Concierge Blog
#Iorestoacasa continues and the concierge uses the time to clean the attic. Between a lot of wastepaper and objects that will go directly to the recycling centre, there are also some interesting things. A collection of notes, sketches, notebooks and books that should not be lost under any circumstances.
If we look through these books (since we have time for that right now), we discover that one of them is all about cheese. And in South Tyrol we have a large selection of cheese.
On these pages Mrs. Johanna from the Hotel Management School Kaiserhof in Merano lists all the different types of cheese:
1. low fat cheese
2. a quarter-fat cheese
3. semi-fat cheese
4. three-quarter-fat cheese
5. fatty cheese
6. full-fat cheese
Seventh cream cheese:
8. double cream cheese
And then explains how to serve it correctly:
1. the cheese must be taken out of the fridge in time
2.Select the cheese accordingly to menu and taste...
3. etc. etc.
But now comes the point our concierge is interested in.
Under garnishes, with which the cheese can be served, the following can be found:
pears or apples
So finally, we have an answer to the question what can be done with the remaining apples in our refrigerator: Apple chutney.
Now we just need a recipe. Maybe in one of these old books?
From an old cookbook from the hotel management school:
Wash and peel the apples and then cut them into small pieces.
Cut the onion into slices.
Put the sugar in the pot and caramelise it with wine and water.
Add apples and onion and bring to the boil with cinnamon, ground black pepper and chilli.
Then pour the mixture into glasses and let it cool down.
Do not forget to label the glasses, or otherwise you might confuse them with the breakfast jam!
The last box of apples of the 2019 season is gone. When the chutney is ready to be served with the cheese, the concierge will document it here on this blog.
The apple is in the undisputed centre of our region. Everywhere you look, apples surround us. So of course, our fridge was full of them. And so, due to the lack of work that is currently going on, the concierge was forced to take on a new task. That of apple peeler.
Just like in the old days. The concierges recommended apple compote is the original recipe of Burgl form Völlan. In former times there were no refrigerators or freezers. It was necessary to preserve the apples as well as possible just in ordinary glass jars. So that the apples stayed good all year long.
So, here is how you do it:
Wash the apples well and cut them into eighths, do not forget to remove the stalk and core.
Fill the preserving jars, which you have previously washed with very hot water. When the jars are full, add water, cinnamon, cloves, and star anise.
At this point, preheat the oven to 150, place the jars on a high baking tray filled with water, also called "bain-marie“, and let it bake for 10 minutes.
After this time, you can take the jars out of the oven and let them cool down with the lid down so that they are sealed naturally.
Once cold, it is time to enjoy a perfect apple compote. Perfect for your and our breakfast buffet.
There is still one box of apples remaining in our fridge.
I wonder what the concierge will come up with tomorrow?
Stay tuned!....
Apple jam is the answer.
Answer to our question what we should do with all our remaining apples.
Here’s the recipe:
Wash your apples, cut them into quarters, remove the stills and seeds
Cook over low heat, adding a good drop of cider (ours is from a local producer in a neighbouring village), for about twenty minutes until soft.
Pass the apples through a strainer, weigh the mash and add about half its weight of gelatine sugar.
Boil everything for another ten minutes.
In the meanwhile, the preserving jars must be sterilized with boiling water.
Finally, fill your sterilized jars with the apple jam, after which they just need to cool down.
As soon as room temperature is reached, the jam is ready for our/your breakfast buffet.
In his youth, the concierge has learned as a kitchen assistant. He would never have thought that this knowledge could still be useful after all these years.
Stay tuned!!!!
#Iorestoacasa
During this time of #Iorestoacasa, or “I’m staying home” the concierge is forced to take a break from his guests. Instead, the takes care of the garden during the absence of the public.
Stay home and
Stay tuned!
Christmas dinner. A sweet tadition, the perfect occasion to reunite the whole family.
For an evening the concierge was able to take a break from all clients and focused solely on his family.
Merry Christmas to everyone. And maybe he is able to do the same thing on New Year's?
Stay tuned!
Recently the Hoteliers' Association organised a conference.
The speakers talked about inns as the centre of daily life.
Very interesting was the speech of Fr. Hermann-Josef Zoche (Fr. Augustino), theologian, philosopher and business consultant.
Afterwards it was the turn of the president of the hotelier’s association, Manfred Pinzger.
And finally, after all the speeches, a wine tasting of the passionately produced wines of 224 winemakers began.
At the end of the evening we remembered the excellent wines we tasted, but I am not sure if I remember the president's speech!
Was it important?
Stay tuned!!!
The Rittner Christmas markets… or at least that was the plan.
A visit to the Bozen Christmas Market and a short walk through the arcades. Then to Ritten by cable car to see the breath-taking landscape of the Dolomites. And finally, the Christmas market of Klobenstein.
After arriving in Klobenstein we desperately searched for the stalls and… Oh no!
The market was closed and won’t open before next weekend!
What now?
Lunch at the Gloriette Guesthouse. Stylish ambience with an excellent menu. We chose a bruschetta with Culatello ham, a curry apple soup with prawns and then braised octopus with olives and saddle of veal with mashed potatoes.
And for dessert, a chocolate tartlet with gingerbread.
When our stomach was full, the Rittner cable car brought us back to the summit, where we waited a few steps further at the new train station to take the bus home, where the concierge entertained his guests by telling them about a wonderful day at great heights.
Moral of the story: No calorie counting during Christmas.
Stay tuned!!!
A day trip to southern Bavaria. The picturesque city of Mittenwald is known for its colourful houses, its longstanding history of violin-craftmanship and the St. Peter and Paul church built in the 18th century, with its beautiful frescos.
Stay tuned!!!
