Blog Posts

Bratwurst/German Pork Sausage

9/20/2014

This recipe is based on my mother's original recipe for German Bratwurst - I have however omitted the caraway seeds and added nutmeg, mace and cloves as caraway does seem to be an acquired taste. I love it, but not everyone around me does.

5 kg pork mince (I used a mix of leg of pork and belly of pork and asked the butcher to mince them for me)

5 teaspoons salt

3 teaspoons pepper

1 1/2 teaspoon marjoram

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon mace

1/2 teaspoon garlic flakes

500ml cold water

Put the pork mice through your own mincer on a medium disc at least two time. Depending on how smooth you like your sausage you can then put it through the smaller disc again -I tend to do half my mince through the medium disc and the other half through the finer disc.

Mix the meat thoroughly, firstly to get the texture mix right, then add the spices and water and mix again.

To test the season take a small amount of meat shape into a patty and fry in a pan. Ade just the seasoning as desired.

Put meat through the sausage maker into sausage casings.

I don't wait to stuff the meat into casings, nor do I add ice cubes or ice water. I have tried those techniques and have found them to make very little difference.

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Apfelpfannkuchen/Apple Pancake

9/20/2014

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2 apple s peeled,cored and quarted

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/4 cup flour

1 1/4 cup milk

1 egg

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

Dice the quartered apple. Melt butter and sugar in a pan, add the apples and sauté until caramelisation starts. add the cinnamon, mix thoroughly and set aside in a separate dish - leave to cool.

In a bowl mix egg, milk, flour, salt and baking powder into a pancake batter.

Heat a crepe pan,add a drop of oil and then put enough batter into the pan to cover the pan rather generously. This will be thicker than the usual pancake.

Once the batter starts cooking but is still raw on top,place apple pieces onto the raw batter and leave to cook. As the batter starts setting on top,carefully turn the pancake over in the pan to complete the cooking. Be careful not to dislodge the apples.

Place the cooked pancake on a plate, apple side up, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon to taste. Serve with cream or ice cream as desired.

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Sacher Torte

9/18/2014

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Vienna claims to be the "coffee house capital of the world".[7] A strong tradition of coffee houses created an environment where both residents and visitors could meet, share ideas, and leisurely discuss the events of the day. The coffee house status in Vienna would become central to its culture and tradition with the cornerstone of each fine coffee house being its freshly-baked cakes. These classic tortes were to become highly regarded works of art and intense rivalries developed as to who could create the finest masterpiece. Today, the Original Sacher Torte is one of the most recognized cakes in the world and even helped establish the five star Hotel Sacher in Vienna founded in 1876 by Franz Sacher's son, Eduard Sacher.

Ingredints

9 eggs seperated

250g good quality dark chocolate (Belgian or Swiss are very good)

220g Butter

220g Flour sifted

2 tsp baking powder

smooth apricot jam

For the glaze

100g chocolate

250g sugar

Melt chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave - leave to cool slightly.

Beat egg yolks,butter, half the sugar and the chocolate till creamy.

In a separate bowl and with clean whisks beat the egg white and remaining sugar till stiff. Fold egg white mix into the egg yolk mix. Cae chrefully fold in the flour and baking powder and then pour into a prepared baking tin. (I use a 26cm Springform)

Bake at 140C for approx. 1 hour or until a skewer comes out clean.

Leave to cool.

Heat the apricot jam and cover the cake with the jam - leave to cool whilst making the glaze.

For the glaze

Melt the chocolate and leave aside. Dissolve the sugar with a 1/4 cup water over heat and leave to simmer slightly until threads are drawn from the sugar.ie. If you lift the spoon out it brings a thread of sugar with it. Let the syrup cool off slightly (just to cool the extreme heat off) Spoonful be spoonful add the syrup to the chocolate and mix in well. Continue this process until the back of a spoon is coated with the chocolate mix once it is remove from the bowl. You do not need to put in all the sugar. Pour the glaze over the cake. The best is to pour it into the middle of the cake and let it flow onto the top and cover the sides. Leave it to cool and then garnish as desired.

Note: My photo is not the traditional decoration, but my own interpretation of it and how I wish to present the cake.

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Griessnockerl/Semolina Dumpling Soup

9/18/2014

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Griessnockerl Suppe

An old German favourite that was a staple in our house when I was growing up: Griesnockerl Suppe! Done properly it was only ever served cooked in a good quality clear consommé stock that had simmered all day on the stove. My mother always ...added a few vegetables to the stock and then the 'semolina dumplings' - simple food done well and it was delicious. 1 litre good quality clear stock
60g butter
1 egg (NZ size 7)
100 - 125g Coarse semolina
Salt and nutmeg to season

cream butter,add egg and semolina and mix well. (depending on the moisture content you may need to add a little more semolina. Mixture should be stiff enough to withstand light moulding between the fingers and holding its shape)Season with salt and nutmeg. Drop quenelles formed from the mix into the boiling stock and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes. (Quenelles are bits of the mix shaped between 2 teaspoons) Quenelles are cooked when they are still slightly golden inside. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.

