Bouletten – German Hamburger Patty Recipe

Bouletten are a Berlin specialty, often eaten cold with mustard. They can also be served warm with peas or red cabbage, and boiled potatoes for a heartier meal.

Difficulty: easy
Preparation Time: about 1 hour
Portions: 6 – 8

Ingredients:

  • 2 rolls or slices of bread (stale is fine)
  • 1/2 Tbsp butter
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1/2 pound chopped beef
  • 1/2 pound chopped pork
  • 1/2 pound chopped veal
  • OR you can use 1 1/2 pounds of meatloaf mix
  • 1 small yellow onion
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 egg
  • 1 Tbsp. Freshly chopped parsley
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 Tbsp. Oil

Read more Bouletten – German Hamburger Patty Recipe

Streuselkuchen – Streusel (Crumb) Cake Recipe

This is a wonderful, easy to make crumb cake, in which you can prepare your own fruit for a filling, or use canned pie filling. Filling the cake with apple or cherry are my two favorite options, but I have also used peaches. This is as close to pie as Germans get, and honestly, this is much better with a strong cup of coffee than American pie. Enjoy!

Difficulty: Easy.
Preparation Time: 70 minutes.
Portions: 10 slices.

Ingredients:

 

  • 3 1/3 c. all-purpose flour (400 grams)
  • 1 c. sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. vanilla sugar (or 1 tsp. vanilla extract)
  • 1/4 tsp. double acting baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 2 whole eggs
  • 14 Tbsp. butter or margarine (250 grams)
  • one can of pie filling, or prepared fruit as for a pie

Read more Streuselkuchen – Streusel (Crumb) Cake Recipe

Pfeffernüsse I – Pepper Nut Cookie Recipe I

These are traditional German Christmas cookies, but are wonderful anytime. The nice thing about these is that they are so well-known, you can find them sold through many brands right in your local grocery store. Of course, homemade is always nice – especially when giving the gift of cookies to family and friends.

Difficulty: Moderate.
Preparation Time: *See recipe.
Portions: 3 – 4 dozen.

Ingredients:

  • 1 2/3 c. blanched almonds or hazelnuts (about 1/2 pound)
  • 4 c. unbleached flour
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. finely ground black or white pepper
  • 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
  • 1 tsp. ground ginger
  • 1 tsp. dry powdered mustard
  • 1/4 tsp. ground mace
  • 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
  • 2 1/2 sticks butter (10 ounces), softened
  • 1 1/4 c. light brown sugar, packed
  • 3/4 c. honey
  • 1/3 c. warm water
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda

Read more Pfeffernüsse I – Pepper Nut Cookie Recipe I

Buttergebäck – German Butter Cookie Recipe

One thing you will always find at any German bakery are butter cookies. Kids love them, and Omas always have a stash for the kiddies. They are a great staple for sweet trays around the holidays too, and can be cut into any shape you like. They are definitely one of my guilty pleasures this time of year! 🙂

Difficulty: Moderate.
Preparation Time: *See recipe.
Portions: 3 + dozen.

Ingredients:

  • 6 c. flour
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1 pound butter, softened
  • 2 1/4 c. sugar
  • 3 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 c. fruity wine, such as Riesling

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Apfel-Rotkohl – German Red Cabbage and Apple Recipe

I am a huge fan of red cabbage. This is a great way to make it really special. This is best if prepared a day in advance.

Difficulty: Moderate.
Preparation Time: 2 hours and 20 minutes.
Portions: 6.

