Literary Friday: My Berlin Kitchen: A Love Story (with Recipes)

This week I read My Berlin Kitchen: A Love Story (with Recipes) by Luisa Weiss.  Part memoir, part recipe book, I couldn't put this one down.  I've even already tried a couple of her recipes, and they are fantastic, too.  Luisa is the author and creator of the popular The Wednesday Chef blog.  I love how Louisa decided upon her blog's name: It's in honor of the Wednesday food section in the New York Times.  Luisa has spent years collecting recipes, many of the clipped from the paper.

Luisa has such an interesting history.  She is the daughter of an Italian mother and Jewish-American father.  Born in Berlin, she split her time growing up between Boston and Berlin as her parents divorced when she was in preschool.  Spending time in the kitchen began with Joanie, her nanny, in Germany.  Luisa loved spending time in Joanie's homey kitchen, and Joanie's early influence is evident throughout the book.  The simple comfort of conquering a recipe became an anchor for Luisa as she went to graduate school in Paris and moved to New York to begin a career in publishing.  Eventually, she was lured back to Berlin, and that's when the book really becomes interesting to me.

Have you noticed I haven't mentioned much about the love story aspect of the book?  Well that's because I don't want to post any spoilers.  Trust me....I enjoyed reading it, and I found myself cheering Luisa as she bravely takes a giant leap for love. Her voice is so genuine, and she is too, too cute.  I only hope to one day possess her confidence when planning and cooking for a dinner party. This book is the perfect combination for the romantic and the gastronome, and I look forward to preparing even more of the recipes from My Berlin Kitchen.


This is one of the first recipes I tried when Mr. Art @ Home was recovering from his food poisoning illness.  It was a huge hit, and I can't believe I've never made an omelet like this before.

Omelette Confiture

INGREDIENTS

1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk
Small pinch salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 to 2 tablespoons black or red currant jam
1/2 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Separate the egg white from the egg yolk. Beat the egg yolk with the milk in a small bowl until well combined. Beat the egg white with the salt in a spotlessly clean bowl until it just holds soft peaks. Fold the beaten egg white into the egg yolk mixture.
2. Melt the butter in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and let cook for 3 minutes, until the edges have set, making sure the heat of the stove is not so high that the omelette browns or burns. Shaking the pan gently, flip the omelette and cook the other side for an additional 3 minutes. This takes some practice, but there’s no shame in using a plate over the pan to invert the omelette instead of flipping it.
3. When the omelette is set and cooked through, slide it onto a plate. Dab the jam along the center of the omelette and then roll up the omelette—using a plastic spatula should help. Shake the confectioners’ sugar through a sifter or strainer held over the omelette. Serve at once.

I went with the Tiptree red currant jelly.

I hope you'll link-up and share your book love today!

<center><a border="0" href="http://ricki-treleaven.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv211/rickijilltrip/My%20Sweet%20Girls/P1040470-2.jpg"/></a><center></center></center>Until next time...Happy reading!
Ricki Jill