Augustiner Oktoberfest Beer Ice Cream

The natural choice for beer ice cream is Munich's Beer: Augustiner.

Augustiner Oktoberfest Ice Cream (adapted from Antoine Westermann's recipe) has the sweetness of ice cream with the lingering hops and beer flavor. The difficult part is putting enough sugar in to make it scoopable, yet not so much that it overwhelms the beer. My friends Jeremy and Emily have the tip to blend it up before putting it in the ice cream maker to add some air.

If I was in Ohio I think it would pair perfectly with a pretzel cone from Graeter's, but for now I just have to eat it with pretzel sticks. I'll have to bring some cones back on my next visit home.

Marvis Toothpaste

There's something fun about picking up useful things on our trips. I love to explore the grocery and drug stores whenever we are somewhere new.

I also enjoy offbeat twists on the expected... different products from familiar brands or unexpected flavors that aren't typical where we live. 

This Italian toothpaste from Marvis is one such find. It's fresh, not overly sweet, and combines great flavors with a slightly minty finish and beautiful packaging. 

I picked up the Ginger Mint and Jasmine Mint (which is my favorite).

If you don't make it to Italy, but live in Munich, you can find it at Die Zahnbürste on Frauenstraße.  

It's also available in Florence at the following locations:
Penga - via dello Studio 8
Farmacia Molteni - Via dei Calzaiuoli 7R 

Cheapest Oktoberfest Maß

If you're running low on cash or simply want to experience another of Munich's great characteristics head towards Haidhausen and make a stop at the Muffathalle Biergarten (S-bahn Rosenheimerplatz).

It's likely the least expensive Maß of Oktoberfest beer and costs just 4.80€ for one liter (from Hofbräuhaus).

The atmosphere is charming -  right near the Isar River and it's open later than normal biergartens. On weekends they often have live music, too.

The hours are Monday - Thursday (15:00 - open end) + Friday - Sunday (noon - open end).

Maybe I'll see you there!

Raspberry Macarons

I received my Pierre Hermé Macaron cookbook and began the preparations to create the same raspberry macarons the famed pastry chef first learned with.

Following his 32 step process takes some careful planning and attention to detail. After I got over the minor anxiety over having time things perfectly and obey the stringent temperature readings I got to work.

Here are some tips for making your own macarons... there are several things I learned through this process:

• The shells are reasonably basic. They take a lot of attention, but the flavor comes mainly from the ganache inside.

• The recipe states it will make 72... I came out closer to 40 with tons of raspberry preserves left over.

• Next time I think I will reduce the sugar slightly, because these are certainly sweet.

• They take a fair amount of time (about 4 hours). I now understand why they aren't inexpensive to purchase.

• Mine aren't nearly as pretty as his, because he uses a lot of food dye. Even though I have some that is professional grade, using dye makes me nervous. It just seems so much more artificial when I see how much I'm adding.

• Add the edible glitter before they set... I forgot.

• It might be good to have 2 of the decoMAX - one for piping the shells and another for piping the filling.  It worked very well and I loved how simple it is to fill, clean, and reuse. My Thermapen was also great for giving me an accurate temperature reading, which is vital.

• Best of all my French friend, Julie, said they tasted incredibly authentic and she couldn't believe I made them. Looks like I'll be teaching her how to make them soon! 

Paulaner Biergarten Radler Sorbet

In honor of Oktoberfest, and my love for ice cream making, I thought I'd attempt a couple inspired flavors: Radler Sorbet for the end of summer and Beer Ice Cream.

First up is the sorbet...

For this sorbet I created a recipe and illustration inspired by Paulaner's Nockherberg where we often bike for a lazy biergarten afternoon.

A Radler, or 'cyclist', is a biergarten favorite that is a mix of lemon soda and a helles (light) beer. They are refreshing and light.

Here's the recipe I used if you'd like to try it yourself...  

Radler Sorbet:

1 bottle of beer (12 oz.) chilled
2/3 cup lemon-lime soda / sprite
1/3 cup sugar

1 Tbsp lime juice
lemon zest

Boil the sugar + soda into a simple syrup
Pour the beer into the sugar syrup mix
Add lime juice + zest
Continue boiling for several minutes
Sieve out the zest + chill
Put into the ice cream maker for ~ 30 minutes.

Prost! 

Live the Language 2

Earlier in the year Live the Language released several videos that were so inspiring. They have followed up with Los Angeles, Vancouver, and Sydney.


Live the language - Sydney from EF Intl. Language Centers on Vimeo.

When is Munich going to be in the mix?!

We have so much to offer...

Viktualienmarkt
Pretzels, Beer, Weißwurst
The Isar River
Festivals (yes, Oktoberfest, too)
Biergartens
Walking the Olympic Stadium roof tops
Nude sun bathing at the Englischer Garten
Christmas Markets
Lakes
Skiing in the Alps

... and plenty more! I even know a few things first hand about living the language.

(thanks, Yagmur!)

Darkest Chocolate Ice Cream

Chocolate ice cream goes with everything, especially in the Autumn.

As with many recipes using chocolate, coffee is used as a flavor carrier. I don't drink coffee, however the flavor is not noticeable.

There are several other variations in the book, including one using zinfandel and another with mint.

I enjoy it most with a sprinkle of sea salt or crushed pretzels.