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copyright 2012 Peter Gau

Content

Chapter 1: Soups and Stews Page 4

Chapter 2: Side Dishes Page 12

Chapter 3: Meat Dishes Page 20

Chapter 4: Fish Dishes Page 28

Chapter 5: Vegetarian Dishes Page 34

Chapter 6: Hits with the Kids Page 40

Chapter 7: Cakes and Cookies Page 46

An Introduction

Please let me introduce myself first of all. My name is Peter, I am the author of this collection of authentic German recipes.

I grew up in Bavaria, which is the most southern state in Germany, bordering Austria, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.

In 2002 I fell in Love with a wonderful Irish girl, moved to Ireland and have now the joy of being a Husband and Dad that discovered cooking and anything food related as a hobby for himself.

As a child and teenager, when still living at home I had little interest in cooking but enjoyed whatever my mother dished up for me, without giving it much thought and taking it more less for granted.

From the age of eighteen, when I left home and had to provide for myself most of the time, I started appreciating my mothers skill and effort much more. I couldn't wait to get home for the weekend and get some comfort food into my tummy, that actually tasted like something and was served in a relaxed atmosphere, surrounded by my beloved parents, brothers and sisters.

I started asking my mother questions about cooking, got a recipe for simple dishes here and there and that I could make for myself when on my own.

My Interest in cooking was awoken.

After getting married and making the big move away to Ireland, I was lucky enough to find a wife, that is a professional chef and an excellent one as well.

We are cooking a lot together and if not, she is providing the skill for making Irish and other, international dishes and I am responsible for the hearty German or Bavarian dishes, mainly at the weekends.

As you can see, I am not a chef and the purpose of this e book is not to give some German dishes my own new twist or to introduce my own creations to the world. Its meant to be an introduction into German cuisine in general and to give you authentic recipes for some of the most popular German foods and some hidden treasures, that not many outside Germany would have heard off.

The recipes are partly given to me by my mother, some friends of mine from all across Germany (or their mothers to be precise) and collected from some wonderful old German public domain recipe books.

Maybe you are of German heritage and would like to get an idea of your ancestors cooking habits or you just would like to widen your horizon and try something different. Whatever the reason for your interest in this book, I know you wont be disappointed and I hope you will enjoy it.

Chapter 1

Soups and Stews

Homemade Asparagus Soup

Herb Soup

Semolina Dumpling Soup

Homemade Potato Soup

Pichelsteiner Stew

Game Stew

Old German Potato Pot

Homemade Asparagus Soup

Ingredients:

1 lbs. white asparagus

3 cups of salted water

1 teaspoon of sugar

4 1/2 oz. Butter

1 1/2 oz. flour

1 tablespoon of chicken stock (powder)

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup of cream

1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

parsley (chopped)

Peel the asparagus and cut into junks, appr. 1 - 1.5 inches long. Bring salted water to a boil and add the sugar. Now add the asparagus junks.

Boil for appr. 15 minutes.

Strain the water from the asparagus but don't waste the water. Catch it in a separate saucepan or something similar.

Heat 1.5 oz of the butter, add the flour when the butter has melted, while stirring continuously.

Now slowly add the asparagus water that you caught in a separate saucepan.

Then add the chicken stock and let simmer for 15 minutes.

Add the cooked asparagus junks.

Whisk the cream and egg yolk and lemon juice together and pour it in, a little at a time. Make sure you stir thoroughly while doing so and very important, DON'T LET IT BOIL!

Melt the rest of the butter in the soup and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley when serving.

Herb Soup (Kräutlsuppe)

Ingredients:

5 oz. chervil

5 tablespoons of butter

3 tablespoons of flour

4 cups vegetable broth

2 bread rolls (should be 1 or 2 days old)

1/2 cup cream

salt

pepper

Wash the chervil and drain well. Heat 3 tablespoons of Butter in a saucepan at medium heat.

Heat 3 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan, add the 3 tablespoons of flour when the butter has melted, while stirring continuously.

Now add the vegetable broth slowly. Continue stirring for about 2 minutes and let simmer for appr. 10 minutes.

Dice the bread rolls and heat the rest of the butter at medium heat until it is melted. Add the bread roll dices and fry them until they have a golden brown colour.

Chop the chervil, add it to the soup, followed by the cream.

Season to taste with salt and pepper and let simmer for another 10 - 15

minutes. Mix thoroughly with an electric whisk.

Place the roasted bread roll-dices into a bowl or deep plate and pour the soup over them.

If you like you can decorate with some daisy blossoms, which are edible. Make sure you wash them first.

Variation:

Impress your family and friends by collecting some edible, wild herbs and use them in this soup instead of, or with the chervil.

In Bavaria, where this soup originated, the following wild herbs are often used:

watercress, nettles, yarrow, dandelions, chickweed and common sorrel.

These may not be available in all parts of the world but wouldn't it be very exciting to experiment with your local, edible 'weeds'?

Just make sure that you know exactly what you are using and that it is definitely edible and not toxic.

Semolina Dumpling Soup

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz. butter

1 large egg

1/2 gal. water

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

3 oz. semolina

1 cup meat broth

1/2 bunch parsley (chopped)

salt

pepper

Stir the butter until foamy.

Add the egg, a pinch of salt, some pepper and the nutmeg.

Gradually add the Semolina while stirring until you have a workable dough.

Let the dough rest for 1 hour (preferably in the fridge) and in the meantime bring 1/2 gal. of water to the boil.

Take a teaspoon or rather small tablespoon and cut small dumplings out of the dough.

Carefully place them into the simmering water. Let simmer for about 20 - 25

minutes.

Don't place to many of the dumplings into the water, as they will double their size.

Let them drain and place them into the hot meat broth. Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.

Homemade Potato Soup

Ingredients:

2 lb potatoes

2 large carrots

2 leeks

1 large onion

4 ounces of smoked bacon

1/4 celery root

1/2 gal. of meat broth

a bunch of Parsley

2 bay leaves

salt, pepper, marjoram, thyme and nutmeg

1 cup sour cream

Wash, peel and slice the potatoes, carrots, leeks and onions.

Fry the bacon and the onions for 5 - 10 minutes before you add the meat broth. Then add the potatoes, carrots leeks and bay leaves. Let cook until the vegetables are soft (appr. 30 min). Try and find the bay leaves (not an easy task sometimes) and take them out.

When finished cooking add the marjoram, thyme, salt and pepper. Add the sour cream after straining.

A lot of people in Germany like to add smoked Sausages to their Potato Soup but its not a necessity.

Did you know that in the Palatinate region of Germany, people like to eat their potato soup with plum cake. Try it out if you like. You'll find the plum cake recipe here too.

'Pichelsteiner' Stew

Ingredients:

4 oz. pork

4 1/2 oz. beef

4 1/2 oz. lamb (shoulder)

2 onions

1 celery root

3 parsnips

3 carrots

2 leeks

1/2 head of white cabbage

1/2 lbs potatoes

4 cups of vegetable broth

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

1 teaspoon paprika

1 small bunch of fresh marjoram (chopped)

1 bunch of parsley (chopped)

Wash the meat and the vegetables thoroughly. Peel the vegetables.