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Wiener Backhendl/Viennese Crumbed Chicken pieces

9/18/2014

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Wiener Backhendl (Viennese Crumbed Chicken pieces)

10 chicken pieces OR 1 chicken cut into pieces

Marinade

2 tablespoons oil

1 garlic clove crushed (if you like your garlic you can add more)

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon marjoram
juice of 1 lemon

salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients together. Add the chicken pieces and ensure they are coated in the marinade. Leave the chicken to marinate for at least 2 hours or longer if possible. (I tend to leave them overnight if I can).

Roast the pieces in an oven, at 200C for about 25-30 minutes. Leave to cool completely.

In separate dishes, beat 3 eggs in one, put 1/2 a cup of flour in another and breadcrumbs in a third.

Coat the chicken in flour first, then in the egg, and finally in the breadcrumbs. Once all the pieces are done, you have the optional choice of doing another coating of egg and then breadcrumbs for a double coating.

Heat oil (preferably in a deep fat fryer or in a wok pan) Fry the chicken pieces at about 180C till the breadcrumbs are golden and the chicken has time to heat through.

Remove from oil, leave to drain for a few minutes and serve with a wedge of lemon.

Traditionally, in Austria, this chicken is served with the true Austrian cucumber salad and potato salad. (those recipes to follow).

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Marmor/Marble Cake

9/18/2014

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This is again one of my mother's tried and trusted recipes. These days I do cupcakes, loaves and fruit loaves to the same basic recipe. The recipe is certainly older than I am - its in my mother's 1963 book and... has been around before that too.
I always knew this marmor kuchen in what is today known as a Bundt cake form - before the days of bundt being trendy.

250g butter or margarine
250g sugar
4 large eggs
vanilla extract
grated rind of a lemon
400g flour sifted
3 level teaspoons baking powder (in Germany 1 sachet)
3 tablespoons cocoa
125ml milk
2 tblspns rum

Prepare your baking tin by greasing it first and preheat oven to 180C.
Beat butter and sugar,lemon rind and vanilla extract till creamy. Add eggs one at a time. Mix in flour and baking powder, adding milk as the mixture thickens. Into the baking tin 'dot' in half the batter.Into the remaining batter mix in the rum and cocoa and if, necessary a little more milk to ensure a similar consistency. 'Dot in' the chocolate batter in between the vanilla.Lightly mix the batters in the tin, WITHOUT touching the base or edges of the tin. Bake 50 -60 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
Leave to cool slightly then remove from baking tin.
sprinkle with icing sugar when cooled and serve.

delicious simple piece of cake with a cup of good coffee

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Schwarzwaelder Kirschtorte/Blackforest Cake

9/18/2014

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Schwarzwaelder Kirschtorte/ Black Forest Torte

For the shortcake layer:

200g flour

100g melted butter

50g sugar

Mix all ingredients into a dough - line 26cm springform base with the shortbread dough. Prick with a fork and bake at 180C for 15-20minutes or until light golden in colour. Leave to cool.

For the chocolate sponge:

250ml cup water

90ml oil (sunflower/rapeseed/canola)

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

4 eggs

21/2 tsp baking powder

11/2 cup sugar

13/4 cup flour sifted

In a pot bring water, oil and cocoa to the boil. Set aside and leave to cool to room temperature.

Beat eggs and sugar until light and frothy. Add flour and baking powder and fold in. Add in the water oil cocoa mixture and fold in. Pour batter into a g
greased 26cm springform and bake at 180C for 25-30minute or until a skewer comes out clean.

Remove from the form and leave to cool.

To complete

1 jar MORELLO cherries (these have a natural tanginess that makes for a tastier cake with a stronger cherry flavour)

3 tsp cornflour

1 litre cream

3 tablespoons icing sugar

2 tablespoons cornflour

1 shot Kirschwasser liqueur

chocolate to decorate as desired

redcurrant jam

Drain the juice off the cherries and bring to a boil. With a small amount of water, mix the 3 teaspoons corn flour and add to the boiling cherry juice. Beat well whilst boiling. Remove from heat and add the cherries and fold into the mix. Layer the cherries onto one half of the chocolate cake and leave to cool.

Beat the cream with the icing sugar, kirschwasser and 2 tablespoons corn flour. (corn flour helps the cream to stay stiff rather than melt especially in warmer climates).

Onto the shortbread layer smear a layer of redcurrant jam and some cream. Place the lower half of the chocolate cake,with the cherries on, onto the shortbread and cream. Then put a thick layer of cream onto the cherries and place the top half of the chocolate cake on top. Cover the sides and tops of the cake with cream and decorate as desired.

(I often make chocolate decorations by melting chocolate in a plastic bag in the microwave and then cutting the corner off the bag, and 'drawing' the desired decoration onto baking paper and leaving it to set before using as decorations)

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Forward>>

Bratwurst/German Pork Sausage

Apfelpfannkuchen/Apple Pancake

Sacher Torte

Griessnockerl/Semolina Dumpling Soup

Wiener Backhendl/Viennese Crumbed Chicken pieces

Marmor/Marble Cake

Schwarzwaelder Kirschtorte/Blackforest Cake

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