This is another way to celebrate Spring with this delicious torte
that is similar to a sponge cake, layered with cream,
then this nice jelled fresh strawberry topping.
This is a German- Turkish- Hungarian fusion dish that is very popular in German Roadside stands. It is unique to me in that it is the first Kebab style dish that is braised rather than BBQued.
The sauce is absolutely delicious.
So I am curious how come a Cuban Sandwich sounds really German?
Except for the Cuban bread. I had one the other day and Pork , Ham Swiss Cheese, Pickles, Mustard and Onion seem like my kind of cooking, so I decided to do a Rouladen
with them. Check it out plus a 1907 recipe for Rinderrouladen from Germany and other styles as well as the classic Beef Rouladen with pickles, bacon, onions and mustard.
Fresh dandelion greens on top of a smashed potato
and topped with hot bacon dressing with hard boiled eggs.
Burr Fischer sent me a picture of a meal they just made that was a tradition in the Pennsylvania Dutch area where he grew up.
In the old days before freezers and supermarkets often you went all winter without a fresh green vegetable. When Spring came one of the first plants to sprout would be dandelion greens. Now when I was growing up they were always a pest in the lawn.
I can imagine though when you are hungering for a salad, and your body needs Vitamin A and C that these would be a welcome sight!
We don't often talk about breakfast dishes
because most of Germany doesn't eat bacon and eggs, omelets or pancakes dishes
similar in the U.S. for breakfast. Breakfast in Germany is called Frühstück,
don't ask me to pronounce it.
When I try to talk to our German guests
at the hotel they can't understand me. Those umlaut letters ü
just seem to make my tongue trip over itself.
Eggs and pancakes are often served for dinner, although a German pancake is not the "Hot Cakes" we have in the states.
A typical German breakfast (Frühstück) that I see our German guests eat falls somewhere between what we'd call a deli platter and a continental breakfast. Cold meats (including their famous sausages) and cheeses are served along side a variety of breads and sweet toppings like jam, marmalade and honey. Soft-boiled eggs, sometimes cereal and fruit and yogurt.
These are some dishes though that resemble a lot of what we serve for breakfast in the states, we would call them a "Breakfast Skillet" or a "Hash" or something similar.
My friend George Moser sent me some Pot Pie Noodles that he made from a recipe from his Childhood growing up on Cabbage Hill in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, called Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Pot Pie. This is the heart of Penn Dutch area so I always wanted to make the real thing! But this Pot Pie isn't made with a pastry crust but with big wide noodle squares. If you make it you will realize why the big squares. Why is this called a pie? I will explain that ,
and also how they make 2 dishes out of 1, a Fried Chicken Pot Pie.
This is my new favorite bread recipe, adapted from Bob Packer's Sour Rye Bread. it is like basic bread. I am definitely a lover of the rye, and wheat blend.
Konigsberger Klöpse
This is a unique German meatball recipe. They are cooked like you would a dumpling. The sauce is so good, you best have some of the Farmer's Bread.
Celery Root
and Apple Salad
If you have never worked with Celeriac you should try it. I see it more and more in supermarkets and the clerey flavor is double what you get in the stalk.
A stew that Sylvia Pollack a reader shared with a long long German history. It is characterized with really tasty broth and meat created by using a bone in beef shank. Along with the carrots and leeks this stew gets good body from both Spaetzle and some good firm potatoes. Then to distinguish this dish even more some fried onions on top.
When you see beef shanks on sale grab em and freeze them, save them for this dish.
Birnen Bohnen und Speck
Braised Ham with Green Beans and Pears
One of the more unusual sounding German classics. If you haven't tried it you must!
You use green pears and cook them whole with the ham and beans. The result is a delicious tender soft pear , the perfect accompaniment to a nice smoky sliced meat and beans.
Sour Beef and Dumplings
Maryland style Sauerbraten ]
The perfect Crockpot recipe, for this style of Sauerbraten.
Marinating the beef with the unique German spice mix, blending with the technique of shredding the beef, and serving it over dumplings became a popular dish in Maryland, USA...and now carries the wonderful states name.
Ohh the Joy of stuffing a lowly cutlet and bringing it to elegance.
The aroma of apples and onions filling the room with the pumpernickel and Westphalian ham, the surprise package inside the pork chop, are a symbol of what I like about winter!
a different kind of cabbage I saw on a menu in a German restaurant is perfect creamed with a light cheese sauce, Knödel and Frankfurter Kranz Torte that my friend Ann Moot just got done making for her mom's birthday!