Cut all the meat and the potatoes into 1 inch dices. Chop the celery root, onions and the cabbage. Slice the parsnips, carrots and leeks.

Sauté all the meat, together with the chopped onions in a saucepan for appr. 5

minutes and season with some salt, pepper and paprika. Then, take half of the meat out and spread the remaining meat out in the saucepan neatly.

What you are looking to do, is to cook your stew in layers. So half the meat mixed with the onions is your first layer.

Mix all the prepared vegetables together, except the potatoes.

Add half of the mixed vegetables into the saucepan on top of the meat, so that it builds your second layer. On top of that make a third layer with half of your prepared potatoes.

Next a layer of meat, on top of that a layer of mixed vegetables and to finish it up the last layer of potatoes.

Make sure you season every layer with salt, pepper, paprika, caraways and marjoram.

Now add the vegetable broth carefully and steam for about 1 hour at good heat. Reduce the heat slightly towards the end. Add some hot water while cooking if you deem necessary.

Don't stir while steaming, better shake the saucepan slightly from time to time.

Sprinkle with plenty of chopped parsley when serving.

Game Stew

ingredients:

21 oz. deer meat

9 oz. bacon (smoked if possible)

3 large onions

6 cups meat broth

1/2 cup juniper schnapps (if not available use any hard liquor, i.e.

Jägermeister)

4 medium sized potatoes

7 oz. peas

7 oz. lentils

7 oz. white beans

1/2 cup sour cream or crème fraiche

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons of sunflower or vegetable oil

2 tablespoons of vinegar

1 bunch fresh thyme (chopped)

1 bunch fresh chives (chopped)

salt

pepper

Wash the deer meat and cut it into bite size dices. Dice the bacon, peel and slice the onions. Peel and dice the potatoes.

Get a saucepan and heat the sunflower or vegetable oil.

When hot, add the deer meat, bacon and onions, season with salt and pepper and fry for about 5 minutes.

Add the juniper schnapps, Jägermeister or liquor of your choice, leave for a couple of seconds (Attention! depending on the strength of your liquor it could flame up for a second) and carefully add the meat broth.

Now add the potato dices too. Let simmer for 10 minutes, add the bay leaves and let simmer for another 10 minutes.

Take half of your peas, lentils and beans and grind them finely (use a meat grinder or anything similar)

Add the mixture to the stew to bind it.

Stir vigorously while doing so.

Add the other half to the stew as it is. Let simmer for another 10 - 15 minutes, add the vinegar to taste. Let simmer for another 10 minutes and add the sour cream or crème fraiche just before serving.

Serve very hot in a bowl or deep plate and sprinkle with the fresh chives and thyme.

Old German Potato Pot

Ingredients:

18 oz. Beef

1 cup meat broth

1 cup white wine

1 lbs potatoes

2 leeks

4 carrots

1/2 celery root

1 parsnip

4 tomatoes

salt

pepper (white)

1/2 teaspoon of dried basil

1/2 teaspoon of thyme (destemmed)

1/2 teaspoon of marjoram

1/2 lbs. chanterelles

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon of chives (fresh)

Cut the beef into bite sized pieces and sauté in hot Sunflower Oil. Infuse with 1/2 a cup of the meat broth and 1/2 a cup of the white wine. Cover it and let simmer at low heat for appr. 45 minutes. In the meantime wash, peel and dice the potatoes. Wash and slice the leeks, make sure you also use the green leaves at the top. Wash and peel the carrots, celery root and parsnip also.

Slice the carrots and dice the celery root. Chop the parsnip.

Skin the tomatoes, remove the stalk bases and cut them into small pieces.

Add it all to the meat now and add the rest of the wine and the meat broth.

Season to taste with the salt, pepper, marjoram and thyme. Cover and let simmer for another 25 minutes.

5 minutes before its finished cooking, add the chanterelles.

Depending on the consistence, you may need to add some water or even better, if you have some wine or meat broth left over, use that.

Add the sour cream immediately before serving and stir well.

Now serve in a bowl and sprinkle with the fresh chives.

What a treat on a cold winters day it is.

Tip: -If you like it a bit hot, don't be afraid to add some chilly.

-If you don't have chanterelles or if you don't like them, use porcini. They are also very suitable for this dish.

Chapter 2

Side Dishes

Bread Dumplings (Semmelknoedel)

Potato Dumplings

Spaetzle

Leipziger Allerlei

Kale

Red Cabbage

Sour Cabbage

Bread Dumplings (Semmelknödel)

Ingredients:

10 stale bread rolls (best 2 days old)

2 cups milk

1 onion

3 eggs

3 tablespoons parsley (fresh, chopped)

1 oz. butter

pepper

salt

Cut the bread rolls into slices. Try and slice as thinly as you can. Place them in a mixing bowl and bring two cups of milk to the boil. Now pour the hot milk over the bread slices, mix a little and let soak for at least 1 hour.

Peel and chop the onion and sauté in the butter until glassy, add the parsley, stir one more time and then add to the soaking bread in the mixing bowl.

Add the eggs, season with salt and pepper and mix thoroughly until you have a soft dough like texture. Let stand for another 30 minutes and mix again.

Fill a large saucepan with plenty of salted water and bring to the boil.

When the water is boiling, wet your hands with tap water, take some of the bread dough and form a dumpling of appr. 2 inches in diameter and carefully place into the boiling water.

Leave this dumpling for a couple of minutes. If it comes up and swims on top without falling apart, the consistence and texture of the dough is just right and you can continue forming dumplings and place them in the water.

If your 'test dumpling' falls apart in the water you will have to add some flour to the bread dough and mix again. Continue doing this until the texture is right.

Let me give you some reassurance here. Hardly anyone gets this right first time but the more you practice the better it will work out and once you made bread dumplings several times you will just know. A lot depends on how old the bread rolls are and what texture they have in the first place.

I have never met anyone that doesn't love bread dumplings, so its well worth the effort.

Let the dumplings simmer in the salted water for appr. 20 - 30 minutes.

Remove the dumplings with a spoon and let them drain for a while.

Delicious as a side dish with roast pork, roast chicken or just on their own with mushroom-cream sauce.

Potato Dumplings

Ingredients:

3 lbs. potatoes rich in starch (should be weighed after washing and peeling) 2 cups milk

5 oz. semolina (coarse)

2 bread rolls (stale)

3 tablespoons of vegetable oil or butter

salt

pepper

vinegar

First of all cut the bread rolls into small dices (1/4 inch) and sauté them in some vegetable oil or butter to a light brown colour. If you like you can add some garlic or herbs to your taste. Put them aside for later use.

Next wash and peel the potatoes and weigh them.

Bring a large saucepan with salted water to the boil.

In the meantime, prepare a bowl with water and add a little bit of vinegar.

Now boil 1 cup of the milk in one saucepan and do the same with the other cup in another saucepan but add the semolina and some salt. Let it boil for a minute and leave at low heat but make sure it doesn't cool down to much. It has to be piping hot when you are using it.

The next step is to grate the potatoes into the prepared bowl with some water and vinegar.

Fill the grated potatoes into a potato sack or something similar and press firmly to extract the juice. Make sure you catch all the juice in a bowl.

