Celebrating Oktoberfest Miele Style, Pretzels Made of Lye, & ES' Favorite Appliance

Last week Edible Skinny was lucky enough to attend German themed cocktail party hosted by the Deutsland based luxury appliance company, Miele.  The posh event held at their Experience Center featured a modern and upscale twist on traditional German fare and drinks just in time for Oktoberfest!   

Amuse bouches included German pretzels, which should not be confused with American style pretzels because our European counterpart requires that said pretzels be dipped in lye.  Yes, lye as in the highly corrosive and somewhat dangerous ingredient found in drain openers and soap (see crazy ass moment from the movie Fight Club). 

These pretzels take dedication!  Chef Natasha noted that she had dress Walt White style with rubber gloves and fumigation masks during the cooking process.  Once dipped in ingredients requiring Meth cooking uniforms, said pretzels were then finished in a Miele convection oven for that perfect brown sheen and chewy doughy inside.  We have to admit that dangerous ingredients and high performance German cookware makes for some Fan-Tas-Tic pretzels especially when accompanied with Camembert cheese sauce!!!).  Other fun German offerings included spring pea spaetzle (for the vegetarian) and braised pig knuckles over sauerkraut (not for the vegetarian).  While we noshed on the carbohydrate heavy food offerings, Kelly and I were able to learn more about this high-end appliance company that strives to marry the world of form and function. 

Founded in Germany in 1899 with a single promise of Immer Besser, a phrase meaning Forever Better, Miele has dynamically grown to become the world’s largest family-owned and operated appliance company with more than 16,600 employees, 12 production facilities, and presence in nearly 100 countries.  Miele’s range of exceptional consumer appliances includes: vacuum cleaners; laundry systems; rotary irons; dishwashers; ranges; built-in convection, speed, steam and combi-steam ovens; cooktops; ventilation hoods; refrigeration; wine storage and espresso/coffee systems.  After taking an appliance tour (yes, we took an appliance tour and learned quite a lot as it was lead by the lovely Miele territory manager Lecia Schlesinger) we decided our absolute favorite appliance was the Miele steam oven (and yes we totally had a debate over our favorite appilance). 

 

Both a steam cooker and traditional convection oven this appliance announces health has arrived!  Steam cooking is a very European concept and after watching a demonstration of the potential both Kelly and I were ready to jump on H20 cooking bandwagon.  With fast and even distribution, Miele’s steam oven can accommodate simultaneous cooking on three levels without flavor transfer.  Plus because the oven is steam based it guarantees easy peasy cleaning!  Prost to that! 

So here’s to life being delicious, all your pretzels being lye based, and cooking with steam! 

A Tale of Two Agendas @VeganOktFest: Beer and Vegan Bratwurst

Edible Skinny was lucky enough to check out the first ever Vegan Oktoberfest a few weeks ago!  Held just steps away from the Pacific Ocean the event featured traditional (Vegan) German food, live Oompah bands, and delicious craft beer poured to perfection by a bevy of great breweries.  

It was a sweltering hot day with shade (not beer) being the hardest thing to procure.  But regardless of the heat, bedecked Bavarian maidens strolled the landscape much to the pleasure of the ironic t-shirt wearing clientele (our favorite: Eat Pussy, Not Animals).

The Thomas Gals had a double threat agenda: Kelly came for the beer, I came for the Vegan food (it’s not very often I get to experience a traditional Oktoberfest with a clear conscience…).  But regardless of schemes each of us got to enjoy our taste of Germany!  

Kelly’s favorite beer choice was the Karl Strauss Brewing Company with its Carmel undertones.  Karl Strauss pioneered the San Diego beer scene since 1989 with innovative beer releases like Big Barrel IIPA, Wreck Alley Imperial Stout and Mosaic Session Ale. The brewery has won 64 medals over the past four years and its Red Trolley Ale is one of the most award winning beers in the world. The company is currently ranked #41 on the list of the country’s top craft breweries (which is super impressive because it only distributes in the state of California).

