Germany for Kids

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Germans like to eat all kinds of food. Every town has Italian, French and Chinese restaurants and the Turkish “doner kebap” is so popular in Germany that it has almost became a national dish. However, we also have very famous (and very delicious!) German dishes. Would you like to try a few? Here are some easy recipes you can make at home.

Links:
Salads
Appetizers and Entrées
Bread
Deserts and Cakes

4 cups potatoes, peeled and sliced ¼-inch thick
2 cups chicken broth
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup vegetable oil
½ cup pickles, chopped
4 bacon strips, crumbled
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
Pepper to taste

Boil potatoes in broth with ¼ teaspoon salt for 5 to 8 minutes, until tender. Drain. Fry bacon until crispy. Add vinegar to bacon. Toss warm potatoes with bacon-vinegar-sauce and vegetable oil. Add pickles, salt and pepper and mix well. Marinate salad 1 to 2 hours before serving.
Serves 4.

1 lb. sauerkraut (canned)
½ lb. blue grapes
6 oz. cooked ham

Dressing:
½ cup yogurt
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon honey

Rinse and drain sauerkraut; chop coarsely. Wash grapes and cut in half; remove seeds if desired. Cut ham in julienne strips. Gently mix the three ingredients. Blend dressing ingredients and stir into sauerkraut mixture. Marinate for 10 minutes; adjust seasoning before serving if necessary.
Serves 4.

4 potatoes
4 bacon strips, fried and crumbled
3 eggs
3 tablespoons milk
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup ham, cubed
2 tablespoons chopped chives
Pepper to taste

Slice potatoes. In a large frying pan, cook bacon and onions until onions are transparent. Add the potato slices and cook until lightly browned. Meanwhile, blend eggs with milk and salt and pepper. Stir in the cubed ham. Pour the egg mixture over the potatoes in the frying pan. Cook until the eggs are set. Sprinkle with chopped chives and serve at once.
Serves 4.

1 cup flour
¼ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
3 eggs
½ cup milk
½ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Sift flour, sugar and salt together. Using rotary beater, whip eggs until light and frothy; beat in milk and cream and melted butter. Turn flour mixture into beaten egg and, still using rotary beater, whip until batter is smooth. Grease a 6"- or 8"-skillet with a little butter and when moderately hot, pour in just enough batter to cover bottom of skillet with a paper-thin layer. To do this, pour batter, then quickly tilt and rotate pan so batter runs over it evenly. Cook over moderate heat until pancake is golden brown on underside; turn and brown other side. Remove to a heated platter. Continue cooking pancakes this way until batter has been used. Serve immediately.
Makes 16-20 pancakes.

6 medium potatoes grated
1 medium onion grated
2 eggs
½ teaspoon salt
pepper
4 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon parsley
2 tablespoons oil

Peel and grate potatoes. Drain liquid. Mix potatoes with eggs, grated onion, salt, parsley and pepper.
Heat oil in a skillet, put in batter, 3 tablespoons at a time. Spread batter evenly. Fry on both sides until golden brown.
Serves 4.

3 tablespoons butter
3 onions, sliced
3 oz. Emmenthaler cheese, grated
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 cups spaetzle noodles (available at specialty shops)
2 tablespoons chives, chopped

Heat butter in frying pan, add onions and brown lightly. Toss cheese with dry mustard. Add cooked noodles to sautéed onions and cheese. Mix well. Place mixture in an ovenproof casserole dish. Bake at 300°F for 20 to 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with chopped chives before serving.

1 lb. bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 package yeast (rapid rise)
1½ cups (approx.) lukewarm milk
½ oz. butter or margarine
grease for the pan
5 tablespoons milk mixed with ½ teaspoon sugar for coating

Mix the flour and salt. Dissolve yeast in ½ cup milk and stir in some of the flour mix to make a fluid batter. Cover and let rise for about 20 minutes. Dissolve the butter or margarine in the milk. Add the rest of the flour and milk.
Knead the dough until it comes away easily from the side of the bowl. Flour the bowl and let the dough rise for about 1½ hours. Form the dough into about 12 rolls and set them on a greased baking sheet. Let rise for about 10 minutes. With the back of a knife, make a long indentation in each roll. Brush with sweetened milk and bake in an oven at 400°F for about 20 to 25 minutes.

Variations:
Nussbroetchen (Nut Rolls)
Chop up 1 ½ cups walnuts and stir them into the dough. Bake as above.

Kaesebroetchen (Cheese Rolls)
After removing rolls from the oven, sprinkle 1 cup grated Emmenthaler cheese over top.