Put the pressed-out potatoes gratings into another bowl.

Now add the starch from the potato juice into the bowl with potato gratings.

Quickly pour the hot milk over the potato gratings, mix a little and immediately after, pour the milk with semolina over the potato gratings as well. Mix thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper while mixing.

Now shape the potato dough into dumplings (appr. 1.5 - 2 inches in diameter) take the bread dices and push one of them into the middle of each dumpling.

Reshape the dumplings and place them into the prepared, large saucepan with salted water.

Let simmer for appr. 30 minutes and serve.

Potato dumplings are delicious with roast duck or goose or any beef, especially in red wine sauce.

Spätzle

This is a dish that needs some explaining. It originates in the German region of Swabia, where 'spaetzle' is a slang word for a little sparrow. If you use all the imagination that you have in you, you may agree that the shape reminds you of a sparrow. I however would say it looks more like a little worm. In any case, don't waste your time trying to somehow shape them into sparrows. A little worm will do.

Ingredients:

1 lbs. flour

4 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1 cup water

1 1/2 oz butter or margarine

salt

pepper

Sift the flour into a bowl. add the milk and water and mix a little. Now add the eggs and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly until you see bubbles. Let the dough rest for 1 hour.

In a large saucepan bring plenty of salted water to the boil.

Place some of the dough into a spätzle maker and slice into the simmering water. Don't slice to many spätzle or they will stick together. Do it in batches.

Bring each batch briefly to the boil and simmer for 2 - 3 minutes. Lift out with a slotted spoon. Drain each batch well and place into a bowl.

Sauté each batch of spätzle in butter for another 2 - 3 minutes.

Spätzle go well as side dish for any beef or game. They can be used in stews and are very tasty on their own with cheese, roasted onions, garlic or herbs.

Leipziger Allerlei

Another dish that I couldn't find an appropriate translation for.

Leipzig is the city in Germany where this dish originates. 'Allerlei' is a slang word in the area and means something like 'all kinds of stuff'.

Ingredients:

0.3 oz. peas

0.3 oz. green beans

0.3 oz. carrots

1/2 head cauliflower

0.15 oz. mushrooms

2 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons of flour

1 cup milk

2 egg yolks

salt

pepper

Wash, peel and slice the carrots. Wash the cauliflower and pluck into florets.

Slice the mushrooms.

Bring plenty of salted water to the boil in a saucepan and add the peas, green beans, sliced carrots and cauliflower. Let simmer for about 20 - 30 minutes.

Then drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a saucepan and sauté the mushrooms. Add the flour, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes. Bring milk to the boil and add to the mushrooms. Keep stirring vigorously until you have a smooth sauce.

Now whisk the egg yolks in a mixing bowl and add to the mushroom sauce in the saucepan. Keep stirring for another 2 minutes and let simmer for another 2 minutes. Now add the other vegetables. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve hot as side dish with any kind of meat or fish.

Kale

Ingredients:

2 lbs. kale

3 medium sized onions

1 cup beef broth

2 tablespoons of lard

3 tablespoons of oats

2 tablespoons of mustard (medium hot)

1 teaspoon of allspice

6 cloves (whole)

10 peppercorns

2 bay leaves

ground pepper

salt

Wash the kale and remove the stalks.

Using a large saucepan, bring plenty of salted water to the boil.

Place the kale as a whole into the boiling water and blanch for about 5

minutes. Drain and wait until the kale has cooled down a bit. Now chop the kale finely.

Peel and chop two onions and sauté them in the lard.

Peel the third onion, leave it whole and stud it with the cloves and the bay leaves.

Place the chopped kale into a saucepan with the onions stir vigorously and season with allspice, ground pepper and some salt.

Now add the beef broth, stir, add the mustard and stir vigorously again.

Add the with cloves and bay leaves studded onion, bury it in the kale and let simmer for appr. 20 minutes. Add the oats and let simmer for another 10

minutes.

Very tasty with bacon or any kind of smoked meat, sausages or fish.

Red Cabbage

Ingredients:

2 lbs. red cabbage

2 apples

2 onions

3 cloves

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon of sugar

4 tablespoons of vinegar

1 cup vegetable broth

1 cup red wine

salt

pepper

some oil or butter

Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage and wash thoroughly. Cut into quarters and remove the stalk. Now grate or cut into slices and sprinkle with vinegar. Alternatively you can of course use red cabbage from a tin or glass.

Peel and wash the apples, remove the stones and cut into small slices. Peel and chop one of the onions.

Now heat the sugar in some oil or butter for 1 - 2 minutes and add the sliced apple and chopped onion. Sauté for 3 - 4 minutes.

Next add the cabbage, season with salt and pepper, stir for 1 minute or so and then pour the vegetable broth and red wine over the cabbage.

Peel the second onion, leave whole and stud with the cloves.

Place into the saucepan with the cabbage and the two bay leaves.

Simmer for appr. 45 - 60 minutes, stir slightly from time to time and add some more water or red wine as needed.

Very popular as a side dish for Christmas dinner or with roast duck, goose and beef.

Sour Cabbage

Ingredients:

2 lbs. sour cabbage

1 1/2 oz. bacon

1 onion

1 cup vegetable broth

1 cup white wine (dry)

1 teaspoon of sugar

1 tablespoon of caraway seeds

5 - 6 juniper berries

1 clove of garlic

2 bay leaves

pepper

oil or butter

Cut the bacon into small dices and slice the onion.

In a saucepan, heat the sugar in some oil or butter until slightly brown.

Add the diced bacon and the sliced onion and sauté for 3 - 4 minutes.

Squash the clove of garlic and add into the saucepan as it is.

Now add the sour cabbage and stir for a minute or so while seasoning with some pepper. Don't season with salt, as sour cabbage is already very salty.

Next pour the cup of vegetable broth and dry white wine over the cabbage, stir again and let simmer for appr. 10 minutes.

Add the juniper berries, caraway seeds and bay leaves and let simmer for appr.

45 - 60 minutes.

Stir from time to time and add some water or white wine as needed.

Serve with pork, pork sausages or potato dishes.

Chapter 3

Meat Dishes

Roast Pork

Sour Beef

Roast Duck

Roast Lamb

Hunters Schnitzel

Koenigsberg Dumplings

Beef Roulades

Roast Pork

Ingredients:

2 lbs. pork with fat rind

2 onions

2 carrots

1 parsnip

1 piece dark bread

3 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons of caraway seeds

1 bunch of marjoram finely chopped

1 bunch of rosemary finely chopped

1 bunch of thyme finely chopped

2 cups meat broth

ice cold beer

salt

freshly ground pepper

vegetable or sunflower oil

Wash the meat, dry it and rub all around with salt and freshly ground pepper and the finely chopped marjoram, rosemary and thyme.

Using a very sharp knife, cut a diamond pattern into the fat rind.

In a hot frying pan with some vegetable or sunflower oil sauté the meat on all sides, to seal it.

Fill a roasting pan with appr. 1 inch of water and add the meat with the fat rind down. Now quarter the onions (don't peel them), wash the carrots and parsnip and cut them into 1.5 - 2

inch junks. Leave the carrots and parsnip unpeeled also. Add them all to the meat in the roasting pan.

