Invitation to Dine: Recipes From My Private Collection

by Christine Herzog

Doubleday, 160 pp., $25

The old joke goes that in a perfect world the Swiss run the finances, the Italians are in charge of cooking, the French are in charge of romance, the Germans are in charge of production, and the English are in charge of the police. In Hell, the Swiss run romance, the Italians run production, the French run finances, the Germans are in charge of the police, and the English are in charge of cooking. Bada boom! Along these same lines, a case could also be made for the Germans slam-dunking everybody and ruling the world when it comes to protocol and etiquette. While living overseas, my parents remarked that the Germans bested everyone in NATO with their complicated and nuanced rituals of formal dining. This elegant book by the former first lady of the German Federal Republic simplifies and streamlines much of the complexities of fine German dining for typical family dining (indeed, Ms. Herzog states the source of most of these recipes as being from her family), but this is a relative thing.

How many of us would consider Larded Calf’s Heart family fare for a weekday meal? Or Sautéed Calf’s Head? Okay, these are some of the more outlandish items offered up in this stylish collection, but you get the idea. There are plenty of the beloved German favorites: dumplings in all varieties, sauerbraten, goulash, strudels, etc. By any definition, this is not light or nouvelle cuisine. More than a few recipes brought back tasty memories of my years of living in Germany. But clearly Madame Herzog and I have very different ideas about what constitutes everyday dining. Still, the recipes are clear and very easy to follow and the photography is worthy of a Gourmet magazine spread. And I’ve bookmarked the pages to construct a perfect German feast for the upcoming holidays, one that will reflect the splendor and indulgence of the holidays and the unparalleled German virtues of precision and execution.

This article appears in December 15 • 2000.

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