Recipe Weekend / Cookbook Review: A Pinch of German by Nathalie Porter

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this product and book, free of charge, from A Pinch of German, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about them. 


A Pinch of German cookbook cover


Feed Your Dreams


Drawing from her German heritage, Nathalie Porter has been passionately cooking since the age of 5. From her mother and grandmother’s apron strings, Nathalie learned family recipes; keeping them active in her family gatherings, as well as successfully serving them at catered events.

Since the age of 9, Nathalie has documented recipes that have been passed down through generations of her German lineage as well as creating her own unique recipes. After years of working on her dream to complete this collection it is finally here for your enjoyment!

In this long awaited book you will find delicious meals for every occasion! A Pinch of German is just that, a pinch of imaginative cooking that takes your palate to a whole new place. So dive into this cookbook, enjoy sumptuous and easy to follow recipes that will surely become staple recipes for you, your family and friends!

You surely will love this collection of 161 recipes! There is also a feed your soul book at the end of the book.. 


Review: 

This is a very thorough book of the German basics, as my mom and I were taught them my dad's aunts! It's a very good little primer and the recipes are all VERY easy to follow, and for the most part do not require any special ingredients, and they can all be purchased locally. The exception would be the spice mixes that Nathalie sells (schnitzel and goulash).  The recipes cover appetizers (Sweet and Sour Kielbasa- yum!), dips (Swiss cheese fondue), soups (German Potato), salads (yes potato salad is here, along with Red cabbage Salad), main dishes (German Rouladen Stew), meats Braised Roast in Beer Gravy), and desserts Apple Strudel, German Plum Cake and Ginger Cookies! She also includes a list of substitutions in the back of the book, along with baking troubleshooting tips, food storage tips and a measurement guide (among others).

Nathalie does add other influences into the cookbook, but she using primarily German ingredients, so the recipes all have a hint of a German taste to them! It is a very nice little cookbook and would be great added to a basket with her spices and some cooking implements, for a house warming, birthday, or Mother's Day gift basket!

Nathalie graciously sent me a sample pack of her Schnitzel spice along with the cookbook for review! There were so many wonderful recipes to use the spice with, in the cookbook, but I decided to go with German Steak Cutlet, aka Rindfleish Schnitzel! It's basically beef cutlets with a hearty mushroom gravy!

Here's your ingredients:


Rindfleish Schnitzel ingredients

I only had one egg I realized when I went to cook, so my coating was on the thinner side, but otherwise I stuck with the recipe!

Making the cutlets themselves is very easy:

Rindfleish Schnitzel instructions

The only thing I DO recommend is to have your pot of water (for the noodles) ready to start boiling as you are finishing up the last batch of cutlets, as the sauce goes VERY quickly.

Rindfleish Schnitzel prep

And you want everything HOT when you serve it!
 I used the second included gravy mix, as we adore mushrooms:

Rindfleish Schnitzel  gravy instructions

The sauce came together quite easily, and it made the whole house smell yummy! We opted for French styled green beans over salad to accompany our meal, and we had yeast rolls to go with it:

Rindfleish Schnitzel  final

I ended up with 5 good size cutlets and 2 smaller ones. I used the 1 tablespoon, which was less than half of the small sample spice packet Nathalie sent me. It's all a matter of taste. I knew we wouldn't want the Schnitzel super strong, other's may have used a bit more than I did for a stronger taste. 

We love this book and heartedly recommend it!

The book can be purchased in the online shop, as can the spices!

a pinch of german logo


About the Author:

My background is very diverse; I am a self taught cook, with a passion for food. I love to keep my dishes pretty rustic and made and served as mom would. Refusing compromise on flavor I keep things simple and delicious using the best ingredients. Blending my German heritage, with Irish, Polish and American influences, my dishes are authentic with a twist! 

Since I was a young child my goal was to write a cook book! My dream is to have a successful spice and cookbook company, where I can test recipes and share my love for cooking with the world. 
 I’ve been a Cookbook Writer and Spice blend creator since 1980, and established A Pinch of German in 2012. Through the creation of my spice blends like Schnitzel, and Goulash spice, I have been able to  recreate some of the traditional tastes found in my favorite recipes, allowing you to cook as easily in your kitchen as I do in mine 

In my free time, I love to spend time with my children and my husband. We enjoy going to the beach, family time and rides along the coast. My most favorite activity is cooking throwing parties with friends and family so in our family entertaining is a must!  
You can follow Nathalie, and her shop, and blog on Twitter and Facebook also!

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