Crush the garlic cloves and add them to the meat as well as the piece of dark bread.

Now sprinkle with the caraway seeds and place the roasting pan into a pre heated oven and roast at 480 degrees (Fahrenheit).

After appr. 30 minutes turn the meat around, so that the fat rind is on top and continue roasting.

Frequently baste the meat with the juices in the roasting pan and gradually add the meat broth as needed. Make sure the meat broth is hot when adding it.

Total roasting time is appr. 1.5 to 2 hours.

Towards the end of the roasting time, brush the rind with the ice cold beer to make it crisp.

When finished roasting, take the meat out of the roasting pan, cover it and let it rest for appr.

10 - 15 minutes so that it doesn't loose its juices when carving it.

The gravy:

Scrape up the juices in the roasting pan and sieve them into a saucepan.

Add some hot meat broth if needed and let it boil up for a minute or two and let simmer for another 5 minutes.

Bind with some flour or starch if you prefer a thicker texture. In Bavaria however, the gravy is left in a rather watery texture.

Roast pork is mainly served with bread and/or potato dumplings and different salads like Bavarian white cabbage salad or any other salads of your choice.

Sour Beef

Important:

The beef will have to be marinated for at least 3 days, so make sure you buy the beef and the ingredients for the marinade well in advance of the day you are planning to serve this dish.

Ingredients:

2 lbs beef

for the marinade:

2 cups of red wine (dry)

1 1/2 cups of red wine vinegar

1 1/2 cups of water

8 peppercorns

2 bay leaves

4 whole cloves

8 juniper berries

1/4 celery root

1 small leek

1 small carrot

1 bunch parsley

1 onion

on day of cooking:

3 1/2 oz. pumpernickel ( dark whole grain rye bread) 1 handful of raisins

1/2 cup of vegetable broth

salt

vegetable or sunflower oil

3 days before serving, wash, peel and slice the celery root and carrot. Wash and slice the leek.

Peel the onion and cut in half. Chop the parsley.

Mix the red wine, red wine vinegar and water and add the prepared vegetables and the chopped parsley as well as the peppercorns, bay leaves, juniper berries and whole cloves.

Place the meat into the marinade, cover and leave for three days in the fridge or other cool place.

Important: The meat has to be fully covered with marinade!

On day of serving, take the beef out of the marinade, dry and rub with salt all around.

Heat some vegetable or sunflower oil in a large saucepan and sauté the beef well on all sides.

Pour a little bit of the marinade into the saucepan with the beef and mix the rest of the marinade with the vegetable broth. Pour this mixture carefully, little by little over the meat and let simmer. Make sure the saucepan is covered.

After 45 minutes, turn the meat in the saucepan and add the sliced or crumbled pumpernickel.

Let simmer for another 30 minutes and frequently baste the meat with the broth.

When finished cooking, take the meat out of the saucepan and keep warm.

Sieve the sauce into a smaller saucepan, add the raisins, bind with some flour if needed until you're happy with the texture and let boil for a minute or two. Then let simmer for appr.5 - 10

minutes.

Slice the beef, place on a plate and add the sauce separately. Serve with potato dumplings or spaetzle, red cabbage and apple puree.

Roast Duck

Ingredients:

1 duck (4 lbs. ready to roast)

1 onion

2 bunches celery

2 cooking apples

2 oz. bread crumbs

1 tablespoon of butter

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

1/2 tablespoon of salt

1 teaspoon of lemon rind (grated)

1 cup cider

2 tablespoons honey

For the filling:

Wash, peel and chop the onion, wash and chop the celery. Wash and peel the apples, remove the cores and slice thinly.

Heat the butter in a saucepan, add the onion, celery and apple slices and sauté for appr. 3

minutes until the apples are golden brown and the onions are glassy.

Take the saucepan off the heat, add the bread crumbs, cinnamon, black pepper, lemon rind and cider. Stir and set aside.

The duck:

Wash the duck, rub with salt and freshly ground pepper inside and outside.

Now fill the duck with the prepared filling and, if possible, sew up the opening. Alternatively use metal or wooden sticks to close the opening.

Puncture the duck several times in different places (especially the haunches) and place on an oven grill with its back up.

Prepare a roasting pan, fill with hot water and place in the oven underneath the duck. The oven should be preheated to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Roast for appr. 30 minutes, turn the duck and roast for another 60 minutes. Make sure to frequently baste the duck with the water and caught juices in the roasting pan.

15 minutes before the end of roasting time, mix the honey with some hot water and brush the duck with the honey-water mixture.

When finished roasting, take the duck out of the oven, set aside and let rest for 10 - 15 minutes before carving.

Scratch up the juices in the roasting pan, skim off the fat and use the fond as gravy. Add spices to taste and bind with some flour if needed. Make sure you let the gravy boil up for a minute or two if you added flour for binding, to remove any floury taste.

Serve duck with red cabbage, potato dumplings, spaetzle, leipziger allerlei or other vegetables.

Roast Lamb

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs. lamb

17 oz. white beans

3 onions

4 carrots

4 tomatoes

1 garlic clove

1 bunch parsley (finely chopped)

1 cup cream

1 cup vegetable broth

2 bay leaves

salt

pepper

allspice

vegetable or sunflower oil

Wash and dry the meat and remove any extensive fat. Rub with salt and pepper all around.

Slice the clove of garlic and stud the meat in different places with the garlic slices.

Place in a preheated oven and roast at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for appr. 2 - 2.5 hours.

In the meantime, wash and peel the onions, slice two of them and leave one whole.

Wash peel and slice the carrots.

In a saucepan, heat some vegetable or sunflower oil and sauté the onion slices until glassy.

Add the carrot slices and beans and while stirring thoroughly add the vegetable broth slowly.

Let simmer for 4 - 5 minutes and then add salt, pepper and allspice.

Stud the onion, that you left whole with the bay leaves and bury in the vegetables. Let simmer for 20 minutes.

In the meantime cut the tomatoes into small dices. Add them together with the cream into the saucepan, stir and let simmer for another 5 minutes.

When the lamb is ready, take out of the oven, and let rest for appr. 10 - 15 minutes before carving.

In the meantime, scratch up the lambs juices in the roasting tray and add to the vegetable mixture.

Stir and place the vegetable mixture on a large dish, carve the meat and place nicely on top of the vegetables.

Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve with boiled or roast potatoes.

Hunters Schnitzel ( Cutlet in mushroom - bacon sauce)

Ingredients:

4 pork cutlets (boneless)

18 oz. champignons

1 onion

1 oz. bacon

1/2 cup vegetable broth

1/2 cup cream

1/2 cup milk

3 tablespoons of flour

1 tablespoon of thyme (chopped)

1 bunch parsley (chopped)

1 egg yolk

bread crumbs

salt

pepper

vegetable or sunflower oil

Wash, dry and beat the cutlets until they are no more than 1/2 inch thick. Now rub the meat well with salt and pepper.

Prepare three deep plates and fill one with flour, the second with the egg yolk and a third with bread crumbs.

Turn each cutlet (or now that its beaten, lets call it schnitzel) in the flour first, then in the egg yolk and last but not least in the bread crumbs, so that they are well covered in same.

