Schaller and Weber is a well-respected butcher, but the shop is also an opportunity to experience the Christmas season in a new way.
They sell chestnuts, Christmas cookies, foil wrapped chocolate Santas in many sizes, and marzipan shaped into fruits and even some marzipan pigs.
Schaller and Weber offers the largest variety of Lindt chocolates I've ever seen. The store is piled high with sausages -- including chipolata sausages often called for in British stuffing recipes -- and their own brand of sauerkraut, but also sells steins and even rendered goose fat. Schaller and Weber was recently recognized by The New York Times for their "triple-threat double smoked bacon." (If anyone has recipes for using this double-smoked bacon, please pass them along. I can't wait to get cooking with it.)
For those of us who command holiday kitchens, the child-like glee of the holiday season can be easily displaced by pressures: how long until I take the turkey out, where did I put the carving knife, will there be enough appetizers for this growing merry crowd? A trip to Schaller and Weber can be the cure. Just the packaging of all these treats gave me new ideas about how to decorate for the holidays. While you're there, treat yourself to some jam or a Kinder egg treat.
Schaller and Weber is a family owned local business, selling "gold medal meat products" since 1937. This time of year, the shop does have long lines, but when I was there over the weekend, I was impressed at how fast the lines moved. The butchers and cashiers gave each customer personal, if short, attention. Just making it in and out of a shop quickly is in itself a holiday treat.
If your trip to Schaller and Weber inspires you as much as mine did, you might want to check out Elizabeth David's Christmas. Like Schaller and Weber, this cookbook-holiday memoir combo offers some European ideas on cooking through the holidays.


Comments (5)
Kinder eggs! Oh, Sinterklaas's job totally just got easier.
And every little kid gets a free slice of bologna! Really! I love this store.
I just found out that the double-smoked bacon is available via Fresh Direct
Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts and Double-Smoked Bacon
By Charlie Palmer
This is one of our all-time favorites, created by chef Charlie Palmer. A true scene-stealer!
What to buy: Fresh is better, but good-quality frozen or jarred chestnuts are a reasonable substitute (they do not need to be roasted). (For fresh mail-order chestnuts, try Delmarvelous Farms).
Slab bacon, available from most butchers (call ahead), is almost always sold with the rind still attached; cut it off before using. Put the bacon in the freezer for 20 minutes or so to firm it up before slicing.
Special equipment: To peel chestnuts, use a paring knife with a thin, sharp blade and a sharp point.
Game plan: To peel a chestnut, cut a large X into one side of the shell, cutting all the way through the tough membrane. (If you don’t, the chestnut will blow up in your oven. Imagine popcorn the size of a ping-pong ball!) Put the chestnuts in a shallow pan and bake in a preheated 325°F oven until the shell curls along the cuts and the outside is nicely toasted (about 15 minutes). Cool slightly (they’re easier to peel while they’re still warm) and remove the shells. Rub in a clean kitchen towel to remove as much as possible of the dark, bitter membrane.
Time/Servings
Total Time: 1 hr
Active Time: 40 mins
Makes: 8 servings
Ingredients
• 1 1/2 pounds (about 5 cups) Brussels sprouts, stems trimmed and outer leaves removed
• 1/4 pound double-smoked slab bacon or other smoked bacon, cut into lardons (1/4-by-3/4-inch rectangles)
• 2 cups pearl onions, peeled
• 10 chestnuts, roasted, peeled, and quartered
• 1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
1. In a large pot, bring 1 gallon of generously salted water to a boil over high heat. Make an ice bath by placing ice cubes and cold water in a large mixing bowl. Cook the Brussels sprouts in the boiling water until crisp-tender (4 to 5 minutes); they will still have some bite to them.
2. Drain the sprouts in a colander, then immediately drop them into the ice bath. When cool, remove them from the ice water, halve them lengthwise, and set aside.
3. Place a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the bacon in a single layer and cook over medium heat until the fat is rendered and the bacon is golden brown. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside; reserve the drippings in the pan.
4. Add the onions to the pan and reduce the heat to low. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until caramelized to a deep golden color, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the chestnuts and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are thoroughly heated and well coated with bacon fat, about 2 minutes.
Increase heat to high and add the bacon and Brussels sprouts to the pan, and stir well, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and cover. The contents will quickly come to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the Brussels sprouts are heated through. Stir in the butter and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with thyme and serve.
Hi Chris!
Here are a couple more recipes:
Bundle Green Beans in Double Smoked Bacon
http://www.911cheferic.com/main/drecipe.asp?recipe=193
Smoked Turkey and Double-Smoked Bacon Club Sandwich
http://www.lobels.com/store/main/item.asp?item=433
Rick, Home, Bowie, MD, Monday, 30 July 2007, 1938 EDT