View this Newsletter Online Here

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Recipes from a German Grandma , with my special Goodies package with Vintage German Postcards, These postcards are replicas of actual vintage postcards from the early 1900's also some great things to cook German desserts vanilla beans and vanilla sugar, Bonus CD with recipes with step by step pictures. Special Goodies Package

Notes by Stephen Block ....your host Einbrenn... EIN-brenn, love that word which means roux in German is a very heart warming topic for me because I love the flavor of a roux that has been nicely browned. When I first heard someone from Louisiana many years ago tell me about what gives a gumbo it's flavor they said that it was the roux that gave it the flavor. I thought as an experienced cook, hmmm how could that give it the DOMINANT flavor, it is mostly just a thickener. However when I learned how to make a dark roux and then started to use it to flavor soups and stocks I felt I had a new weapon in my arsenal that people would wonder how did you make that smell so good. I remember smelling the flavor of flour and oil cooking on the stove and thinking I was smelling peanut butter. It doesn't taste like peanut butter but it has that aroma of roasting nuts that is heartwarming.

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Tips on Smoking home made Bratwurst
by Diane Erikson

Joyce Gregory asked about how her parents would smoke sausages in the basement and she would peek in the door to smell the wonderful aroma ....

My Grandfather used a 50 gallon drum to smoke it in. He put wire across the top of the barrel, (both ends were cut out), and he made sure that the wires were far enough apart so the sausage would not touch. Now you can buy the smokers or make one out of an old refrigerator and smoke your own.

Read the rest of this wonderful story here

On the topic of Smoking my friend Rick Wiedman made a wonderful smoker out of two large flower pots.
If you are interested in learning how to do that then go here. Rick has provided pictures to show you exactly how it is done and for as cheap as 50 bucks you can have something that can work as well as those barrel smokers that cost 300 dollars.

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Flower Pot Smoker
by Rick Wiedman

Here are directions for building a smoker out of flower pots!
This has worked well for Rick, and he shares a picture guide of how to make it, for around 50 dollars.
Also how to smoke Bratwurst, salmon and Pulled pork . Complete with pictures. Awesome Job Rick!

How to smoke bratwurst

Refrigerator Smoker

Also if you are interested in converting an old fridge into a smoker you can get some ideas here

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Windbeutel (Cream Puffs)

We got a request last newsletter from Kandy, ,.......Hello,
My German Grandparents use to make this light pastry but I'm sure of it's spelling or if it is even German. I've seen it spelled Wiend Bertels.......

Einzi saw this and said it is a Windbeutel or the same as a Cream Puff. These are very versatile pastries and not that hard to make.
You can fill them with a variety of fillings including a creamy salad, like tuna or chicken.

View the whole Recipe for windbeutels here

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Hartshorn

Here is my secret weapon for making cream puffs... PUFF and stay puffed and not collapse in the oven.
Use Hartshorn, also known as hirschhorn salt, or bakers ammonia.

This is an old bakers trick and from the old world itself. They use to grind deer horns to make it.

If you look through your mother or grandmothers old baking recipes as we did you may find ingredients like, hartshorn, hirschhorn salz, ammonium carbonate, or baker's ammonia.

it sounds like maybe an old term for baking powder but it is really quite different. It makes the cookies, cream puffs or biscotti, much lighter and crisper than baking powder. It is really fascinating to see the different texture that comes when using the baker's ammonia.

To learn more about Hartshorn go here
Also many recipes as well.

To order Hartshorn go here

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Einbrenn Sauce and Topping

Karl asked .....My mother made something called einbraun (spelling) a mixture of flour, butter and sugar that was poured over mashed carrots etc.
I can never arrive at the correct portions of each ingredient. I wonder if you can help.........

Well we didn't come up with exactly what Karl wanted but Einzi was able to point out what Einbrenn was.

Einbrenn is the German word for ...Roux

Einzi said "My mother made the same thing for gravy. As far as I remember it was equal parts of fat ( whatever was on hand or what it was used for) and flour. My mother used to make the Einbrenne to build a gravy on. E.g. she used bacon fat and flour and just browned it until she had the color she was looking for. Then she added stock or added it to the pan drippings instead of a slurry".

I played around with the recipe and came up with a nice topping for the mashed carrots, which Karl later added that you added a potato to the pot when boiling the carrots. I came up with a nice sauce topping and also a good streusel like topping by adding just a bit more sugar.

Here is the recipe for this lovely topping called Einbrenn

Einzi also shared that her mother used this..Einbrenn
..to either build a gravy on or make a soup out of it called
Einbrennsuppe.

This probably would have been very popular around hard times when there was no meat to serve,

Brown Potato Soup
Another popular soup in the depression era that our frequent contributor
George Moser my friend who is also a lifelong Chef

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My Favorite Knives! .....and from German Heritage

The history of Zwilling J.A. Henckels begins on June 13, 1731 in Solingen, Germany. Knife-maker Peter Henckels registered the "TWIN" symbol , also the Gemini symbol because it was June, as his trademark with the Cutlers' Guild of Solingen. This symbol, which is now well known throughout the world, is thus one of the oldest trademarks in the world. The name of the company today - Zwilling J.A. Henckels - was given to the Company by a descendent of Peter Henckels, Johann Abraham Henckels (J.A.).

Solingen, Germany is in Westphalia, Western Germany and has been the home of famous cutlery starting with Sword smiths since Medieval times.

J.A. Henckels Four Star 2-Piece Chef's Set

Product Description
J.A. Henckels Four Star 2 Pc Chef's Set features two of the most used knives in the kitchen; the 8" chef's knife and 4" paring/utility knife. Makes a great gift for any chef. The knives are constructed under Henckels SIGMAFORGE standards which guarantees perfect geometry, as well as better weight and balance. High carbon, no-stain steel blades which are FRIODUR ice-hardened guarantees durability and maximum corrosion resistance.

More Henckel Knife Products Here

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Pickled Watermelon Sylvia

This recipe uses the red flesh of the watermelon not the rind.
These were really popular with the German's from Russia especially
the ones south where the watermelon grew and preserving foods was
so important.

You will notice that there is no vinegar in this recipe because
It makes it's own natural vinegars. It is good as a side relish and also
on a bed of greens with a salad.

For the Watermelon Pickle recipe go here

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Notes By John King German Short Ribs..., coming next issue. ....John has had to go back to his teaching job and for years has donated his time to helping out at the senior center and has been awfully busy lately. He also loves to play in his garden!

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From German Deli.com

Foods from Germany

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with over 2,000
German food items
for USA residents!
meats, groceries, drugstore and more!

Located in South lake, Texas and ship all over the USA.
come in and shop online .

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	Schaller and Weber Bockwurst available at Gemandeli.com See all Sausages and Wurst from the Germandeli.com