Appetizer Inspiration

[Rita]

I am serving a German meal: Rouladens,Speatzles,Black forest Cake.I would love some suggestion for an appetizer and a vegetable(besides red cabbage).
I have hard time coming up with something else besides shrimp cocktail.... caesar or greek Salad.I'm looking for somehing kind of special but light.
Any ideas?

[phatch]

A plate of cheeses, liverwurst, maybe some other sausages and some rye bread or rye crackers would be appropriate to that German meal.

[Suzanne]

If you do a shrimp cocktail (Krabben Cocktail), you can make it more Germanic by mixing small shrimp with chopped pineapple (canned would even be okay), and instead of red cocktail sauce make a lightly curried mayo+sour cream mixture.

Or, since the rest of the menu is on the heavy side, how about a cold fruit soup? Just not cherry, obviously. How about tart red plums (Pflaumensuppe)?

Or a selection of pickled herrings (Marinierter Hering) or mushrooms (Pilzensalat)?

As for a vegetable, how about a nice cucumber-and-dill salad (Gurkensalat)? Again, a way to lighten the menu, especially if you just dress it with vinegar and sugar.

[coolJ]

This going to sound a little bit crazy but how about for an appy if you were to make canape sized reubens. cut rounds out of rye bread, toast and butter them, then top with some corned beef, sauerkraut and swiss cheese and broil until the cheese melts.

[marmalady]

Uh, Suzanne - Pray tell, how do pineapples make shrimp cocktail more Germanic?

For a veg, what about lightly sauteed shredded green cabbage and a julienne of carrot, maybe in a sweet/sour sauce made with apple cider vinegar? Or roasted brussels sprouts?

[Suzanne]

Marm: because they add pineapple and/or bananas to the most unexpected foods (at least, that's what I've read; never been there, only Austria). Actually, I got those suggestions out of the Time/Life Foods of the World "The Cooking of Germany" and "The Art of German Cooking," both of which date from the mid-1960s. Not the most au courant, but ... However, I do know that the curry sauce thing is true, having had currywurst at Hallo Berlin just last year. Quite tasty!

I've heard that the country that eats the most bananas is Germany, for what that's worth.

[marmalady]

Interesting - I was trying to conjure up images of pineapples growing in the snow!!!

I guess that's one of those quirky things like Spam being the favorite food in Hawaii!!

[momoreg]

What's wrong with cherries, Suzanne?

[Suzanne]

Absolutely nothing wrong with cherries; it's just that since dessert is a Black Forest Cake, why not try a different fruit for the soup? Unless, of course, Rita wants to complete the circle.

[momoreg]

Oh, I missed the cake. I knew I was missing something.

[chefboy2160]

Curry Wurst rules , I spent 2 years in southern Germany and this one stands out in my memories . Now you want to go light with an app on this meal and try and keep it traditional , humm . maybe some cherry tomatoes ( blanched , peeled and chilled ) on a small bed of kosher salt with some finely sliced red onion . Top the tomatoes with a splash of your favorite vodka and have a little of your best smoked salmon or other cold fish and a few small slices of hard bread . But darn you said lite , oh well this is lite to me . Good luck and let us know how it turns out .
Doug ..............

[Rita]

Thank you for all your responses.I was so surprised to learn they serve curry.But why not ;it's a small world.

For my appetizer I found this Tomatensalat;I was thinking of making it with cherry tomatoes and serving a German green bean salad around it.Too much?
As for my vegetable;I'll probably stick to the red cabbage;I have a great recipe.