Men Who Cook: The Recipe

So the Men Who Cook event went well I thought. I got everything together, arrived on time, set everything up (pictures to come), got the first round of potato latkes into the mini-oven and was ready to serve at 5:30 when the first people showed up. Things were good--latkes in oven, out to cool, topped with the sauerbraten and ginger sauce--including my little spiel about why I was making German food (LOOK AT MY GERMAN BOOK!) . . . until the crowd became overwhelming and I lost the flow. Too many people came and snatched away what I had while a batch of latkes were still in the oven. I had to tell people they'd just have to wait. Some were not happy because their friends had told them the sauerbraten was GOOD and they needed to try it NOW. This is good. This is also why I was supposed to have an assistant (I had one, but she bailed out on me for a vacation offer). My assistant was supposed to be toasting the latkes while I topped them and did my spiel. But it wasn't a disaster. Most waited patiently or said they'd be back later. I missed replacing the latkes I'd taken out once, which is where the flow went wrong, but I recovered. alot of people were interested in the book and since the entire trilogy in hardcover was up for grabs in the silent auction, I think I got quite a few bids. I got a little worried because I began running out of latkes, but by the time the last one vanished the evening was winding down. I put some of the sauerbraten and gingerbread sauce on the plate by itself and handed those out for a while, then went off on my own to sample some of my competition. A few others had run out of food as well, so I didn't feel that bad.

I didn't win anything, but alot of people came back for seconds or thirds and said they'd voted for me, so that made me feel good. I wasn't expecting to win, honestly. (Well, I thought I might have a shot at the "Most Bizarre Food" title.) I went for fun, and fun is what I had.

And now the promised recipes! Here's what I made for the event:

( Rheinischer Sauerbraten on Potato Latke with Spicy Gingerbread Sauce )

And that was my dish! A little complicated, but I went with it because everything could be prepared and cooked ahead of time and then simply assembled at the event. The worst part was that I had to reheat the potato latkes so that they'd be crisp at the event. I kept the sauerbraten and gingerbread sauce warm in a chafing dish, although it could also have been served cold. The potato latkes . . . not so much.

In any case, I hope I get invited back again next year. I'm not sure what I'll make . . . but it will probably be something simpler than this. *grin*