Well not quite the finale, but the finished plates starring the Saurkraut. These are the plates that I promised a shot of ,along with, a written description. The Reuban needs no introduction. This is our (almost) entirely made on premise Reuban sandwich. The only thing we don't make is the cheddar cheese melted onto it. They make the cheese somewhat better than we can so we leave it to them. The Cornbeef and the Saurkraut are both made in the CBG kitchen. The Saurkraut which you saw in a previous posting, and the Cornbeef that we brine with spices and curing salts sits in the brine for three weeks. So its not possible to let it slip behind in the rotation, so we have to stay on top of the production. The Rye bread is made in the bakeshop by our baker Matt Lowman. He's reasonably new to the baking scene, but he does a great job with our bread department.
The smoked sausage with saurkraut is an old favorite. Another old world inspired dish, I first learned of the meat and kraut dish by way of the Alsation culture in the north of France. The more I learn about it the more I learn about how its all over the Northern parts of Western Europe. They are all basically the same. They all showcase off the meats of the area and all have their Saurkraut with potatoes. This one is served with Thuringer, a smoked German style sausage from and area called Thruringia. The saurkraut is sauteed with Guanciale (cured pork jowl), onions, duck fat, juniper berries, caraway and white wine. The potates are poached with garlic, fresh thyme and bay leaves. Its also a must to serve it with Dijon mustard and a big beer.