New German Cooking: Recipes for Classics Revisited

Coauthors and business partners Jeremy and Jessica Nolen, the couple behind Philadelphia’s Bauhaus Schmitz, address the culinary elephant in the room from the get-go: ask most people what they think about German food, and they’ll answer “sausage, schnitzel, and sauerkraut,” followed by the adjectives heavy, fatty, and meat-obsessed. Over the course of the book’s 200-plus pages and 100-plus recipes, the duo do their best to refute that preconception (though, yes, there’s a fair amount of meat, mustard, and pickled items) with a winning collection of approachable recipes. This inspiring read includes a mouthwatering combination of the familiar (Bavarian pretzels, beer cheese soup, bratwurst, and apple strudel) with modern riffs such as green asparagus and aged-gouda dip; roasted parsnip salad with hazelnuts and blue cheese; and a simple chicken braised in riesling with onion, leeks, garlic, and green grapes. Those who have the culinary wherewithal to attempt cold-smoked venison carpaccio with pickled oyster mushrooms, or a roasted goose with pretzel-apple stuffing and Gewürztraminer glaze, are given the tools and straightforward directions to do so, but the recipes, for the most part, are easy to source and fairly simple to prepare. This is terrific update on an often-overlooked cuisine. (Jan.)