German Pancake

aka Dutch baby, Monster pancake, Bismark, Dutch puff

The pancakes puffs way up in the oven,

 but it falls fast when it comes out. 

Don't worry -- it tastes the same both ways.

Today's recipe is one I have seen on about a million (slight exaggeration) food blogs, but never got around to making. Each time I came across it, I would think, "I really should make that" and then I would tuck it away in the back of my mind where it stays rather dark all the time. In other words, I would forget about it. But something nudged me this week (maybe a lack of meat in the freezer from not shopping) and I decided to make it.

I can't believe I've gone 50 years and never enjoyed this wonderful dish. I loved it, my husband loved it, and the kids all loved it. A grand slam!

On Tuesday, when I decided that German Pancake would be dinner (along with some eggs, bacon and sauteed apples) I did some hunting for a recipe, but I never really found one that would feed all of us and have just the right taste I wanted -- not too eggy. Thus, I made up my own recipe using the ratios of egg to milk and flour that I wanted. It was easy to make and puffed up just perfectly in the oven. The family was pretty much awed at the whole thing.

In terms of dressing the pancake, I went with a traditional squeeze of lemon juice and powdered sugar. My husband and I scooped the sauteed apples onto our slices, but the kids went with maple syrup. If you think you might not like the lemon juice, omit it, but it was not a dominant flavor, just so you know.

This will definitely be a regular dish in our German home from now on, and I am so glad I didn't wait another day to make it. (Neither my German mother nor my German mother-in-law had ever had this dish before, so I can't say it is authentically German, but it sure sounds good.)

German Pancake

serves 5-6 (or more if children are eating)

5 eggs

1 2/3 c. milk (I don't recommend skim)

1 2/3 c. flour (all-purpose)

1/4 c. white sugar

3/4 t. salt

1 t. vanilla

5 T. butter

1/2 a lemon

powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large (12") cast iron or oven safe skillet, place butter over medium high heat. Heat until butter is melted, but be careful not to brown it. 

Remove from heat and cool butter.

In a large bowl, beat eggs and milk together with a whisk until very smooth (so you can't see any separate parts of the egg -- all one solid pale yellow). Add flour, sugar, salt and vanilla, and then pour cooled butter in, leaving just a coating on the pan. Stir until batter is smooth, then pour batter back in the pan and immediately place in hot oven.

Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F and then bake until top is golden brown and very puffy, no more than about 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and immediately squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the top. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into slices like a pie and serve immediately.

The first half of the rise in the oven.

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Warmer Kartoffelsalat-- aka German Potato Salad

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I've been making this recipe for German Potato Salad for a couple years now and I thought it was about time to share. I think I had been married for at least 20 years before I ever tried to make German Potato Salad, even though my husband had been telling me -- for 20 years -- that he loves it. I guess I thought it was a tough dish to make, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. Such a simple recipe, and unlike cold potato salad, can be made kind of at the last minute -- a plus for those cooks who tend to forget to plan ahead.

The flavors in German Potato Salad are very, um, German (duh!). Snappy with vinegar and onion, and  flavorful from the bacon, to me it is the ultimate comfort food Yum. I make it extra saucy, so you may want reserve some of your sauce, stir in your potatoes and taste to see if you want all the dressing on yours.

German Potato Salad

serves 6

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5 to 6 medium red potatoes, cut in a large dice

6 slices bacon, cut crosswise into bite-size strips

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1/2 cup white vinegar

2 tablespoons water

1/4 cup plus 2 T. white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 T. chopped fresh parsley (or 1 t. dried)

Place the potatoes into a pot, and fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until easily pierced with a fork. Drain, and set aside.

 Place the bacon in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Fry until browned and crisp, stirring often. Remove bacon from the pan and set aside. 

Add onion to the bacon grease, and cook over medium heat until browned. Add the vinegar, water, sugar, salt and pepper to the pan. Bring to a boil, stirring, then add the potatoes and parsley. Crumble in half of the bacon. Heat through, then transfer to a serving dish. Crumble the remaining bacon over the top, and serve warm.

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Winning Rye Bread

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I have been on a quest for quite a while for a winning recipe for Rye Bread. I've tried quite a few, and even thought I had the best I could make, but this loaf beats them all. I have been dying to make it again, and I think I'll do it today. I cut the recipe in half and it still makes two loaves, but I think Sister Margaret, my son's senior English teacher, might just like a loaf.

