Where did the weekend go? Before I get some rest, I wanted to post a preview of this week’s recipes, since I am so excited about them. Let me know which of my experiments you’d like to see my write about next…

First, a recipe for chocolate pretzels. The normal pretzels turned out well, so I got creative and invented an original variation. I have never found a chocolate pretzel recipe online or in a cookbook that was actually a pretzel — most are chocolate cookies that do not have the proper chewiness or texture. They crumble. But these are pretzels through and through, poached in beer, complete with a bready bite-worthy texture. Plus they smell like cocoa heaven.

Learn to make real chocolate pretzels, not cocoa cookies pretending to be pretzels.

I’m so proud of this recipe. Add last week’s peanut butter dulce de leche to take it over the top.

Additionally, in the savory department, I made a batch of water kimchi, or dongchimi, perfect for 4 servings. Normally you make this in large batches, so scaling the recipe was the difficult part. However, the recipe itself is easy, and sweet-sour-salty and refreshing, all at once. If you’ve never tried it, or think kimchi only comes in spicy varieties, I recommend this upcoming post.

Learn how to make water kimchi with daikon radish.

This broth can also be the basis for a fantastic North Korean icy noodle soup, which I will blog about once I am able to perfect it.

Upcoming experiments include: Can I tempura a Swiss rice pudding?  Can I make Japanese strawberry mochi that will appeal to American palates?  Can I make a punch 1700s-style out of Chinese green tea? Would Dutch fruit soup be an acceptable breakfast to my family? Should I make a Mexican-influenced seder for Passover? Can I make Russian pancakes out of leftovers in my fridge? Can I recreate French granola from real food by referencing the ingredients listed on the box? Will my best recipe translations for rotiboy buns and Korean glutinous black sesame rolls prove that I need to study my grammar more?

Failures over the weekend included an unfortunate idea for a sourdough croissant. Blegh.

And finally, questions arose. I wanted to dip some crescents in the pretzel bath, to recreate the croissants I’ve had in Switzerland and nearby regions of France. No dice, campers — the butter in my dough melted. Anyone have tips about how to create the pretzel-like coating on a laminated dough?

Let me know what you think…
B.