German Bee Sting Cake (Bienenstich)

Every year for Lewis's birthday, instead of the traditional cake, he's allowed to choose a random dessert and no matter how complicated or foreign it is I have to bake it. It's a challenge I am always willing and eager to accept and over the years I have made some pretty freaky desserts, some good - others disastrous (mostly falling victim to Pinterest fails) this year, however, proved to be an epic win.

German Recipes to try for a Festive Oktoberfest

Almost everyone is familiar with world renowned festival that began in late September in Munich, Germany. Even though we don't really get a fall here in the southern US, it has always been my favorite time of the year so why not celebrate it with great food, festivities, and a frothy pint of beer!?

1 - Oktoberfest Beer
2 - Braised Red Cabbage & Apples
3 - Sauerbraten
4 - Authentic Black Forest Cupcakes
5 - Marzipan Stollen
6 - Spätzle with Garlic Chives

While some of these probably aren't traditionally served during the festival, they're delicious at any time of year.
One of my favorites has to be the Authentic Black Forest Cupcakes, which are favored with coffee and cherry kirsch. Another more recent discovery is Spätzle which can be served as a side or put into soups!

Adventures in Beer Making

So I was at work the other day and I overheard that the first keg has officially been tapped and Oktoberfest is in full swing over in Munich, Germany...needless to say I am very jealous.

In order to uplift my mundane non-festive Houston life, I thought I would finally share our first experience in beer making; the good, the bad, the messy.

It all started about a year ago when a good friend of ours decided to give us his beer making kit. I had never even considered making beer before, I made it once in culinary school and I remember it being quite the involved process - not something I necessarily I wanted to take on in our small apartment kitchen but I was willing to give it a try!

We purchased our Oktoberfest Home Brew Kit, Bottles, and capper from Amazon.com. The labels I custom designed at Grogtag we decided on the name "The Drunken Dwarf" mainly because it just sounded festive and fun.

What You'll Need:

-Beer brewing kit which includes: malt, grains, hops, yeast steeping bag, and sometimes they include bottle caps.
-Purified filtered water (don't be like us and use your tiny Brita filter, actually plan ahead and buy some gallons of water)
-Thermometer (brewing is VERY temperature controlled - too hot and you've killed the yeast)
-Boiling pot
-Measuring cups
-Fermenter aka big plastic tubs
-Racking cane
-Bottle filler
-Bottling bucket
-Hydrometer (recommended)
-Fine mesh strainer (optional)
-Airlock - weird device that goes on top of the fermenter and allows air to escape without contaminating the beer.

I know it seems like a lot of stuff to buy but the good thing is you can reuse the more expensive equipment and just buy brew kits for the next go-round.

Make sure you maintain the water temp at 155 degrees F, DO NOT let it break 160! Because the pan is so massive, it took it a while to heat up, we had ours on medium for a good 20 minutes.

Here are some other things to keep in mind during your brewing adventure:

-Make sure everything is sanitized, and when I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING. Bottles, pots, buckets, spoons, measuring cups - just the smallest bit of contamination can affect the quality of the brew.
-USE FILTERED WATER, don't be lazy and use tap...you know who you are.
-Even if the directions say you don't need to stain it, use your judgement. Oktoberfest is known to have some sediment, but if we didn't strain ours it would have been undrinkable.
-Make sure you have enough room, we literally had to use every square inch of our kitchen so plan ahead.
-Once you create your brew, treat it like a delicate newborn - don't shake it or disturb it too much when transporting it to the fermenter.
-When fermenting keep your beer in a cool place away from sunlight.
-Be patient and have fun! It was a semi-stressful experience but if you take the time and do it right it's a super rewarding experience!

Behold it's frothy goodness!

This was our last bottle and was a bit more cloudy then the rest - I am guessing it was from the bottom of the barrel

Timeline:

-From the time you place it in the fermenting bucket, you have to wait about two weeks, during this time you should see bubbles appearing in the airlock - this means that the yeast is activating (yay!).
-After the two week fermentation process you have to carefully add in the priming sugar, this will carbonate the beer.
-Next you have the task of filling each bottle and capping it - make sure not to fill it too full or the carbonation will burst the bottles. Using the bottle filler, fill each bottle leaving about two inches from the top.
-Once you bottled your brew you know have a month of fermentation before you can bask in the glory of your brewski.

