Feuerzangenbowle With The Thedens, Finch's And Liles 1/9/2016
Our original Feuerzangenbowle was on 11/27/2015 but Brian and Jan had not returned from the UK. Hans and Kerstin, our gracious friends, planned Feuerzangenbowle II so Brian and Jan could enjoy the fun!
Brian was recalling when he was here for the last Feuerzangenbowle but alas, the memory was wiped clean! What happened? We redid the "Battle Of Britton" and the Germans won! Hans plied Brian with various shots of cordials after dinner.
Did You Know? - A liqueur is an alcoholic beverage made from a distilled spirit that has been flavored with fruit, cream, herbs, spices, flowers or nuts and bottled with added sugar or other sweetener (such as high-fructose corn syrup). Liqueurs are typically quite sweet; they are usually not aged for long after the ingredients are mixed, but may have resting periods during their production to allow flavors to marry.
"Hans? Are you sure I was really here?"
I remember Brian.... He was here! He was drinking out of my water bowl!
We Had A Delightful Dinner With A Load Of Laughing!!"
Hans and Kerstin served the best Jumbalaya ever!
Brian polished off three bowls
Come and get it.... It was so fresh it could have come and got you!
Did You Know? - Jambalaya (/ˌdʒʌmbəˈlaɪ.ə/ JUM-bə-LY-ə) is a Louisiana Creole dish of Spanish and French (especially provençal) influence. It consists of meat and vegetables mixed with rice. Traditionally, the meat always includes sausage of some sort, often a smoked sausage such as Andouille, along with some other meat or seafood, frequently pork, chicken, crayfish, or shrimp. The vegetables are usually a sofrito-like mixture known as the "holy trinity" in Creole and Cajun cooking, consisting of onion, celery, and green bell pepper, though other vegetables such as carrots, tomatoes, chilis, and garlic are also used. After browning and sauteeing the meat and vegetables, rice, seasonings, and broth are added and the entire dish is cooked together until the rice is done.
We had a lively dinner discussion!
The jellied fuel is placed in the center of the lower pan
1915 magazine add
Did You Know? - Invented around 1900, Sterno is made from ethanol, methanol, water and an amphoteric oxide gelling agent, plus a dye that gives it a characteristic pink color. The methanol is added to denature the product, which is intended to make it too toxic for consumption. Designed to be odorless, a 7 oz (198 g) can will burn for up to two hours. It was discovered while producing nitrocellulose during the manufacturing process.
It usually only takes a small batch but...
Kerstin was ready with real fire!
The flame is ready to receive the pot...
The pot already contained UNSWEETENED mulled wine!
The flames keep the wine nice and warm!
The sugar bridge lays across the pot
The sugar cones are ready for unwrapping!
Kerstin open the cone and places it onto the bridge!
It looks so innocent!
"I wonder what comes next?"
The rum has been poured and is soaking into the sugar
Did You Know? - Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane byproducts, such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels.
The majority of the world's rum production occurs in the Caribbean and Latin America.
We are drawn to the fire like a moth to light
Brian is becoming hypnotized
"Hans.... The flame is getting low! What should we do?"
We always wondered why Han's knuckles looked burnt!
See the sugar melting and dropping into the pot below?
Now the results get poured!
Brian Told Us About "Christmas Pudding" - Christmas pudding is a type of pudding traditionally served as part of the Christmas dinner in Britain, Ireland and in some other countries where it has been brought by British emigrants. It has its origins in medieval England, and is sometimes known as plum pudding or just "pud", though this can also refer to other kinds of boiled pudding involving dried fruit.
Despite the name "plum pudding," the pudding contains no actual plums due to the pre-Victorian use of the word "plums" as a term for raisins. The pudding is composed of many dried fruits held together by egg and suet, sometimes moistened by treacle or molasses and flavoured with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and other spices.
The pudding is aged for a month, months, or even a year; the high alcohol content of the pudding prevents it from spoiling during this time
The Serious Part Of The Evening Begins With Cake
We are introduced to Han's creation... German Alcohol Cake! One small problem, the whipped cream topping was beautiful until the fumes from the cake rose up and the whipped cream melted!
Hans has developed a cake that is 80% rum!
We found "Alcohol infused whipped cream" just for Hans