The recipe came from allrecipes.com, and I followed it pretty precisely, except for halving it.

Rye Bread
2 loaves

1 t. active dry yeast
2 cups warm water, divided
1 cup rye flour
3 T. sugar
2 T. caraway seeds (more or less to taste -- I used 2 T.)
1 t. salt
3 -1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour

2 t. cornmeal
1 egg, lightly beaten
caraway seed

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in 1 cup warm water; whisk in rye flour until smooth. Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel. Let stand in a warm place for about 4 hours or until batter falls about 1 in. and surface bubble activity is reduced.

Stir in the sugar, caraway seeds, salt, 2 cups all-purpose flour and remaining water; mix well. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a firm dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes (or use dough hook on mixer). Cover and let rest for 15 minutes.

Divide dough into two portions. Shape into two round loaves, about 6 to 7 in. across. Coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray (or place parchment down); sprinkle with cornmeal. Place loaves on pan side by side. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.



With a sharp knife, make several slashes across the top of each loaf. Brush with egg. Sprinkle each loaf with caraway seeds (I like a lot, but do this to taste).


Bake at 400 degrees F for 30-35 minutes, rotating pans after 15 minutes, or until browned. Cool on wire racks.

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Source: modified from allrecipes.com

Cream Puffs

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In my neck of the woods there's a placed called Schmidt's -- an "olde" style German restaurant, which originated in our German Village area, that serves sausages, German potato salad, and other traditional German dishes, and, for dessert, Cream Puffs. Frankly, I thought Cream Puffs were more of French origin, but maybe on the borders of Germany and France traditional dishes cross over. Irregardless, Schmidt's is probably most well-known for their Cream Puffs -- delicate little shells filled with a thick, tasty whipped cream.

I don't eat at Schmidt's very often (in fact, I can't remember the last time), but my family requests their little Cream Puffs at home. (My high schooler recently requested them for his birthday.) A few years ago I set out to make a copy of the real deal, and I think these are pretty close. I don't think Schmidt's has ever published their "secret recipe" so it's as close as I can get. The recipe is not a complicated thing, but does require a little bit of old-fashioned work.

The "puff" part of the recipe comes from the green Martha Stewart cookbook -- it's just a basic cream puff. The filling is my own creation. Yes, it has instant pudding in it, but I'm not looking for an authentic cream puff, just a copy of the one my family loves.

Schmidt's Cream Puffs

makes about 25 (2-inch) puffs

Pate a Choux

1 c. water
1/2 c. unsalted butter, cut in small pieces
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. sugar
1 c. all-purpose flour
4 large eggs


Filling

3 c. cold, heavy, whipping cream
3 T. instant vanilla pudding
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 c. powdered sugar, plus extra for sprinkling




Combine water and butter in a small heavy saucepan and bring to a boil.

When the butter has melted, stir in the salt and the sugar. Remove from heat and stir in the flour, stirring until smooth.

Place the saucepan over high heat and cook, stirring continuously until a smooth mass forms and the bottom of the pan is coated with a thin film (this indicates the flour is cooked).

Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and let it cool slightly. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating the batter until very smooth.

(Before batter is smooth)

(after)


(At this point the batter can rest, covered, at room temp. for an hour or two.)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly butter two baking sheets, or line with parchment (I use cooking spray).

Place the pate in a pastry bag fitted with a plain round 1/2-inch tip (I only had a star tip, thus the ridges on the puffs -- it's all good), and pipe onto the baking sheets forming rounds (I made mine about 1-1/2 inches wide by 1 inch high -- you can make yours bigger or smaller, just adjust baking time if you do). I got involved here and forgot to take pictures, sorry.

NOTE: You do not have to have a pastry bag and tips to make cream puffs. You can also scoop the batter onto the sheets with two spoons -- one to scoop and one to scrape off the other spoon.

Martha says to lightly brush each puff with an egg glaze, but I skip that step -- they are pretty enough without it.You can do it if you want.

Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes, reduce oven to 375 degrees F. and continue baking until puffs are golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes more. Lower the oven to 325 degrees F. and bake until puffs are firm and inside is not sticky, about 5 - 10 minutes (I usually just bake them until they are a deep golden brown and it usually does not take as long as recipe states).