Place them into a preheated frying pan with vegetable or sunflower oil and fry them until done. Turn them at least twice while frying.

When the 'schnitzel' are done, take them out of the pan and keep them warm.

Now wash and slice the mushrooms. Wash, peel and chop the onion. and dice the bacon.

Place the mushrooms into the frying pan, in which you just fried the schnitzel (add some more oil if you deem necessary) and sauté them just for 2 - 3 minutes.

Take them out and leave them aside but not to far away, you will need them again in a little while.

Place the chopped onions together with the diced bacon in the frying pan and sauté until the onions are glassy.

Now add the mushrooms again and sauté for another 5 minutes.

Slowly add the vegetable broth and the cream, while stirring thoroughly. Add salt, pepper and the chopped thyme and let simmer until the watery texture is gone which can take up to 15

minutes.

Now add milk until the texture of the sauce is creamy. Keep stirring while doing so.

When you are happy with the texture take the pan off the heat and mix 3/4 of the chopped parsley into the sauce.

Serve the schnitzel on a plate, pour some sauce over it and sprinkle with the rest of the parsley.

Very tasty with French fries, spaetzle or bread dumplings. A light mixed salad also compliments this dish very well.

Koenigsberg Dumplings

Ingredients:

2 lbs. minced beef

2 eggs

2 bread rolls

2 onions

3 1/2 oz. butter or margarine

3 1/2 oz. flour

3 cups vegetable broth

2 cups milk

2 tablespoons of capers

1/2 cup vinegar

vegetable or sunflower oil

salt

pepper

sugar

Wash, peel and chop the onions and soak the bread rolls in some water.

Place the chopped onions, the soaked bread rolls (give them a good squeeze), the eggs and the mince in a mixing bowl. Add some salt, pepper and vegetable or sunflower oil and mix thoroughly.

Now form dumplings (1 to 1.5 inches in diameter), place them on a different dish and leave aside for the moment.

In a large saucepan heat the butter or margarine and slowly add the flour (a little bit at a time) while stirring vigorously. Do this until all the flour is used up and the colour changes to a light brown.

Now slowly add some vegetable broth and continue stirring. Don't add to much vegetable broth at once or lumps will form.

When all the vegetable broth is used up, slowly start adding the milk. Continue stirring. In the end you should have a smooth, gravy-like texture. If its to thick, add more milk. If its to thin, add some more flour.

Now add the vinegar and some sugar to taste. It should be slightly sweet and sour. Also add some more salt and pepper if you deem necessary.

Now add the capers, let simmer for a minute or two and then add the dumplings.

Cover and let simmer for 45 - 60 minutes.

Serve with potatoes and vegetables (i.e. leipziger allerlei) Beef Roulades

Ingredients:

3 lbs round steak

6 slices of bacon

1 onion

2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard

2 long dill pickles (sour gherkins)

1 1/2 cups beef broth

1/4 cup vegetable or sunflower oil

1 bay leave

4 pepper corns

salt

pepper

flour

Peel, wash and chop onion.

Half bacon crosswise and slice the two pickled gherkins lengthwise.

Wipe beef with a damp paper towel and cut the steaks crosswise into 6 equal pieces.

Flatten steak to about 1/8 inch thickness and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

Spread each steak with 1/4 teaspoon of mustard and sprinkle onions on top.

Place bacon and a pickle strip on narrow end of each piece.

Roll up and tie. Sprinkle with flour.

In a Dutch oven or saucepan heat some vegetable or sunflower oil, add the roulades and brown on all sides.

When brown, slowly add the beef broth, the bay leave and the pepper corns and let simmer for at least 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Cook slowly to make sure the meat is nice and tender.

When finished cooking, take roulades out, remove strings and keep warm.

Thicken the broth with flour, let boil up for a minute or two, season to taste and use as gravy.

Serve with spaetzle, potatoes or potato dumplings and red cabbage.

Chapter 4

Fish Dishes

'Blue' Trout

Hamburg Eel Soup

Marinated Herring

Ruegen Carp

Holstein Plaice

'Blue' Trout

It is called 'blue' trout because of the way the skin of the fish turns slightly blue when exposed to the boiling water.

Ingredients:

1 gal. water

4 whole trout (gutted)

1 carrot

1 onion

1 leek

1 bunch parsley

1 bay leave

4 juniper berries

1 tablespoon of peppercorns

1/2 cup vinegar

salt

Bring the water to a boil. In the meantime wash the fish and carefully rub salt on the inside (not outside).

Wash, peel and slice the onion, carrot and leek.

Add the vegetables and all the herbs and spices into the boiling water.

Now reduce the heat and slide the fish carefully into the water.

Let simmer for 10 minutes at low heat.

Serve with potatoes and parsley, mild horseradish ( mix freshly grated horseradish with some cream) and melted butter.

Hamburg Eel Soup

Ingredients:

1 bone from ham (ask your butcher)

0.8 gal. water

9 oz. peas

1 parsnip

2 leeks

1/2 cup mixed herbs (thyme, marjoram, parsley, chervil, tarragon, dill) 7 oz. prunes

1/2 celery root

4 1/2 oz. dried apple

18 oz. fresh pears

1 tablespoon of butter

2 tablespoons of vinegar

1 tablespoon of sugar

2 tablespoons of flour

salt

pepper

nutmeg

14 oz. eel filet

Place the ham bone into a big saucepan with the 0.8 gal. of water. Bring to the boil and then reduce heat and let simmer for appr. 1 hour.

In the meantime place the prunes and the dried apple into a bowl and cover with hot water. Let it soak.

When the bone has simmered for 1 hour, chop the celery root and parsnip, slice the leeks and add together with the peas into the water with the ham bone. Now reduce heat by half.

After 30 minutes, take the bone out.

Now add the dried apple and the prunes together with the water they have been soaking in.

Now place the butter (make sure its soft) and the flour into a bowl and mix thoroughly.

Add the mixture to the soup to bind it a little, stir vigorously and increase the heat. Let boil for 3 minutes to make sure there wont be any floury taste left.

Reduce heat again and add vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.

Now slice the eel filets into appr. 1/2 inch wide strips and add them together with the mixed herbs to the soup. Let simmer for another 15 - 20 minutes.

The pears are a side dish and are prepared as follows: Peel the pears, quarter them and cut the stones out. Boil them in slightly sweetened water for appr. 15 - 20 minutes until soft.

Drain them and let cool. They are being served cold with the eel soup.

Marinated Herring

Ingredients:

12 herring filets

6 onions

3 apples

6 large sour gherkins

4 cups cream

4 tablespoons of juniper berries

10 bay leaves

1/2 cup vinegar

1 bunch fresh dill (chopped)

Wash the herring filets and peel the onions, cut into rings and leave herring and onion rings aside for the moment.

Wash and peel the apples, remove the core and cut into small dices.

Dice the sour gherkins too and mix with apples and juniper berries in a mixing bowl.

Take a different, larger mixing bowl and place a quarter of your apple/gherkin mixture into the bowl.

Place a quarter of the onion rings on top of the apple/gherkin mix, together with some of your bay leaves.

Place 3 or 4 of your herring filets on top of the onion rings and sprinkle with some of the chopped, fresh dill.

