Eierschecke

Ingredients:
For the Dough:

  •            70 g      Unsalted Butter
  •                 1      Egg Yolk
  •            70 g      Sugar
  •          125 g      Flour
  •           1 tsp      Baking Powder

For the Filling:

  •          500 g      Ricotta Cheese
  •                 2      Eggs
  •          100 g      Sugar
  •         ½ Pkg      Dr. Oetker Vanilla Pudding
  •    2-3 drops      Vanilla Extract

For the Topping:

  •            ½ l      Milk
  •         100 g     Unsalted Butter, soft
  •         1 pkg     Dr. Oetker Vanilla Pudding
  •          3 tbs     Sugar
  •              4      Eggs

Directions:

Cream the butter add sugar and egg yolk.
Combine flour and baking powder and stir into the butter/sugar mix.
Prepare a 28 cm Ø spring form with butter and coat with breadcrumbs.
Knead the dough one more time by hand and press into the form.
For the filling mix the cheese with the sugar, vanilla extract, vanilla pudding powder and eggs.
Spread out over the dough in the spring form.
Bake in a preheated convection oven at 325ºF for 20 minutes. Cake should be lightly brown.
In the mean time heat the milk and melt the butter in it. Add the pudding powder and sugar, finish cooking the pudding and cool in a cold water bath.
Separate the eggs and stir the egg yolks into the pudding.
Beat egg whites with 1 tbs warm water until stiff peaks form and fold into the pudding.
Remove the cake from the oven, spread the pudding mixture over the top of the cake and bake for another 35 – 40 minutes until golden brown.

To avoid the cake from falling too much, remove the cake after 20 minutes of the final baking time and carefully loosen the cake away from the spring form with a knife.
Cover with aluminum foil for the last 20 minutes in the oven.

Sprinkle with sugar .

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blueberry Streusel Cheese Cake

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Ingredients:

  •    125 g    Unsalted Butter, soft
  •    125 g    Sugar
  •        9 g    Vanilla Sugar
  •           2    Eggs
  •    275 g    Flour
  •        7 g    Baking Powder
  •  1 pinch    Salt

for the Filling:

  •    400 g    Ricotta Cheese
  •    1 pkg    Dr. Oetker Vanilla Pudding
  •      50 g    Unsalted Butter, soft
  •    150 g    Sugar
  •        9 g    Vanilla Sugar
  •           2    Eggs
  •      12 g    Cornstarch
  •    1 pint    Blueberries

for the Streusel:

  •    100 g    Unsalted Butter
  •    100 g    Sugar
  •    150 g    Flour

Directions:

Cream the butter add sugar, vanilla sugar and eggs.
Combine flour and baking powder and stir together with the salt into the butter/sugar mix.
Prepare a 28 cm/10 inch spring form with butter and coat with breadcrumbs.
Knead the dough one more time by hand and press into the form.

For the filling combine the cheese with the soft butter, mix in the sugar, vanilla sugar, vanilla pudding powder and egg and blend in the cornstarch.
Fold in the blueberries and spread out over the dough in the spring form.

Knead the butter, sugar and flour for the Streusel until they bind and crumble on top of the cake.

Bake in a preheated convection oven for about 50 – 60 minutes at 325°F until golden brown.

Meaty Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

  •     1¼ lb    Ground Meat
  •     1 cup    Onions, diced
  • 3 cloves    Garlic
  •    2 cans    Tomato Sauce (15 oz)
  •     1 can    Crushed Tomatoes (15 oz)
  •   1 pinch    Red Pepper (Cayenne)
  •                  Basil, Oregano and Thyme to taste

Directions:

In a sauce pan brown the meat, add the onions and fry until glassy.
Finely chop the garlic and add to the pan.
Season with basil, oregano, thyme and red pepper. Pour in the 3 cans of tomatoes.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Add water if needed.

Serve over spaghetti noodles with grated Parmesan and/or Romano cheese and garlic bread on the side.

Schweinshax’n – Ham Hocks

A Bavarian Favorite

1 Ham Hock per person should be enough even for a large Appetite!

Ingredients:

  •         8    Pig Hocks (from the Ham about 1½ lbs each)
  • 2 cups    Beer (Pilsner)
  •         1    Onion, large
  •               Salt
  •               Pepper
  •               Paprika
  •               Caraway (ground)

Directions:

Season the hocks with salt, pepper and rub with paprika.
Score the skin with a sharp knife in a cross cross pattern.
Place the hocks on a baking sheet with the skin down.
Cut the onion into 8 sections and place these between the ham hocks.
Combine 2 cups of water with 1 cup of beer, add caraway powder to taste and pour over hocks.
Roast the meat in oven at 350ºF for 1 hour, basting them with beer occasionally.
Flip the meat and repeat for another hour.
After that time turn the heat down to 210ºF and roast for another 2 hours at that low temperature.
In the last 20 minutes add the remaining beer and set your oven to broil to make the skin crispy.
Serve with Dumplings and Sauerkraut.

Left over meat is good on a sandwich with horseradish mustard.