 

Another beer favorite for Kelly was the irreverent

Lagunitas Brewing Company (which we had the pleasure of visitingin April).  The brewery (which you might be familiar with through the Beer Wars documentary) was started in 1993 in the form of a Christmas homebrew kit that founder Tony Magee received while living in Lagunitas, California.  The company now produces 2.4 million barrels, making Lagunitas as the second-largest “craft” brewery behind The Boston Beer Company in terms of brewing capacity.  They are known for iconoclastic interpretations of traditional beer styles, and irreverent descriptive text, and hysterical stories on their packaging

I ended up mostly drinking Ace Cider as it was the perfect choice for those who didn’t love the world of hoppy aftertaste (which full disclosure is yours truly!).  ACE ciders has been brewed in the beautiful Sebastopol area of Sonoma County in California.  At Vegan Oktoberfest they were offering the cider flavors Pear, Pineapple, and… wait for it, wait for it…Pumpkin.  Ace first made their Pumpkin cider in the fall of 2010 and has returned every year since then (because as John Oliver notes Americans are bat shit crazy for pumpkin).  And it’s true, ACE added cinnamon, cloves, and allspice to fermented apple juice to produce a 5% ABV cider which tastes just like pumpkin pie!  Delicious and absolutely perfect for Vegan Oktoberfest!

Participating food vendors included many of LA’s most acclaimed vegan restaurants such as Sage Organic Bistro who prepared potato pancakes, cauliflower hot wings, and German style soft pretzels, Southern Fried Vegan offered Fried Chickun and Mac N’ Cheeze, while Urban Pie delighted with sausage and potato pizzas.  We ended up sampling from Pop ‘n Mamas Kettle Corn and Funnel Cake (growing up on the Jersey Shore, Kelly and I have a soft spot for Funnel Cakes). 

 

This sold out event was super crowded.  As the person standing next to us noted: “there are people in line to get food with food because the wait is so long.” (Definitely the land of First World problems…)  But it was worth the wait as I was delighted by their Vegan Bratwurst and noted how I could have never enjoyed this Oktoberfest moment at your standard carnivore based Oktoberfest event!  

Prost!

Hurra! Santa Monica Celebrates the World's First Vegan Oktoberfest!

There are certain places that you avoid as a Vegan… places that focus on faces.  For that reason I’ve never been to Animal, my friend Adam’s place Dog Haus, and can never be a fan of southern cooking (bacon, bacon, and more bacon).  But things are about to change for one upcoming German Holiday…  Edible Skinny is excited to announce the World’s First Vegan Oktoberfest in Santa Monica on October 4 from 12pm-6pm.

Nestled next the beaches of SoCal, Vegan Oktoberfest will recreate the feel of a genuine German beer hall featuring live Oompah bands, Bavarian maidens, and of course, refreshing and delicious vegan craft beer poured to perfection by dozens of great breweries.  Vegan Oktoberfest, which can accommodate 3,200 guests, will provide attendees a traditional taste of Germany with a vegan twist; for an authentic Oktoberfest experience with a clear conscience.

Guests will be provided a beer stein with admission to be used for their beer(s) of choice all day with unlimited refills.  Participating breweries include: Sierra Nevada, Venice Duck Brewery, Four Sons Brewery, Karl Strauss, Eel River, Ace Ciders, Epic Brewing, Modern Times, Bison Organic Beer, Oskar Blues, Drake’s, Coronado Brewing, Angel City, Golden Road, Anderson Valley, Saint Archer, Bravery, Lagunitas, Hangar 24, and more to come!  And rest assured, there will be gluten free beer and cider available for the Celiacs.

Participating food vendors include many of LA’s most acclaimed vegan restaurants such as Sage Organic Bistro who will prepare potato pancakes, cauliflower hot wings, and German style soft pretzels, Southern Fried Vegan will offer Fried Chickun and Mac N’ Cheeze, while Urban Pie will delight with sausage and potato pizzas.  Other food offerings include: Rabbit Hole Cafe, Babycakes, The Grilled Cheese Truck, Tofurky, The Ridiculous Baker, Beyond Meat, Dogtown Dogs, Kind Kreme, The Green Truck, Broke Hungry Vegan, Pop ‘n Mamas Kettle Corn and Funnel Cake, and Life Is Sweet Bake Shop.

Red Pill Productions LLC, a company founded by Los Angeles animal rights attorneys David Edward Burke and Jill Ryther will be producing the ‘cruelty-free’ event.  Vegan Oktoberfest will also benefit a good cause, with a portion of the proceeds going to Expand Animal Rights Now, an organization dedicated to using the legal system to help animals.

“Vegan Oktoberfest will be a festive, authentic, and social atmosphere that makes the bar scene seem dull by comparison,” says Burke.  “There’s no reason an event can’t be both outrageously fun and animal friendly.”

Tickets are currently for sale and are $40 for General Admission, $55 for VIP admission, which grants entrance an hour early and access to a designated VIP seating area, and $15 admission for non-drinkers.  For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.veganoktoberfest.com.