Continue making layers in this way, until all of the mentioned ingredients are used up.

Now pour the vinegar into the bowl, shake slightly and carefully fill the bowl with the 4 cups of cream.

The herring mixture should be fully covered with cream. If not, use some more.

Cover and leave in the fridge for at least 24 hours.

Serve with boiled or fried potatoes.

Ruegen Carp

Ingredients:

1 carp (4 1/2 lbs, gutted, descaled)

1 onion

1 leek

2 carrots

1/4 celery root

1 bunch parsley (chopped)

3 1/2 oz. horse radish

olive oil

salt

pepper

Rub carp inside and outside with salt, pepper and the horse radish.

Wash the onion, carrots, leek and celery root, peel and cut into small dices.

Slice the leek. Mix all the vegetables together.

Spread olive oil on to a baking tray, place in the oven and preheat at 350

degrees Fahrenheit.

Fill half of the vegetable mix into the carp, place on the prepared baking tray and bake for appr. 1 hour.

While baking, baste the carp with its juices every 10 minutes or so.

30 minutes into baking, spread the rest of the vegetable mix on to the tray around the carp and continue baking.

When finished, sprinkle carp with the freshly chopped parsley and serve with roast or boiled potatoes.

Holstein Plaice

Ingredients:

3 filets of plaice

3 1/2 oz. small prawns

3 1/2 oz. champignons

2 oz. lean bacon

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

2 tablespoons of fresh dill (chopped)

2 tablespoons of butter

vegetable or sunflower oil

flour

salt

Rub the filets of plaice with salt and the lemon juice.

Let the fish absorb the salt and lemon juice for a while.

In the meantime, dice the bacon and sauté in vegetable oil and butter 2 - 3

minutes.

Now cover the fish with flour on both sides and add to the bacon. Sauté for another 5 - 10 minutes.

When finished, take the fish out, sprinkle with the bacon and leave aside, but keep warm.

Wash and slice the champignons and sauté in the same pan that you used for the bacon and fish.

After a couple of minutes, add the prawns and just before you are finished, add the dill and stir.

Spread the champignons and prawns over the fish and serve with roast or boiled potatoes, vegetables and/or a mixed salad.

Chapter 5

Vegetarian Dishes

Green Spelt - Sour Cabbage Soufflé

Potato Soufflé

Mustard Eggs

Baked Cauliflower

Herb Patties

Green Spelt - Sour cabbage Soufflé

Ingredients:

9 oz. green spelt

18 oz. sour cabbage

2 cups vegetable broth

10 oz. cooking apples

1 large onion

7 oz. grated cheese

1 cup cream

1 tablespoon of caraway

vegetable or sunflower oil

pepper

In a saucepan boil the vegetable broth, add the green spelt and cook until al dente.

Wash, peel and chop the onions. Peel the apples, remove the core and cut into slices.

In a saucepan heat the vegetable or sunflower oil and sauté the chopped onions and sliced apples until glassy.

Now add the sour cabbage, caraway and boiled green spelt with 1/4 of the vegetable broth and let simmer for 10 minutes or until the vegetable broth has mostly evaporated.

Fill the mixture into a casserole dish, pour the cream over it and cover with the grated cheese. Bake in a preheated oven at appr. 360 degrees Fahrenheit for 10

- 15 minutes.

Serve with boiled potatoes, potato dumplings, spaetzle or on its own with toast or bread.

Potato Soufflé

Ingredients:

1.6 lbs floury potatoes

2 oz. butter or margarine

3 eggs

3 1/2 oz. cheese

salt

pepper

nutmeg

paprika

1 bunch parsley (chopped)

bread crumbs

Wash and peel the potatoes and boil until soft. When soft, drain well and mash.

Now place butter (or margarine), 3 egg yolks, the cheese (grated), some salt, pepper, nutmeg, paprika and chopped parsley into a mixing bowl together with the mashed potatoes and mix thoroughly.

In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until foamy and white. Then fold in with the potato mixture too.

Rub butter or margarine on to the inside of a deep roasting pan and spread the potato mixture in to the roasting pan.

Bake in a preheated oven at appr. 430 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 - 40 minutes.

In the meantime sauté some bread crumbs for a couple of minutes in butter or oil.

When the potato soufflé is finished, sprinkle with sautéed bread crumbs and serve with salad, vegetables (i.e. Leipziger Allerlei) or just as it is.

Also suitable as side dish for any kind of meat or fish.

Mustard Eggs

Ingredients:

8 eggs

1 onion

2 cups vegetable broth

5 oz. crème fraiche

1 tablespoon of butter or margarine

2 tablespoons of flour

2 tablespoons of mustard (medium hot)

1/2 bunch dill ( chopped)

salt

pepper

Boil eggs for appr. 8 minutes (have to be hard boiled).

Cool the eggs, peel them and half lengthwise.

Wash, peel and chop the onion, heat the butter or margarine in a saucepan and sauté the onions until glassy.

Dust with the flour and stir vigorously.

Now carefully add the vegetable broth and continue to stir.

Add the crème fraiche, stir and let simmer for 2 minutes.

Add salt, pepper and mustard, stir and let simmer for another 5 - 10 minutes.

Add the eggs and the dill to the sauce and let simmer for another couple of minutes.

Serve on a bed of rice, with potatoes or vegetables (i.e. Leipziger Allerlei) Baked Cauliflower

Ingredients:

2 large cauliflower

4 eggs

1 tablespoon of ground nutmeg

5 lovage leaves (chopped)

salt

pepper

Remove the outer leaves of the cauliflower, wash, quarter and remove the stalks.

Place into cold water for appr. 15 minutes.

In a large saucepan, steam the cauliflower at low heat until al dente.

Now place the cauliflower quarters into a casserole dish.

Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Scramble the eggs in a mixing bowl and carefully pour over the cauliflower in the casserole dish.

Place in a preheated oven and bake for a couple of minutes only, until the egg has curdled.

Place on a warm plate, sprinkle with the chopped lovage leaves and serve with boiled or roast potatoes and melted butter.

Herb Patties or 'Swabian Pizza'

Ingredients:

1/2 lbs. flour

1 oz. fresh yeast

1/2 cup milk

2 eggs

6 oz. butter

5 spring onions (with greenery, chopped)

3 bunches chives (chopped)

1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg

1/2 cup sour cream

salt

pepper

Sieve the flour into a mixing bowl.

Make a little dent in the middle, sprinkle the fresh yeast into the dent and mix a little.

Now add one of your eggs, the milk and 2 oz. of butter and mix a regular yeast dough.

Let rest for 1 hour, knead a little and shape it into small circles, 4 1/2 to 6

inches in diameter.

Then stretch these circles, from the center towards the edges so that the center is slightly thinner and the edge of the circle forms a slightly thicker rim.

Now mix the chopped spring onions and chives with the sour cream and your second egg.

Season with nutmeg, pepper and salt.

Now fill the center of your patties with this mixture.

In a preheated oven, bake at moderate heat until yellow.

Remove from oven, dot with 4 oz. of butter (spread evenly on all the patties), and serve piping hot.