Ham Hock served at the unique Restaurant Ve Skále in the Czech Republic.

Ham Hocks are cut from the ham, while the Shoulder Hocks are usually just called Pork Hocks and are a lot smaller with less meat. See picture below:

1Schweinshaxn

Stuffed Peppers

Ingredients:

  •            4    Green, Yellow or Red Peppers
  •    1½ lbs    Ground Beef
  •      3 tbs    dried minced Onions
  •   1½ tsp    Instant Beef Bouillon
  •  1/8 tsp    Garlic powder
  •     ¼ tsp    Black Pepper
  •      1 tsp    Salt
  •            1    Egg
  • 1-2 cups    cooked Rice
  •    2 cans    Tomato sauce

Directions:

Cut top off the peppers and clean out the insides.
Thoroughly mix the 8 ingredients from the meat down together with a ¼ cup of water.
Press the mix into the peppers slightly heaping and cover with the top of the peppers.
Place in a roaster and pour the tomato sauce over it.
Bake covered at 350° for 1-1½ hours until meat is done. Replenish fluid with hot water if needed.
Check temperature with meat thermometer which should be above 170°F.

Depending on the size of the peppers, there might be enough meat for more.

Christstollen

for 2 small Stollen

Ingredients:

  •    550 g     Flour
  •       21 g    Dry Yeast
  •  200 ml     Milk
  •    150 g     Unsalted Butter
  •           2     Egg Yolks
  •    125 g     Sugar
  •           1     Vanilla Sugar
  •  1 pinch     Salt
  •   200 g      Raisins
  •   50 ml      Rum
  •   200 g      Blanched Almonds
  •     50 g      Candied Lemon Peel
  •     50 g      Candied Orange Peel
  •                  Zest of 1 Lemon

Topping:

  • 50 g      Unsalted Butter, melted
  • 50 g      Confectioners Sugar

Directions: 

Day prior to baking:
In a bowl soak the raisins with rum, stirring occasionally until ready to mix into the dough.
Medium-chop the almonds.
The candied lemon and orange peel come diced but need to be chopped smaller. Spraying your chopping knife with a little Pam will make this much easier.

Combine the almonds, candies fruits and lemon zest, cover and set aside until needed, but do not refrigerate.

Morning of baking:
Melt and lightly brown the butter. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Drain the raisins and add to the nuts and fruits.
All ingredients should be at room temperature unless indicated.

Add the flour to a large mixing bowl, making a well in the center.
Heat the milk to lukewarm.
Place yeast in a small bowl and add some milk to it, stirring until it is dissolved (it should form some bubbles,this means the yeast is active).
Pour the yeast into the well and add the rest of the milk, stir, drawing in a little of the flour, and add a sprinkling of sugar, this is called a sponge.
Cover with a clean kitchen towel.
Now it’s time to proof the yeast.
It needs to be set in a warm place, or the oven can be used with some caution.
Heat the oven up to 100°F and then turn it off.
The oven temperature can not exceed 110°F as this could kill the yeast thus preventing it from rising. Leaving the oven light on helps to keep the oven warm longer.
When the sponge has doubled in size, (approx. ½ -1 hour) it is time to mix the dough.
First knead the flour into the sponge, add the sugars, eggs and salt.
Knead the dough so that it is well blended, then add the fruit mixture and knead again until mixed through.
Now add the butter.
It will seem kind of squashy but keep kneading until the dough binds together and becomes somewhat elastic.
Form into a ball, leave it in the bowl, cover with a towel.
Again place in a warm area or use the oven method.
Remember, if it’s not warm enough the dough will not rise and if it’s to warm it will kill the yeast.
Allow to rise until the dough doubles in size.
This could take hours, depending on the temperature in the area where the dough is placed.
After the dough has risen and doubled in size, punch it down and divided in two portions, each will be one Stollen.
Grease the Stollen form(s) with butter and push the dough firmly into the form.
There is enough dough for 2 small forms (23½ cm) or 1 large (39½ cm)
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place the form(s) on it upside down (metal side up).
Preheat oven to 350°F and bake the Stollen for 45 minutes, remove the form and bake for another 15 minutes.
When the Stollen is removed from the oven brush the top with butter.
Allow to cool slightly, dust with confectioners sugar.
Allow to rest for 1-2 days.

Gooseberry Streusel Cake

Ingredients:

  •    100 g    Ricotta Cheese
  •     4 tbs    Milk
  •    100 g    Sugar
  •    200 g    Flour
  •        7 g    Baking Powder
  •  1 pinch    Salt
  •     4 tbs    Vegetable Oil

for the Filling:

  •    400 g    Ricotta Cheese
  •    1 pkg    Dr. Oetker Vanilla Pudding
  •      50 g    Unsalted Butter, soft
  •    150 g    Sugar
  •        9 g    Vanilla Sugar
  •           2    Eggs
  •      12 g    Cornstarch
  •  1 glass    Gooseberries, drained (350 g)

for the Streusel:

  •    100 g    Unsalted Butter
  •    100 g    Sugar
  •    150 g    Flour

Directions:

Stir together cheese, milk and sugar. Combine flour and baking powder and mix into cheese with the salt, lastly add in the oil, blend together.
Prepare a 28 cm/10 inch spring form with butter and coat with breadcrumbs.
Knead the dough one more time by hand and press into the bottom of the form.

