The German Kitchen

This is a festive holiday drink, made to serve family and friends to celebrate Christmas and New Years (Silvester).  You may also substitute the wine with a non-alcoholic version.

Difficulty: Easy.
Preparation Time: 15 minutes.
Portions: 2 – 3.

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle of red wine (750 ml)
• 4 eggs (or 8 egg yolks)
• 5 tablespoons of sugar
• one packet of vanilla sugar
• dash of cinnamon
• 2 cloves
• splash of lemon or lemon juice

Preparation:

1. Whisk the sugar into the eggs (or egg yolks) and add a little cold red wine, and then beat vigorously.
2. Add the vanilla sugar, mixing in thoroughly.
3. Add the remainder of the red wine and heat with some cinnamon, cloves, and lemon juice.
4. Just before it comes to a boil, remove the pot from the heat. Strain and let cool a bit.
5. Serve hot and foamy.

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A typical cake served for German coffee time.  It is best to use a special pan, that when flipped, leaves a recess in the cake, much like shortcake cups, but any 11″ pan should work.

Difficulty: Moderate.
Preparation Time: 2 hours.
Portions: 4 – 6. 12 pieces.

Ingredients:

Cake Batter

• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp. warm water
• 6 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tbsp. vanilla sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 7 tbsp. all purpose flour
• 6 tbsp. cornstarch

Topping

• 1 1/2 pint raspberries
• 3/4 cup whipping cream
• 2 tsp. sugar

Jelly

• 1/2 tsp. gelatin
• 1 cup water
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. red food coloring

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A yummy, basic, rum cake recipe.  This is especially good as a cold weather dessert. Serve with cherries over the cake for extra yum factor.

Difficulty: easy.
Preparation Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes.
Portions: 6.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound flour (this is about 3 -4 cups, but check the flour weight for best results)
• 3/4 pound butter, softened
• 6 ounces sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup rum

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This is super easy, and a nice accompaniment to schnitzel.   In Bavaria, it is referred to as Pilze in Sahnesoße.

Difficulty: easy.
Preparation Time: 15 minutes.
Portions: 4.

Ingredients:

• 3 tbs butter
• 3 tbs flour
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 large can, 2 small cans, or 2 cups of fresh quartered or sliced mushrooms
• 1 – 2 cups broth, beef, pork or vegetable
• pinch of salt

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I LOVE these! There are a little bit of work, but well worth it.  Try them with some sugar sprinkled on top or applesauce (my personal favorite). Yum!

Difficulty: normal.
Preparation Time: over 1 hour
Portions: 4.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 – 1 cup flour (if potatoes are dry, use less, wet, use more)
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 eggs
• vegetable oil or butter, or a mixture of both (for frying)

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A yummy variation of sauerkraut.  This is a perfect way to get rid of some not-so-fresh apples!

Difficulty: Easy.
Preparation time:  1.25 hours
Servings: 4 – 6 servings.

Ingredients:

• 1 quart sauerkraut
• 1/4 cup onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp. butter, bacon drippings, or margarine
• 2 – 3 medium sized apples
• 1 1/2 cups white wine
• 1/2 cup beef broth or bouillon
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. celery seeds

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This is a wonderful garnish for Rote Grütze.

Difficulty: Easy.
Preparation time:  2 hours
Servings: 2-1/4 cups of sauce, 4 – 6 servings.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole milk or half and half
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

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This is a Summer time staple dessert in Germany, and takes advantage of the fresh berries of the season.  Served with a vanilla sauce, this is a wonderful dessert, and lovely change from the usual.

Difficulty: Easy.
Preparation time:  Make 24 hours in advance.
Servings: 4 – 6.

Ingredients:

• 6 cups fresh or frozen, unsweetened berries (raspberries, strawberries, red currants, or a combination of these)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp. cornstarch
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

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Another great comfort food, and very easy to make.

Difficulty: Easy.
Preparation time:  2 hours
Servings: 6.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of dry split peas (1 bag)
• water
• 4 fresh bay leaves, chopped
• 1 cup of carrots, sliced
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 4 beef bouillon cubes OR 2 cans of beef or vegetable broth
• 1 cup hot dogs, sliced
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• salt
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

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I concocted this myself, while attempting to add variety to my list of South Beach Diet (low carb) recipes.  This comes out very good, and is very filling. The great thing is, you can easily adjust seasonings to suit your taste. Like spicier food? Jazz it up with a dash of hot sauce and some paprika.  More Italian? Add some fresh basil and oregano. The possibilities are endless! And a plus is, kids like it. It’s messy, fun, and they don’t know it’s healthy. Enjoy!

Difficulty: Easy.
Preparation time:  1 hour
Servings: 4 – 6.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of dry lentils (I like to use bagged lentils, but two cans should do the trick too.)
• 1 bay leaf
• salt
• pepper
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 can tomato paste
• 1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
• 6 small, or 4 large green peppers
• Optional: You can add chopped tomatoes, peppers, or other veggies into the stuffing mixture for bulk. You can also add rice. I recommend brown, since it blends with the flavor of the lentils nicely.  You can also top with cheese towards the end of baking.

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