Chapter 6

Hits with the Kids

Plum Dumplings

Potato Pancakes

Cheese Spaetzle

Meat Patties

Yeast Dumplings (Dampfnudeln)

Plum Dumplings

Ingredients:

1/2 lbs. potatoes

4 1/2 oz. flour

1/2 oz. butter

1 egg

8 dawson plums

8 sugar cubes

bread crumbs

caster sugar

salt

The day before you are planning to serve plum dumplings, boil the potatoes in their jacket and leave in the fridge over night.

On day of serving, peel the potatoes, mash them and mix with flour, the egg and butter. Season with salt.

Leave the dough for an hour or two in the fridge.

In the meantime, wash the plums, cut open slightly, enough to take the stone out and replace the stone with one sugar cube for each plum.

Take a little bit of the dough and form a dumpling (appr. 2 inches in diameter) around the plums, so that the plum is firmly in the middle.

While you are doing that, bring plenty of water to a boil in a large saucepan.

When the water is boiling, carefully slide in the dumplings, one at a time.

Let simmer for 10 minutes (don't boil!). When the dumplings are ready they will float on the surface.

While the dumplings are boiling, mix the breadcrumbs with some caster sugar, sauté at low heat in some butter.

Serve the bread crumbs on top of the plum dumplings.

Potato Pancakes

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs. potatoes

2 onions

1 egg

1/4 cup flour

vegetable or sunflower oil

salt

pepper

Peel and wash the potatoes .

Grate the peeled raw potatoes with a fine grater. Squeeze dry in a towel.

Peel, wash and finely chop the onions and mix with the potato gratings.

Beat the egg and add to the potato gratings and chopped onions. Add the flour, season with salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.

Heat oil in a frying pan and take a large spoon of your potato dough, place in the hot frying pan and flatten a little. Fry on both sides until golden brown.

Continue in this manner until all the potato dough is used up.

The Kids love these potato pancakes with any kind of stewed fruit, but it is also delicious with sour cream or crème fraiche and red cabbage.

Cheese Spaetzle

Ingredients:

2 cups Spaetzle

3 onions

3 oz cheese (Suisse cheese i.e. Emmentaler)

1 bunch chives (chopped)

butter or margarine

salt

pepper

Prepare Spaetzle as explained in Chapter 2 (Side Dishes), but don't sauté in butter yet.

Peel the onions, slice into rings and sauté in a frying pan with butter or margarine until glassy and slightly brown.

Add spaetzle to the onions and sauté for another 5 minutes or so.

Grate the cheese and add to the spaetzle and onions in the frying pan, season with salt and pepper and stir for one minute.

Now place the mixture into a casserole dish and bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit in a preheated oven for 20 - 30 minutes.

Sprinkle top with chopped chives before serving.

Serve with a light salad.

Many Kids will like some Ketchup with that, as you can imagine.

Meat Patties

Ingredients:

7 oz. minced beef

7 oz. minced pork

2 bread rolls or 3 oz of white bread

1 onion (finely chopped)

3 oz. lean bacon (diced)

1/2 cup milk

2 eggs

1 garlic clove (finely chopped)

2 tablespoons of mustard (medium)

1 bunch parsley (chopped)

vegetable or sunflower oil

salt

pepper

Slice the bread rolls or white bread and place into a mixing bowl.

Bring the milk to a boil and pour piping hot over the bread slices.

Let soak for 15 - 30 minutes.

In a frying pan with vegetable or sunflower oil, sauté the diced bacon, finely chopped onion and garlic and let cool again.

Add the minced meat, the eggs and the sautéed bacon, onion and garlic to the bread slices in the bowl.

Season with chopped parsley, mustard, pepper and salt and mix thoroughly until you have a smooth 'meat dough'.

Now heat vegetable or sunflower oil in a frying pan again.

Wet your hands, take some of your meat dough and form little patties.

Place them in the frying pan, press down a little and fry on both sides until they are golden brown.

Serve with potato salad, roast potatoes and/or vegetables.

Also very popular hot or cold in a bun, to bring with you for a picnic, or as part of a cold buffet at a Kids Party.

Yeast Dumplings (Dampfnudeln)

Ingredients:

1 lbs. flour

1 cup milk

2 eggs

5 oz. butter or margarine

1 1/2 oz. yeast

salt

Heat the milk a bit and then dissolve the yeast in it.

Make a well in the flour, and pour the yeast mixture into it.

Let rest for 30 minutes.

Then, add the remaining milk and the salt, and knead well.

Vigorously beat the dough until it forms bubbles, then cover, and in a warm spot, let rest for 1 hour.

Cut off fist size pieces, and - on a floured pastry board ~ let these pieces rise one more time, for another 15 minutes.

In a wide pot, melt the butter or margarine, and then add warm, salted water to a depth of about 3/4 inch.

Add the dumplings, arranged in one layer, touching each other.

Put a lid on the pot, and additionally seal the edges with damp cloths, where the lid rests on the pot, in order to keep the steam inside.

Bake at low heat.

The dumplings should be done in about 20 minutes and should have the highly desired hard, brown crust on the bottom.

The Kids love these yeast dumplings sweet, with stewed fruit or vanilla sauce, but they are also very tasty with nice juicy sauerkraut.

Chapter 7

Cakes and Cookies

Apple Cake

Plum Cake

Bee Sting

Gugelhupf

Chocolate Pretzels

Spice Cookies

Hazelnut Macaroons

Lebkuchen

Marzipan Candies

Apple Cake

Ingredients:

6 apples (medium, tart)

2 lemons (medium, juiced)

3 teaspoons of sugar

3 teaspoons of butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 egg yolks divided*

1/2 lemon (juiced and peel grated)

1 teaspoons of baking powder

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon of rum

2 egg whites

1 teaspoon of butter (to grease cake pan)

1 teaspoon of vegetable or sunflower oil

3 teaspoons of confectioners sugar

*Important: Do not mix the two egg yolks together. They will be used individually!

Peel apples, cut in half and core.

Cut decorative lengthwise slits in apples, about 1/2-inch deep.

Sprinkle with lemon juice and sugar. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar together.

One at a time, beat in egg yolks.

Gradually beat in lemon juice and grated peel. Sift baking powder and flour together.

Gradually add to batter. Blend in milk and rum.

In a small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Fold into batter.

Generously grease a spring form pan.

Pour in batter and top with apple halves.

Brush apples with oil. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F. oven for 35 to 40

minutes.

Remove from pan and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

Plum Cake

Ingredients:

the yeast dough:

1/2 lbs. flour

1 oz. fresh yeast

3 1/2 oz. butter

2 eggs

3 teaspoons of sugar

1 cup milk

1/2 lemon (the rind, grated)

topping:

3 1/4 lbs. damson plums (rinsed, pitted)

5 teaspoons of sugar

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

2 teaspoons of butter (to grease the cookie sheet) breadcrumbs

Sieve the flour into a mixing bowl.

Make a dent in the middle and crumble the fresh yeast into it.

Mix slightly and leave for an hour.

Then add all the other ingredients for the dough and form a firm yeast dough.

Grease a cookie sheet and dust it with breadcrumbs. On it, roll out the dough to about finger thick.

Along the edges, pull up the dough to form a rim.