The end result was 50 12oz. bottles of smooth, full-bodied "Oktoberfest." The best part was sharing it with our friends and family and seeing their reactions (all good by the way). It was a super rewarding experience and we will definitely be experimenting with more brews soon.

Spätzle with Garlic Chives

I have always heard and seen this dish in German restaurants and cooking shows but I had never actually tried it (to my knowledge anyway). But honestly, how can noodles pan fried in butter be anything but delicious?

Spätzle (sometimes spelled Spaetzle) is a kind of soft egg noddle that is poached in water then pan fried in butter/herbs. It is often served in southern Germany and Austria, but can also be found in Switzerland, Hungary, Alsace and South Tyrol.

Initially I was slightly intimidated in making this dish but it turned out to be kinda fun! My colanders holes were too small so I ended up having to use my cheese grater, an ideal hole size would look like THIS. Be careful not to over-mix your dough or your spätzle will be on the tougher side, my mom also said the my grandmother used to add spätzle to her soups so that's an idea I am looking forward to trying.

Spätzle

serves 1-2

Recipe from Tyler Florence

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
3 TBS unsalted butter
2 TBS minced fresh chives

Directions

1.In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. In another mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the egg-milk mixture. Gradually draw in the flour from the sides and combine well; the dough should be smooth and thick. Let the dough rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

2.Bring 3 quarts of salted water to a boil in a large pot, then reduce to a simmer. To form the spätzle, hold a large holed colander, grater, or slotted spoon over the simmering water and push the dough through the holes with a spatula or spoon. Do this in batches so you don't overcrowd the pot. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the spätzle floats to the surface, stirring gently to prevent sticking. Dump the spätzle into a colander and give it a quick rinse with cool water.

3.Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add the spätzle; tossing to coat. Cook the spätzle for 1 to 2 minutes to give the noodles some color, and then sprinkle with the chopped chives and season with salt and pepper before serving.

Sauerbraten with Spätzle and Braised Cabbage

Behold our German feast!! I was in the mood for trying something new the other day, it all started with spätzle (pronounced shp-eh-tzle), I always thought it looked delicious but I had never tried it before so while I was looking for a recipe, I saw that it was typically served with this freaky dish called Sauerbraten.

Sauerbraten literally means "sour roast" usually pertaining to beef but you could also use venison, lamb, or pork. It's it served with a "gravy" made from the cooking juices with crushed gingersnaps to thicken it - sounds weird I know but it creates a really unique flavor and texture.

Unlike the traditional American roast beef, Sauerbraten has a slight sour taste from the vinegars but with the gingersnaps and the sweetness from the sugar as well as the cabbage, it all goes together perfectly. Since this was my first time EVER hearing of the dish, let alone making it, I decided to follow Alton Brown's recipe directly (for the most part). I marinated the beef for about two and half days and decided to cook mine in the crock pot rather than the oven. I started off cooking it on low for 2 hours then I switched it to the high heat setting for three additional hours.

Sauerbraten

serves 3-4

recipe from Alton Brown

Ingredients
2 cups water
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 medium onion, chopped
1 TBS plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, additional for seasoning meat
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
6 whole cloves
12 juniper berries
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 (3 1/2 to 4-pound) bottom round
1 TBS vegetable oil
4-5 carrots peeled and chopped
2 cups red potatoes
1/3 cup sugar
18 dark old-fashioned gingersnaps (about 5 ounces), crushed I used Anna's Ginger Swedish Thins (don't worry if you have some big lumps left, they'll melt down)
1/2 cup seedless raisins, optional

Directions

1.In a large saucepan over high heat combine the water, cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, onion, salt, pepper, bay leaves, cloves, juniper, and mustard seeds. Cover and bring this to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

2.Pat the bottom round dry and rub with vegetable oil and salt on all sides. Heat a large saute pan over high heat; add the meat and brown on all sides, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side.