Cool on a wire rack.




Pour whipping cream into bowl of mixer. Begin whipping on low, slowly increasing to high. Slowly sprinkle in pudding mix and powdered sugar as you increase speed. Add vanilla, and whip until cream is firm and holds peaks.

Cut cream puffs in half and fill with a large scoop of whipping cream. Dust with powdered sugar. Chill until ready to serve.


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Fastnachts

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I mentioned last week that my family would be celebrating Shrove Tuesday in German style, with the treat the Germans apparently enjoy at the Fastnacht festivals -- the German Mardi gras -- Fastnacht meaning the Fast Night, or the night before the fast. We didn't make crazy masks or dance in the streets or anything -- just fried up some yummy doughnuts.

Just for safekeeping, I am posting the recipe, so that next year, I'll have my pictures and the recipe right where I need them. It seems a pity to enjoy these yummy little treats only once a year, but considering that they are fried, sugared doughnuts, maybe it's a good thing. The mashed potatoes in these little dunkers makes them soft and light inside -- you'll find it impossible to eat just one.

I used the recipe found here, but modified it for fewer doughnuts and less measuring. I rolled my finished doughnuts in granulated sugar, but you could use powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar or even a confectionary glaze -- your call.

Fastnachts

1 c. milk
2 medium white potatoes, peeled, diced and boiled until fork tender
1/4 c. sugar plus 1 t. sugar
1/4 c. butter, softened
1 t. rapid rise yeast
2 T. warm water
3 c. flour (you might need a little more depending on humidity)
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 t. salt
5 cups oil (I used Canola and Crisco mixed)


Heat the milk in a glass measuring cup in the microwave until steaming (or on the stove if you prefer). Drain potatoes and place them in a large mixing bowl. Add hot milk and mix until well mashed. Let cool until warm.

Add sugar and butter and mix with an electric mixer at low speed. If the mixture is still warm, cool to about room temperature before proceeding with next step.

Dissolve the yeast and teaspoon sugar in barely warm water. Add to the potato mixture and mix well. Add 1 cup flour and the egg and mix again. Slowly add remaining flour to dough in mixer bowl with dough hook, or knead in by hand. Use enough flour to get a soft, but not sticky dough.

Grease a large bowl. Place the dough in the greased bowl. Cover with a thin towel, and let rise in a warm, draft free place for about an hour or until it is at least double in size.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough 3/4" thick. You can use a doughnut cutter to cut the dough or cut as typical Fastnachts -- cut the dough into 3" to 4" wide strips, then cut the strips into 3" to 4" pieces. To allow the center of Fastnacht to fry completely, cut a small slit in the center of each piece, using a sharp paring knife. Arrange the pieces of dough, about 1-1/2" to 2" apart, on large wax paper lined trays (I just used the flour-covered countertop because I didn't need the space).


Cover with a thin towel. Place the trays in a warm place for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the dough pieces have raised to about double in size.

Heat the oil to 365º F (until oil bubbles quickly around a bit of dough or the wooden handle of a spoon). Deep fry until both sides are golden brown, turning one time. Drain on white paper towels.



Promptly roll in sugar.


To use this raised doughnut recipe for glazed doughnuts:
Beat together: 2-1/2 c. confectioners' sugar, 4 T. butter and 1 t. vanilla. Add enough milk to make a thin glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the slightly warm doughnuts or dip the doughnuts in the glaze.

For powdered doughnuts:
Shake slightly warm doughnuts in a bag with confectioners' sugar, or a combination of confectioners' sugar and cinnamon.


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Recipe Review -- Bavarian Pot Roast

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Those girls over at Mennonite Girls Can Cook are some awesome cooks. It would really be much easier to just get an invitation to dinner, but short of that, I'll take their recipes. Good stuff -- everything we've tried so far.

This Bavarian Pot Roast, however, was over-the-top good, at least for this German girl. I prepared it on Sunday and we had Doug's parents over. Since we had company, I didn't get any pictures, so you'll just have to trust me. It was reeaallly good. Everyone enjoyed it, even the kids.

We had plans to attend Mass at 2 in the afternoon, so I started it in the morning. It was simple to put together, and it cooked for several hours before I stuck it in the refrigerator while we went to Mass (it probably would have been fine sitting out, but I'm kind of neurotic about food-borne illness, so I didn't take any chances). When we came home, I put it back in the oven, and then while I baked the bread, I put it on the stove on med-low.