For the filling; combine the cheese with the butter, stir in the sugar, vanilla sugar and egg, blend together and then mix in the cornstarch.
Fold the gooseberries into the cheese mixture and spread out over the dough in the spring form.

Knead together the butter, sugar and flour for the Streusel until it binds, then  crumble onto the top of the cake.

Bake in a preheated convection oven for about 50 – 60 minutes at 325°F until golden brown.
This cake is excellent if the filling is still slightly soft.

Remove cake from form and sprinkle with 50 – 100 g coarser sugar (to taste).

Serve with Whipped Cream.

Chocolate Torte with Amaretto

Ingredients:

Dough:

  •        6    Eggs, medium
  • 200 g    Sugar
  • 200 g    Flour
  •     7 g    Baking Powder
  •   3 tbs    Cocoa Powder
  •    14 g    Vanilla Sugar

for the Filling:

  • 400 g    Chocolate, semi sweet
  • 800 g    Heavy Cream
  •  60 ml    Amaretto
  •              Chocolate Sprinkles to decorate

Directions:

Dough:
Separate the eggs and beat the egg white with 2 tbs warm water until stiff peaks form. Sift the flour and add the baking powder and cocoa, mix until blended.
Combine egg yolks, sugar and vanilla sugar in a bowl and beat with hand mixer until frothy.
Fold in the egg white and then stir in flour mixture.
Prepare a spring form (26 – 28 cm ∅) with butter and coat with breadcrumbs.
Pour in the batter and bake in a preheated convection oven for about 25 minutes at 340°F. Let  cool.

Filling:
Break chocolate into small pieces. Bring 200 ml of the heavy cream to a boil, remove from heat, add chocolate and stir until it has melted, do not cook again. Add the Amaretto and set in a cold water bath, stirring until it has cooled down.
Transfer to a bowl and cool it down in the refrigerator.
Beat the rest of the heavy cream into whipped cream.
Beat the cold chocolate cream with a hand mixer until frothy and fold in the whipped cream.

Cut the cold cake twice horizontally to get three layers.

Assemble cake by spreading the chocolate cream in between the layers (about 2/3 of the cream).
Cover the tort with the rest of the cream and decorate with chocolate sprinkles.
Keep refrigerated.

Cream Cheese Marble Cake

Ingredients:

  •   250 g    Unsalted Butter, softened
  •   250 g    Sugar
  •       9 g    Vanilla Sugar
  •          4    Eggs
  • 1 pinch    Salt
  •   300 g    Flour
  •       7 g    Baking Powder
  •   150 g    Cream Cheese, softened
  •    4 tbs    Lemon Juice
  •    2 tbs    Cocoa Powder

Directions:

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla sugar in a bowl with hand mixer, then add eggs and salt until well blended.
Mix flour with baking powder and carefully mix into the butter/sugar mixture.
Blend Cream cheese and lemon juice and fold into dough.
Cover a jelly roll pan (15×10 inches/38×26 cm) with parchment paper.Use up half the dough and place dollops on parchment paper (see picture below).
Blend the cocoa into the remaining dough and spoon into the free spots of the paper.
Smooth out top with a dough scrapper.
Bake in preheated convection oven for 25 – 30 minutes at 325ºF.
Let the cake cool, sprinkle with confectioners sugar or brush with a lemon glaze (lemon juice and confectioners sugar).

Stuffed Cabbage “Krautwickel”

1DSC02048Ingredients:

  •      3 lbs    Ground Beef
  •  1/8 cup    dried minced Onions
  •      3 tsp    Instant Beef Bouillon
  •     ¼ tsp    Garlic powder
  •     ½ tsp    Black Pepper
  •      2 tsp    Salt
  •            2    Eggs
  •    2 cups    cooked Rice
  •    1 large    Head Cabbage
  •    3 cans    Tomato sauce

Directions:

Take a stock pot and fill half way with water, bring to a boil. Cabbage leaves need to be softened before rolling, so remove the core and place the head in the water. Allow to cook until the leaves separate and soften.
Trim down the thick spine of the leaves.
Lay out a roaster with cabbage leaves (use small and damaged ones).
Thoroughly mix together the first 8 ingredients with a ½ cup of water.
Lay out a leaf, place some of the meat on the thinnest part, fold in the sides and roll it up.
Place in a roaster. Continue until all the meat is used up.
Pour the tomato sauce over the cabbage rolls and cover with extra cabbage leaves to prevent burning.
Bake covered at 350° for 1½-2 hours until meat is done. Replenish fluid with hot water if needed.
Check inside temperature of cabbage rolls with meat thermometer, which should be above 165°F.

Makes about 20 cabbage rolls.

Tomato sauce could be substituted with Cream of Mushroom soup

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