The German Kitchen

Also called Berliner in Northern Germany, these are tasty jelly-filled doughnuts or rounds, that are not only a staple of Faschings (Carneval), but also Silvester (New Years Eve).  While many Germans will pop into their local bakery for a fresh batch the morning of the festive day, these can also be made by hand within a few hours.

Difficulty: Moderate.
Preparation Time: 2 hours.
Portions: 2.5 dozen.

Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 – 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 package fresh yeast
• 1 1/4 cup lukewarm milk
• 3 Tbs. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3 1/2 Tbs. butter, softened
• 4 egg yolks (reserve whites, see Step 8 )
• canola oil for frying

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German restaurants typically serve various salads with a meal.  It could be as simple as Weisskraut and Mohrrüben, but there is always some colorful arrangement of vegetables to accompany the dish.  One such salad is cucumber salad.  This is a nice salad anytime of year, but would be especially nice on a warm, Spring day.

Difficulty: Easy.
Preparation Time: 15 minutes.
Portions: 3 – 4.

Ingredients:

• 2 large salad cucumbers (English cucumbers would work nicely)
• 1 red onion
• 1/2 c. heavy cream
• 2 tbs. white vinegar
• 1 1/2 tbs. sugar
• salt, to taste
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• fresh parsley
• tarragon
• fresh dill

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Well, 2010 is here, and it’s time to try our hand at some more German foods!  In proper Southern Germany and Austrian fashion, I cooked Schweinebraten, Kartoffelbrei, and Erbsen for New Year’s dinner.  For those of you playing catch-up, that’s pork roast, mashed potatoes and peas. The pig is considered good luck for the new year because they burrow forward in the dirt – advancing and never looking back.  The peas are symbolic of money.  I’m not sure how well it works, but we will see!

We are already planning our Summer Germany trip, which will take place the end of July, into August.  This year we are staying at a lake cabin with my in-laws for a few days.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate.

As always, if you have any recipes to recommend, please send them to us.  You will be credited in the post, so let’s get cooking!

Happy New Year!  Ich wünsche Ihnen ein gutes neues Jahr!

~Lisa

Zeppelin Hall

We have been waiting for ages to have a beer garden (or biergarten) nearby.  Well, apparently our wait is over! Sometime very soon, there will be a grand opening for Zeppelin Hall.  It is located in Jersey City, New Jersey, right near Liberty State Park.  It is going to accommodate over 800 people, and they are family friendly, even offering a kid’s menu.

They seem to be trying to replicate a Munich beer garden, which is perfectly fine by me.  I can not express the joy I felt at seeing their website!  Can’t wait to try all those beers….

UPDATE!

Zeppelin Hall just posted their grand opening! June 26, 2009 – THIS FRIDAY!  Unfortunately we’ll be away, but as soon as we’re back, we are there with lederhosen and dirndl on!  See you there.

Franconia

So we had a busy two and a half week vacation to Germany.  Our first week was spent in Frankfurt an der Oder with my husband’s parents.  This was nice, with many trips to places such as Müllrose for our usual beach day and lunch, and some light shopping.  At the end of the week, we all packed into my Schwiegervaters BMW Touring and drove down to Franconia (Franken) to visit with some Aunts, Uncles, and Grandparents.

While the scenery was breathtaking, I had a very hard time applying what I know of German to the family there.  Fränkisch Deutsch is not a sound that I can decipher in any reasonable way.  The younger generations tried hard to speak with more high German pronunciation, but there was no understanding the older generations.  I just had to grin and bear it.  Continue reading