The roast was cooked perfectly, and the vegetables were just right. The secret "wow" to this recipe, however is not the carrots, nor the beef -- it's the pickles and the gravy. I can't really describe it, I'm sorry. All I can say is, it's wonderful. Doug and I, and his parents, love a German dish called Rouladen. Rouladen is very time consuming to prepare, and this roast tastes just like Rouladen, without the work. Maybe that's why it tasted so good -- it was easy! This recipe will most definitely become a family favorite for us. I made it exactly the way the recipe is written, except I used two smaller bottom round roasts (buy one get one at Giant Eagle last week), probably totaling 3.5 pounds, and I doubled the carrots because we like carrots.


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Recipe Review -- German-style Bratwurst

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Our Oktoberfest meal yesterday was a real autumn treat -- if you don't celebrate, I suggest putting it on your calendar next year. Even if you're not a German.

The Warmer Kartoffelsalat (German Potato Salad) was warm and delicious, and the Beer Bread was salty and soft. And the Apple Crumble Pie was a perfect ending. These were all familiar recipes to us, so I knew they would be good. And I was going to just throw the brats on the grill and call it done. But, I read about this recipe for Wisconsin Bratwurst on Sunday morning, and decided to give it a try. I am very glad I did. The taste was really awesome -- it doesn't really change the flavor of the bratwurst -- just makes it better. I modified the recipe a little, so I'm posting my version.

German-style Bratwurst

5 to 10 fresh bratwurst sausages
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup butter
1 bottle beer
1/2 t. ground black pepper

Melt butter over medium heat in a skillet that has a lid.
When butter is melted, as onions and cook for 5 to 10 minutes
until onions are softened.
Add beer.
Prick bratwursts with fork to prevent them from exploding as they cook.
Place bratwurst in the skillet with the onions, butter, and beer.
Cover and simmer for 30 minutes,
turning occasionally so all sides are cooked evenly.
Preheat grill for medium-high heat.
Grill bratwurst until crisp on the outside.
Serve with sauerkraut on rolls, or not.

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Party Recap

Well, the deutsche Partei was a big hit. Food was consumed in huge quantities, typical of any event where teenage boys are found. I was surprised, however, to find that they loved the German food (with the exception of the birthday boy and one other). The birthday boy loves bratwurst, beer bread, pumpkin roll, and root beer, but has real disdain for any food with vinegar, which eliminates a lot of German food.

But, his friends made this mama very happy and they can come back any time. They ate sauerkraut and Warmer Kartoffelsalat (Potato Salad) with gusto. They inhaled the bratwurst and knockwurst, as well as the Augratinkartoffeln (Au Gratin Potatoes) and the desserts.

The root beer was a huge hit, also. We had bottled Goose Island, and Bulldog, as well as Boylan's Birch Beer, and canned A&W, Mug, and Barq's.

I used the German Potato Salad pretty much as written at the link. It was a little sweeter than what I'm accustomed to, but was so good (even left over) that I wouldn't change a thing. The Au Gratin potato recipe was my tried and true recipe. If you're interested, just ask.

I'm posting my Pumpkin Roll recipe. I made two and they're both gone, so I guess they liked them. Below is a picture of the dessert table and the Pumpkin Roll.

Pumpkin Roll

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
⅔ cup pumpkin
1 t. lemon juice
¾ cup flour
1 t. baking powder
2 t. pumpkin pie spice
½ cup walnuts,chopped (optional)
8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
4 t. butter
1 t. vanilla

Grease a 15 x 10 pan edged pan and line with waxed paper.
Grease the waxed paper.
Beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin, lemon juice, flour, baking powder,
and spice until creamy.
Pour mixture onto waxed cookie sheet.
Sprinkle with nuts, if desired.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 15-20 minutes.
Remove from oven and immediately cover with clean dishtowel.
Flip cake onto counter with towel under.
Remove waxed paper.
Roll towel and cake up like a jellyroll.
Let cool.
Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter,
and vanilla until creamy.
Unroll cake and spread with frosting.
Re-roll and wrap with plastic wrap.
Cover with tin foil. Refrigerate until serving time.
Can also be frozen.

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