Oktoberfest!

It is a long weekend in Hong Kong, and the boys needed an excuse to drink lots of beer. Hence, we planned an Oktoberfest party! Neil and Moon were so kind to lend us their rooftop for us to trash it.

I never made German food, and these are not authentic German food. These are more like German inspired dishes: German Chocolate cake and cauliflower with potatoes casserole.

German Chocolate Cake is from the United States, not from Germany. The name originated from an English-American chocolate maker named Samuel German. German Chocolate cake is a layered chocolate cake covered with coconut and pecan frosting/toppings/fillings. Who would not like chocolate with coconut pecan frosting??? I found a vegan recipe, and the cake turned out delicious! Moist and light cake with the frosting and chocolate buttercream. I will try to make it in cupcakes shapes in the near future.

German Chocolate Cake Recipe: https://mindfulavocado.com/vegan-german-chocolate-cake/

Adaptation: instead of the sticky syrupy fillings, I made the crumble version with desiccated coconut and pecans.

- Sugar was reduced by 1/2 cup

Cauliflower with potatoes casserole, roast the cauliflower florets and potatoes cubes with salt, pepper and Italian seasonings. Cook the mushroom slices with soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, a pinch of sugar, and some red wines. Set these aside and make the sauce.

Sauce:

- 1.5 cup raw cashews (soak overnight if possible, or if you have a strong blender like blendtec or vitamix, can skip the pre-soak step)

- 1 cup vegetable broth

- 1 cup non-dairy milk or water (or more to taste)

- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast

- 1 clove of garlic or 1 tbsp garlic powder

- 1 tsp smoked paprika

- 1 tbsp white miso paste

- 1/2 tofu block (optional)

- pinch of salt, or more to taste

- black pepper to taste

Blend everything together. Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly.

Get the baked dish ready. Assemble the roasted cauliflower, potatoes, mushroom slices, and if you have some "meatballs" or "sausages" available on hand, mix it into the dish. Pour the sauce and make sure it is filled and not dry.

Cover with aluminum foil, and bake in the oven at 220' Celsius for 45 minutes.

Bon appetit!