Top the tart with tightly arranged plum halves (at a slight angle).

Dust with cinnamon, and bake at medium heat for 40 to 45 minutes.

Once done, dust with sugar.

Bee Sting

Ingredients:

the cake:

3 cups flour

1 pk active dry yeast

2/3 cup milk

1/3 cup sugar

6 tablespoons of butter or margarine

1 egg

the filling:

1 1/2 cups milk

1 pk vanilla pudding

the topping:

1 cup sugar

9 tablespoons of butter or margarine

1 1/4 cup almonds (sliced)

2 tablespoons of milk

Place flour in a large bowl. Add yeast and sugar.

Scald milk, stir in butter or margarine and cool to lukewarm.

Pour over flour, add the egg and beat until smooth.

Cover and let it rise in a warm place until it doubles in size.

Punch down dough and roll into a 10" round.

Place in a 10" X 3" spring form pan. Cover and let it rise again in a warm place until it doubles in size.

Once the cake has doubled, place sugar, butter or margarine and almonds in a saucepan.

Cook over medium heat for approximately five minutes until butter and sugar have melted.

Take if off the heat, add two tablespoons milk and cool to lukewarm.

Spread over the top of the cake and bake in a preheated oven at 375!~F for 30

minutes.

Loosen the edge with a knife, take the cake out of the pan and cool.

Prepare pudding according to the package's directions using 1 1/2 cup milk.

Set aside to cool.

Once the cake is cold, cut it into two layers. Spread the cold pudding in the middle and replace the top layer.

Serve. Makes one 10" X 3" cake.

Gugelhupf

Ingredients:

1 pk. dry, active yeast

1 cup milk (scalded and then cooled)

1 cup sugar

1 cup butter or margarine

5 eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 teaspoon of grated lemon rind

3/4 cup raisins

1/3 cup ground almonds

1/2 teaspoon of salt

4 cups flour

Sprinkle yeast into milk to dissolve.

In a large bowl beat sugar and butter until light and fluffy.

Beat in eggs, one at a time.

Stir in vanilla, lemon rind, raisins, and almonds. Mix salt and flour.

Add milk and flour mixtures, alternately, ending with the flour mixture.

Grease a gugelhopf mold*, budt pan, or tube pan. Pour batter into pan. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

Bake in preheated 375 degree F. Oven for 40 minutes or until browned and done.

Serve warm with butter.

* The gugelhopf mold is known also as a turban-head pan. If this is not available, you can use the others with the same results.

Chocolate Pretzels

Ingredients:

dough:

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg (beaten)

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup cocoa

2 cups flour

cocoa frosting:

2 tablespoons of cocoa

1 1/4 cup confectioners sugar

2 tablespoons of butter or margarine (melted)

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Cream 1/2 cup butter and the sugar until light and fluffy.

Beat in the egg, vanilla, and milk. Sift cocoa and flour.

Mix into butter mixture until thoroughly blended.

Chill dough until firm enough to handle (about 30 minutes).

Using 2 T dough, roll a rope about 12 inches long between your hands.

Shape into a pretzel as follows: Make a loop bout 1 1/2 inches in diameter by crossing the ends, leaving 1-inch tails.

Flip the loop down over the crossed ends. Press firmly into place.

Place pretzels on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 10

minutes.

Make frosting in a small bowl.

Mix cocoa and confectioners' sugar.

Gradually stir in butter and vanilla.

If frosting is too thick, thin with milk. When pretzels are cool, spread with Cocoa Frosting. Make 2 dozen.

Spice Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/4 cup shortening

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup molasses

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/4 teaspoon of salt

2 teaspoons of baking soda

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of ginger

1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon of ground allspice

Cream butter, shortening, and brown sugar thoroughly.

Blend in egg and molasses.

Sift together the remaining ingredients.

Stir into sugar mixture.

Shape dough into 3/4-inch balls.

Place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets.

Flatten each ball with the bottom of a glass that has been greased and dipped into sugar.

Bake in preheated 350 degrees F. oven for 12 to 15 minutes.

Cool cookies on racks and store in airtight tins.

Makes 4 dozen cookies.

Hazelnut Macaroons

Ingredients:

2 egg whites

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups ground hazelnuts

6 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa

2 teaspoons of grated lemon peel

1 teaspoon vanilla

pinch of salt

Grease large baking sheet.

Beat egg whites until they foam and thicken slightly.

Sprinkle sugar over them and continue to beat until whites form stiff peaks.

Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl and with a rubber spatula gently but thoroughly fold the mixture into the whites, using an over under cutting motion, rather than stirring.

To make cookies, drop by tablespoons onto the baking sheet, about an inch apart.

Let cookies rest at room temperature for 1 hour before baking.

Preheat oven to 300, bakes cookies in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes or until they are firm.

Carefully transfer to cake rack to cool.

They can be stored for several weeks in tightly sealed jars or tins.

Lebkuchen

Ingredients:

the cake:

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup molasses

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1 teaspoon of grated lemon rind

2 3/4 cup sifted flour

1/2 tbs baking soda

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon of ground cloves

1 teaspoon of ground allspice

1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg

1/3 cup citron (chopped)

1/3 cup nuts (chopped)

the icing:

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup confectioners sugar

Mix the honey and molasses; bring to a boil.

Remove from the heat and cool thoroughly.

Stir in the brown sugar, egg, lemon juice, and lemon rind.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and spices. Stir into the honey-molasses mixture.

Mix in the citron and nuts.

Chill the dough overnight.

Roll a small amount at a time, keeping the rest chilled.

Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness and cut into oblongs 1 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches.

Place about 1 inch apart on a greased baking sheet.

Bake in a 400 F (moderate/ hot) oven for 10 to 12 minutes until, when touched lightly, no imprint remains.

While the cookies bake, make the Glazing Icing.

Boil together the sugar and water until the first indication of a thread appears (230F). Remove from the heat. Stir in the confectioners' sugar. Brush the hot icing thinly over the cookies. (When the icing gets sugary, reheat slightly, adding a little water until clear again.)

Marzipan Candies

Ingredients:

1 lbs. almonds (shelled, blanched)

1 lbs. confectioners sugar

1 egg white (unbeaten)

3 tablespoons of rose-or orange water

Nothing expresses the German love of edible art more succinctly than marzipan candies, which are shaped into piglets, cats, poodles, flowers, fruit and all sorts of other objects. They are delicious to eat, too.

Carefully dry the shelled almonds, then grind to a powder in an electric blender, if you have one.

Blend almonds, the sugar, the egg white and just enough rosewater or orange water (available from pharmacies) to make a pliable stiff dough.

Knead with fingers, then place on board dusted with confectioners' sugar and form into desired shapes, to resemble miniature apples, peaches, strawberries or, if you have an artist's touch, little pigs or birds.

Tint with food colouring.

Balls of marzipan may be rubbed in chocolate dots or colored sugar.

If dough becomes too stiff, work in a little lemon juice, rosewater or orange water, adding drop by drop.

When candies are shaped, dry thoroughly in a cool, airy place for 24 hours, then wrap separately or place in a container (such as a little straw basket for fruit) and cover completely with Saran or other plastic wrap.

Makes 2 pounds of candy.