Mohnbroetchen (Poppy Seed Rolls)
Add ½ cup poppy seeds to sweetened milk. Bake as above.

scant ½ cup butter
¾ cup white sugar
3 eggs
grated rind of ½ lemon
¾ cup flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ recipes Butter Cream Frosting*
praline topping**, made with 1 tablespoon butter, ¼ cup sugar
1 cup blanched, chopped almonds or hazelnuts

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cream butter with sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in grated lemon rind. Sift flour again with cornstarch and baking powder. Gradually stir in butter-egg mixture until thoroughly blended. Butter and flour a cake ring mold and tap out excess flour. Pour batter into pan. Bake in the lower half of oven for 45 minutes to an hour, or until cake shrinks away from the sides of the pan. Invert cake onto rack and cool completely. While cake is cooling, prepare butter cream filling. To make praline topping**, place the butter and sugar in a frying pan over low heat and stir constantly until the sugar is lightly browned and melted. Stir in nuts and pour onto a greased flat serving plate. When cold, hard and set, crack praline topping into small peaces.
Cut cake horizontally into 3 layers. Spread 1 cup of butter cream filling onto bottom and middle layers, saving enough to cover outside of cake. Stack layers and spread rest of filling on top and sides. Sprinkle praline topping on tops and sides of cake. Refrigerate at least 24 hours before serving.

Butter Cream Frosting*

6 egg yolks
¾ cup sugar
½ cup water
½ tablespoon cornstarch
1 ¼ cups softened butter
flavoring, to taste

Over low heat, cook sugar, water and cornstarch, stirring until dissolved. Bring to a boil, and stir, until mixture forms a soft ball when dropped in cold water. VERY slowly, stirring constantly, pour boiling hot syrup. If you add the boiling syrup too quickly, it will scramble the egg yolks, so take your time. Beat until mixture cools and is smooth. Cool completely. Beat softened butter into the cooled crème, adding your favorite flavoring – 3 to 4 tablespoons rum, kirsch or fruit liquors, or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract; or 2 ½ oz. melted and cooled semi-sweet baking chocolate; or ½ cup ground hazelnuts; or 1 ½ oz. melted and cooled semi-sweet baking chocolate mixed with 2 teaspoons instant coffee dissolved in 2 teaspoons of boiling water, for a mocha flavor. For cocoa butter crème, beat in 4 tablespoons cocoa powder and vanilla sugar (available in specialty stores).

2 pounds red fruits (currents, raspberries, brambleberries, strawberries, sour cherries, plums)
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/3 quart rum (optional)
milk or cream

Wash fruit (set aside one handful). Combine the rest with 1 quart water and 1 cup sugar in a saucepan. Bring to boil and cook over medium heat until done (fruit should not dissolve). Sweeten to taste. Mix cornstarch with two tablespoons water and stir into the juice until thickened. Bring to boil and remove from heat. Blend in rum, if desired. Mash remaining fruit in blender and add to the thickened juice. Eat Rote Gruetze either hot or cold. Serve with cold milk or cream.
Serves 4.

Topping
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup flour
½ cup butter

Cake
2 ¼ cup flour
¼ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 package dry yeast
¾ cup milk
½ cup butter
1 egg
fruit if desired

To make topping:
Mix sugars, cinnamon and flour. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.

To make cake:
Miix 1 cup flour with sugar, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Place milk and butter in a saucepan and heat until very warm (120°F). Gradually add to dry ingredients; beat 2 minutes. Beat in egg and 1 cup flour. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Stir in enough flour to make a soft but stiff batter. Spread batter into a well-greased 9-inch square cake pan. Sprinkle with topping. Let rise in a warm place until double in bulk, about 1 ½ hours. Bake at 350°F about 45 minutes or until done. If you like, add your favorite fruits beneath the topping before baking to make a fruit cake.

2 cups milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 packet vanilla sugar (available in specialty stores)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 slices of stale bread
butter for frying

Stir together milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla sugar. Thoroughly soak the white bread slices in this mixture. Fry soaked bread slices in plenty of butter until brown. Fruit compote or sugar and cinnamon go well with this dish.
Serves 4.

Himmel und Erde (Heaven and Earth)

1 ¾ cups onions
1 lb. apples, peeled and cored
3 tablespoons butter
1 lb. potatoes
salt
nutmeg
sugar

Cut the onions into rings, dice the apples. Lightly brown the onions in 1 tablespoon of butter, add the apples and stew. Peel the potatoes, boil and then mash them. Add the rest of the butter and season with salt, nutmeg and a pinch of sugar. Combine with the apples. Cover with the crisp fried onion rings and serve immediately.
Serves 4.