaster certification in hand, Max has been working twelve hour days getting the abandoned Steel City Brewery up to code, perfecting beer recipes, and learning the business. A lot of work, but she’s sure she made the right decision—until things start to go wrong. She’s not too worried until the minor annoyances get progressively worse. And when she finds the body of her assistant brewmaster and chef in one of the beer tanks, she knows that batch wasn’t brewed according to Reinheitsgebot.

Oktoberfest Giveaway!

Comment-to-Win These Fun Coasters

I don’t have books to give away yet, but I wanted to do something to thank everyone for stopping by today. So one lucky commenter will get this cute set of coasters from Crate and Barrel. 

Leave a comment on this blog 

by 12 Midnight Monday Night 12/29.

Winner will be announced here.
Good luck!

Pretzel Rolls

Lie about it. That's the best advice I can give you. This has to be the fastest, easiest yeast bread one can make, or very close to it. I recommend tossing a towel over your shoulder, brushing a bit of flour on your cheek, perhaps even dabbing at your forehead with a washcloth. Take deep breaths that lead to long sighs, put your feet up, and pretend to be exhausted.

I don't know about you, but I'm seeing pretzel rolls everywhere. They're on billboards and TV, and I've even heard people talking about how they have to try them. So please don't let on that they're super easy to make or we'll all be hounded to bake them all the time.

Oktoberfest is upon us, so it seemed a great time to try out pretzel rolls. Why is it so easy? No rising! No kidding! I made the dough in my handy dandy KitchenAid mixer. Minutes later it was going into the oven. Unbelievable.

I based this recipe on a pretzel recipe I found on-line. I couldn't believe that the dough didn't have to rise, but a brief discussion with my German mother led to the inevitable -- we had to try it. She thought it might be authentic because German breads and pretzels don't rise as much as they do in America. I tweaked it a just bit, though, to suit our tastes.

Pretzel Rolls

1/3 cup warm water
1 package rapid rise dry yeast
1 1/3 cups warm water
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
4 1/2 cups flour

8 - 10 tablespoons baking soda
8 - 10 cups water

Kosher salt

Install the dough hook on your mixer. Pour 1/3 cup warm water into the bowl of your mixer. Sprinkle with entire package of yeast.

Stir lightly with a fork. Wait about 10 minutes for it to dissolve.

Add 1 1/3 cups warm water, salt, and sugar and mix. Add the flour about a cup at a time, mixing after each addition. When the dough clings to the dough hook and the walls of the bowl are relatively clean, remove the dough.

Place the baking soda into the 8-10 cups of water in a large pot. Bring to a simmer. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and place it near the pot.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400. Shape the dough into a log (sprinkle with a little flour if necessary to handle) and slice it into 8 equal pieces.

On each piece, take a cut side,

spread it a bit

and turn it inside out, bringing all the edges to the bottom.

 

Pinch them together. That's the bottom of the roll.

This is the top.

Using a pierced or slotted spoon, slide 2 or 3 of the rolls into the simmering water. Don't overcrowd them. After 30-40 seconds, flip them.

 After 30-40 seconds, remove from the water and place on the parchment paper. Cut an X on the top of each roll and sprinkle with Kosher salt. Repeat with remaining rolls.

Bake at 400 for 20-22 minutes. The rolls should be brown on the outside and baked through.

These are best the day they are baked. If you need to store them, do not refrigerate or place in an airtight container. Store at room temperature.

 

It's Oktoberfest!

Oktoberfest opens today! For the next sixteen days, Munich will host the biggest fair in the world. One of my friends asked me why I enjoy a festival where everyone drinks beer to excess.



Oktoberfest is so much more than that. I remember going with my grandfather, who took me on fun rides. There are all sorts of foods for sale, including chocolate hearts wrapped in shiny paper and a ribbon so people can wear them around their necks.


Sure, beer plays a big role, but so does food in general. Roast pig, bratwurst, pretzels, and, of course, red cabbage.

Red cabbage is a big German favorite. I received an email recently, touting recipes for Oktoberfest. But when I checked them out -- oh my! Red cabbage cooked with spices in chicken broth? No, no, no!


Now, I am the first to admit that red cabbage could be perfectly good cooked that way. And, I concede that when it comes to recipes that have been around for a long time, there are regional variations of recipes that invariably lead to the that's-not-how-my-mother-made-it complaint. But that recipe just wasn't real German Rotkraut! You'll note that I've tucked in an image of Niman Ranch Bratwurst. I'm not Natasha, so I don't make my own sausages. If you're looking for a great bratwurst, Niman's Ranch is terrific. It's worth finding where you live. It costs a little bit more than grocery store brands, but the difference is incredible.


So back to red cabbage. It's ridiculously easy to make. But we do break one major rule here (Dave is going to have some trouble believing this). They say not to cook with any wine that you wouldn't drink. Well, Manischewitz Blackberry (not Concord Grape!) Wine doesn't taste bad, but it's not the wine I would choose to go with my dinner. Yet, it brings terrific flavor to a lot of foods, like stewed venison and -- you guessed it -- red cabbage. This is the secret ingredient that gives it that special taste.

Traditional German Red Cabbage

2 tablespoons olive oil (not with strong olive taste)
1 onion
1 red cabbage, outer leaves discarded
2 apples, peeled and quartered, seeds removed
2 cups Manischewitz Blackberry Wine
2-3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
dash of salt

Slice the onion, cabbage, and apples. This can be done by hand or with a slicing blade in a food processor.

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the onions. Saute until translucent. Add the cabbage, apples, and red wine. Add two tablespoons of vinegar. Put a lid on the pot and simmer, stirring occasionally. When the cabbage begins to soften, add a dash of salt, and taste to see if it needs more vinegar. Cook about one hour, or until it reaches the desired degree of softness.

They're not in season yet, but in the winter, adding roasted chestnuts to the red cabbage makes it even better!

Mahlzeit!

Thanks to WikiCommons and Softeis, senator86, Bernhard J. Scheuvens, andHullbr3ach for sharing their photos of Oktoberfest!