I approach the subject of baking German style bread with much trepidation,
as if I can hear my German Grandma with her Hoch Deutch accent telling me
I don't know what I am talking about.
I use to dread her rebuke and now I miss it ..well.kind of
I wish I had a nickel for every time I heard that the bread over in the New World
isn't like what they make in Germany, and how can I make bread that will taste like
what I can get in Germany.
In this newsletter some basic information about the History of Pumpernickel and
How to make Bavarian Pumpernickel bread. Also some music by inga and Marie.
Eatons German Potato Salad blended with iceberg lettuce,
Recipe adapted from Nancy Eaton's Grandma from the Pennsylvania Dutch country.
This twist gives this popular German salad a nice crunch.
Kassler Ripchen with sauerkraut
also with Himmel and Erde
This is a classic German dish using smoked pork chops braised with sauerkraut and potatoes mashed with apples.
Fondue Tips
My sister and family love to do Fondue. Fondue is one of
the national dishes of Germany's nearby Switzerland.
It was a fun family meal that was interactive.
Eating Herring Salad (Herringsalat) at the Stroke of Midnight
I am dedicating this one to Herring salad because if you want
to make it you should get your herring or a substitute
and give it time to marinate. Also I thought you would love to know
about how important Herring was to our ancestors to survive.
Charles Weishar contacted me and said that in the September 28 newsletter I was comparing different styles of Bratwurst in different regions of Southern Germany, and said that in Munich the bratwurst is steamed so as not to break the skin. I was showing Weisswurst and not Bratwurst and that they are not even similar. Since Weisswurst is such a tradition Munich it is worth going into. Especially since they ARE so different .
The German Thanksgiving called Erntedankfest (Festival of Thanks) is usually held the first sunday of October in Germany, although sources I read say it is not a big national holiday but celebrated regionally and is not the big national holiday that it is in the U.S. or Canada.
Ingredients:
1 small Pork Loin cut in 1/2 inch chops (about 5 chops)
2 small onions
1 t salt
1 t paprika powder
1/2 t pepper
4 T flour
1 Red and 1 Yellow pepper (cut into strips)
1 can of small peas
2 Creme Fraiche (add the 2 t sugar to creme fraiche) You could substitute sour cream or strained yogurt.
2 t sugar
5 T Malteser Schnapps (This is a Caraway Schnapps) you can substitute another flavor also.
4 T Oil (I used Olive, but you can use what you like)
Directions:
Season chops with salt, pepper, paprika and sprinkle the flour on them. Brown them in 4T Olive Oil on both sides along with the onions, about 3 minutes on each side.
Pour 5T Malteser Schnapps over the Loin chops in your pan and ignite. Wait until the flames are out, then add peppers, peas and Creme Fraiche to the pan and cook on low about 5-10 minutes or until the peppers are done.
1.Trim the pork,veal and beef. Cut it into 1 inch cubes and refrigerate for 1/2 hour to chill.
2.Grind the meat through the medium or fine plate on your meat grinder.
3.Measure and combine the cure and spices, and mix them thoroughly with the ground meat for at least 2 minutes. Use your hands for mixing to assure even distribution.
4.Once the sausage is fully mixed, grind it all one more time through the fine plate on your meat grinder, stuff the finely ground sausage into casings (large pork casings or small beef rounds work best), and prepare it for the meat smoker.
5.Smoke the sausage with a heavy smudge at 100-120 degrees F for at least 6 hours, then increase the smoker temperature to 160 degrees and continue cooking until the internal temperature is 152 degrees F.
Shower and then bloom the sausage for several hours and then remove it to the cooler or refrigerator overnight before packaging.
Ingredients:
1 roll almond paste, chilled
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/8 cup sliced almonds
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 ea. eggs
1 tsp. almond extract
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sour cream
1/8 cup powdered sugar for garnish
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a bundt pan. In a small bowl, grate
almond paste. Add brown sugar, cinnamon and first amount of sliced almonds.
Mix together and set aside. Sprinkle second amount of sliced almonds into
bundt pan and set aside. In a medium-sized bowl using an electric mixer,
beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time,
beating well after each addition. Add almond extract and beat well. In a
separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add flour
mixture and sour cream to egg mixture, beating well until fully
incorporated. Spoon 1/3 of batter into prepared pan. Top with 1/2 of
filling. Repeat, covering second layer of filling with last 1/3 of batter.
Bake 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool
in pan for 10 minutes. Unmold carefully. Garnish with powdered sugar.
Konigsberger Klöpse
Lebkuchen Valentine Hearts
Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing
Fondue Tips 
German Buffalo Style Wings 
