Julie created a great German supper for us with some recipes from Alton Brown and others on the Internet! We also had red cabbage as a side, but we got lazy and opened a jar…
Here’s what we made:
Sauerbraten
(Alton Brown)
2 cups water
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 medium onion — chopped
1 large carrot — chopped
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt — additional for seasoning meat
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
6 whole cloves
12 juniper berries
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 bottom round — (3 1/2 to 4-pound)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/3 cup sugar
18 dark old-fashioned gingersnaps (about 5 ounces) — crushed
1/2 cup seedless raisins — optional
In a large saucepan over high heat combine the water, cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, onion, carrot, 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.
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.
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 3 days. If the meat is not completely submerged in the liquid, turn it over once a day.
After 3 days of marinating, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Add the sugar to the meat and marinade, cover and place on the middle rack of the oven and cook until tender, approximately 4 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 to remove any lumps. Add the raisins if desired. Slice the meat and serve with the sauce.
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Potato Latkes
4 cups potatoes — peeled, slawed
1 lg Onion — peeled; slawed
4 Egg
3 tb All purpose flour
1 1/4 ts Salt3/4 ts Pepper
1 teaspoon Baking powder
10 tb (about) vegetable oil
Preheat oven to 325°F. Place 2 baking sheets in oven. Line large bowl with towel. Finely grind potatoes and onion in processor (do not puree). Transfer to towel. Fold towel up around mixture; twist top, squeezing out all liquid into bowl. Let liquid stand 5 minutes. Pour off liquid, reserving any potato starch in bowl. Add potatoes to bowl. Mix in egg, flour, salt, pepper and baking powder.
Heat 6 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, drop 1 heaping tablespoon batter per pancake into hot oil. Using back of spoon, spread to 2 1/2- to 3-inch rounds. Cook until brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to baking sheets in oven. Repeat with remaining batter, spooning off any liquid from surface of batter and adding more oil to skillet by tablespoonfuls as necessary. Serve hot.
Makes about 18.
The secret to crisp latkes is the removal of as much liquid as possible from the ground potatoes. Serve these plain (they’re a fine accompaniment to a roast with gravy), or with sour cream or
applesauce.
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Apfelkuchen
(Sunken Apple Cake)
2/3 cup soft butter or margarine — plus some for the form
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
1 pinch salt
2 drops almond extract
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup ground almonds
6 large apples
1 lemon
1/4 cup slivered almond (optional)
1 teaspoon icing sugar — for dusting
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat the butter or margarine with a wooden spoon or mixer until creamy. Slowly add the sugar, together with the vanilla sugar, salt and almond extract, alternating with the eggs. Mix the dough until it is very foamy and the sugar has been thoroughly dissolved. Sift in the flour with the baking powder, add the ground almonds, and mix everything together quickly.
Carefully coat a springform with butter or margarine. Pour the batter in and smooth down the surface. Peel the apples, cut in half lengthwise, and remove the cores. Cut into the outer surface a few times with a knife, but don’t cut all the way through. Brush apples with the lemon juice. Place the apples close together onto the batter, core side down.
Soak the currants for a short time in hot water, wash thoroughly and rub dry in a cloth. Sprinkle the currants, together with the slivered almonds over the apples. Bake the cake at 350 degrees for 75-80 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool before dusting with icing sugar.
Serve with whipped cream.
