German Food Again…………Yes x 2!

One Monday with nothing specific planned we both had a craving for German food. Where do you go in Central Florida when this hits?

Hollerbach’s! For us, this is not a place you casually head towards – it is a destination being 47 miles and a 52 minute drive. The plan was a leisurely drive that would include a bit of eating and a bit of shopping, with a few errands thrown in.

Let’s start with the eating (and drinking). Covid-19 is still a concern and when possible we like to eat outside when (1) covered and/or protected from the sun (2) air movement or fans keeps the temps enjoyable and (3) safe distances between patrons. All of these conditions were easily met.

Hollerbach’s Willow Tree now has a beer on draft that is being made locally (at least in the states).

Always have to start with the pretzel before our sausages and accompanying sides arrived.

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The restaurant has been remodeling for a number of years and (unfortunately) opened the weekend the state was shut down for Covid. With the social distancing required, this extra room has allowed their patrons to still enjoy their food. Here is one of their new areas.

Some of their numerous awards are now able to be displayed.

They have most of the city block and on one corner is their German market. After a few food purchases, we finished our errands and headed home.

The title mentions German food x 2. Our second meal was one that Eric prepared at home. The following week we made good use of our recent purchases. Let’s start with the sides.

One important German side dish is red cabbage. After cutting 1/2 head of red cabbage, throwing in a few spices (cloves, allspice) slipping in a key ingredient (apple slices for sweetness) you get the end result………a nice tasty, colorful red cabbage side dish.

Add a nice refreshing chilled gherkin (cucumber & red onion) salad seasoned with dill in a sour cream & vinegar sauce.

Something new in our household was the potato pancakes. Eric grated potatoes – squeezing out all the water possible – threw in some onion and bound the ingredients together with an egg. A tasty fried potato pancake, topped with apple sauce and sour cream (if desired – and I do!) was a nice accompaniment.

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Now, one of the key parts of any German meal………….the sausages. We grilled two types: metwurst (3) and nuremburger (6) sausages. Hard to decide which I liked best. I had leftovers for lunch the coming week – always a plus. Man – I can almost hear the sizzling of the sausages.

What goes best with German food? German beer. One item I could not take to work. Ha!

One more new food item in the Darden household was this German dessert. I picked up this dessert mix at their German deli and prepared it after our meal. It was okay. Full disclosure – mine looked nothing like theirs. 😦 The one that likes dessert best (me) was the least impressed. Both Adrienne and Eric enjoyed it. It was a little better the following day. I probably don’t need to purchase this again.

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I love German food, Eric not quite so much. When we visited Germany several years ago, tasting their sausages was a big plus for me. If we can’t fly to Germany (and we can’t right now) at least I can enjoy a taste of German food at home.

Ginny