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 to 3-pound red cabbage
  • 2 tbsp. butter, or minced bacon
  • 1/3 c. sugar
  • 2 tart apples, peeled, cored and chopped
  • 2 small yellow onions, diced
  • 1/2 c. red wine vinegar (in a pinch, apple cider vinegar will also work)
  • 2 c. broth (beef, vegetable, or chicken stock)
  • 2 c. red wine
  • 6 whole cloves (make a small cheesecloth bag containing the cloves, to be removed after cooking)
  • 6 whole peppercorns
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Thickener: 2 tbsp. butter and 2 tbsp. flour

Read more Apfel-Rotkohl – German Red Cabbage and Apple Recipe

Glühwein – German Spiced Wine Recipe

Christmas is upon us! For anyone closely linked to German culture, that means many things, but one of the top of that list is Glühwein. If you visit Germany around the holidays, everyone knows that you MUST go to at least one Weihnachtsmarkt, and have at least one hot, beautiful, soulful cup of Glühwein. Here in the states it is very hard to find premade. If you are lucky enough to have an Aldi’s that sells liquor near by, you can usually find it there. However, some of us are not that lucky. For us, there is this recipe. I hope it warms your holidays, the way it always warms mine. Enjoy!

Difficulty: Easy.
Preparation Time: 45 minutes.
Portions: 6.

Ingredients:

  • 1 (750 milliliter) bottle red wine
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 orange
  • 10 whole cloves
  • Optional – 1/2 cup rum

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Rumtopf – Preserving Seasonal Fruits Pt. 3

This is the final installation of our Rumtopf series. The recipe is very easy, it’s the wait that is difficult!

Difficulty: Easy.
Preparation Time: 30 minutes.
Total Time: 42 days
Portions: 10.

Ingredients:Rumtopf

  • 2 lbs fruit (strawberries, plums, cherries, peaches, pears, raspberries, currants, blueberries, gooseberries, …)
  • 1 lb sugar
  • 3 cups rum

Read more Rumtopf – Preserving Seasonal Fruits Pt. 3

Schwäbische Maultaschen – Swabian Ravioli Recipe

A savory Maultaschen that is a meat lovers dream. Great hearty meal for the cold winter months, and based on the Swabian version of minced meat Maultaschen.

Difficulty: Moderate.
Preparation Time: 1 hour.
Portions: 4.

Ingredients:Schwäbische Maultaschen

Dough

  • 2 3/4 cups flour
  • 4 eggs
  • salt to taste

Filling

Rumtopf – Preserving Seasonal Fruits Pt.2

So today we are going to discuss exactly what you can place in your Rumtopf. This is a very easy lesson.  You can place many fruits in there.

These are the best candidates for a good Rumtopf (make sure fruits are pitted, cored, and with stems/leaves removed, if applicable):

  • Pineapple (cut into large chunks)Rumtopf
  • Cherries (any variety)
  • Peaches (cut in halves, quarters, or slices)
  • Apricots (halves)
  • Nectarines (halves)
  • Plums (half or quarter)
  • Pears (peeled and sliced)
  • Grapes (sweet seedless red or green grapes are ideal)
  • Strawberries (don’t wash, just remove stem & leaves).
  • Raspberries (don’t wash).
  • Red currants
  • Gooseberries

Read more Rumtopf – Preserving Seasonal Fruits Pt.2

Apfel-Maultaschen – Apple Filled Ravioli Recipe

Maultaschen are loosely equivalent to ravioli in Germany, and can contain any number of fillings, sweet and savory.  In Bavaria, it is common to have a sweet filling such as apple. There are also several ways of creating the dough. Some recipes call for a potato dough (which is the traditional way) or a typical flour dough.

This recipe is an adaptation of a Bavarian recipe I came across online which uses a potato dough. Enjoy!

Difficulty: Moderate.
Preparation Time: 1 hour 20 minutes.
Portions: 4.

Ingredients:Apfel-Maultaschen

  • 2 pounds potatoes (slightly ‘stale’ works well)
  • 150 grams flour (approximately 5 ounces)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tbs ghee (melted butter)
  • 5 apples
  • butter
  • sugar
  • 10 ounces milk
  • 150 grams sugar (approximately 5 ounces)

Read more Apfel-Maultaschen – Apple Filled Ravioli Recipe