3.When the marinade has cooled to a point where you can stick your finger in it and not be burned, place the meat in a non-reactive vessel and pour over the marinade. Place into the refrigerator for 2-3 days. If the meat is not completely submerged in the liquid, turn it over once a day.

4.After 2-3 days place cut carrots and potatoes on the bottom of the crock pot and place the meat on top. Strain the marinade and add the 1/3 cup sugar. Pour marinade over meat and veggies. Cover and cook on high for four hours.

Remove the meat from the vessel and keep warm. Strain the liquid to remove the solids. Return the liquid to the pan and place over medium-high heat. Whisk in the gingersnaps and cook until thickened, stirring occasionally. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve if needed to remove any lumps. Add the raisins if desired. Slice the meat and serve with the sauce.

For the braised cabbage recipe, click HERE

Spätzle recipe is HERE

Christmas Stollen with Almond Filling

If I was trapped on a dessert island and I could only take three foods with me, I am pretty sure 2/3 of those foods would be marzipan and bread.

So, as you can imagine, when I discovered that there was a magical pastry that combined these two coveted ingredients I fell in love. Never has a pastry been so balanced with fruity, spicy, savory and sweet.

While I have eaten this tasty dessert for years, this was my first attempt at actually baking it. I must admit that despite my schooling and what little experience I do have, I am still super intimidated at making breads but with a whole lotta patience, this recipe will turn out perfect every time. As far as what fruits to add to your stollen, I prefer to use orange juice/zest as opposed to lemon because it's not as harsh of a flavor, I also think that orange goes better with the flavor of almond. You could buy the packaged dry candied fruit but I found this combo to be quite amazing.

Christmas Stollen with Almond Filling

makes 2 loaves

For the Fruit:
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup diced candied orange peel (I candied my own, you can learn how HERE)
1 cup raisins
3 TBS cherry Kirsch
2 TBS orange juice

For the Sponge:
1 scant TBS or 1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (about 110 degrees F)
2/3 cup milk
1 tsp honey
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

For the Dough:
1/3 cup honey
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped almonds, toasted (optional)
3 to 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Oil, for coating bowl

For the Filling:
12.5 oz can of almond filling OR 12oz of marzipan

Recipe adapted from Food Network

Directions:
1.Prepare Fruit: Combine the fruit, orange juice, and booze. Cover and set aside. Shake or stir the mixture every so often to coat the fruit with the kirsch.

2.Prepare Sponge: In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast in the water to soften. Heat the milk to 110 degrees F and add it to the yeast along with the honey and 1 cup flour. Cover the sponge with plastic wrap and let rise until light and full of bubbles, about 30 minutes.

3. In a bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, add the fruit mixture, honey, egg, butter, zest, salt, nutmeg, almonds, and 2 cups of the flour to the sponge. Beat the mixture on medium low speed for 2 minutes. Gradually add the remaining flour 1/4 cup at a time until the dough begins to pull away from the side of the bowl. Change to the dough hook. Continue to add flour 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough just begins to clean the bowl. Knead 4 to 5 minutes on medium-low.

First rise: Put the dough in an oiled bowl and turn to coat the entire ball of dough with oil. Cover with a tightly woven towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour (mine took around 3).

Shape and Fill: Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface. For 1 large loaf, roll the dough into a 9 by 13-inch oval. For 2 loaves, divided the dough in half and roll each half into a 7 by 9-inch oval. Brush the melted butter over the top of the oval(s). Using a piping bag, pipe a line of marzipan OR almond filling down the center (lengthwise) of the oval(s). Fold the dough in half lengthwise and carefully lift the bread(s) onto a parchment-lined or well-greased baking sheet. Press lightly on the folded side to help the loaf keep its shape during rising and baking.

Second rise: Cover with a tightly woven towel and let rise for 45 minutes.

Preheat oven: About 10 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Bake and cool: Bake for 25 minutes until the internal temperature of the bread reaches 190 degrees F. Immediately remove from the baking sheet and place on a rack to cool. To serve: Sprinkle heavily with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

I hope everyone out there has a wonderful (and delicious) Christmas tomorrow!