German Recipes from Tilly's Song

RECIPES for Good Eaten:

Part of the riches I inherited was some of the recipes that were actually written down by my Grandmother (Grossmutter), whom my sister and I referred to endearingly as ‘Nana’. However, much to my dismay, many of these recipes are just lists of ingredients with no directions as to how to prepare them or how long to cook them or the amount of yield. In place of specifics are such comments as knead until it feels right, cook until done, add more if needed, add a pinch of this or other such cryptic messages that were intended for the veteran cook, but not helpful at all to the inexperienced. It has been my intent to clarify these mysteries so these treasures of the palate may be enjoyed by the future generations. With the help of two cookbooks, The Cuisines of Germany, by Horst Scharfenberg and The German Cookbook, by Mimi Sheraton, I have been able to research recipes and find similar dishes that give instruction to the ingredients within my recipes. I dare say most of the cooking my ancestors did were using ingredients that were seasonally available to them and any of these that required much preparation were only prepared and eaten on Holy Days, or feast days. Meat was not eaten daily, but bread was. Sugar was scarce so the Beekeepers not only helped to assure pollination of crops, but also were able to rob the delightful nectar the Honey Bees stored away for their young. Fresh vegetables were only available during the summer growing months and root crops were a big part of the family garden because they could be stored and eaten throughout the winter. Whenever there was an abundance of cabbage, sauerkraut was made; extra cucumbers became pickles, fruit; jelly and jams, etc. Grain was always planted as a staple crop that could later be made into bread, cereal, and flour for other dishes. It was also planted so the kernels could be fed to the livestock and the chaff, it provided, could be used in a variety of ways. Wine, beer, sausage, cheese, butter, and bread were almost always made at home, if you lived on a farm. It could be bought from Bakers, Butchers, Brew misters, or other such vendors, if you were a merchant living in a city.
Most of the dishes listed in this appendix are rich foods that are high in fat and salt. In today’s world these foods are viewed as unhealthy, but let me point out that these high fat dishes were not eaten everyday, but usually prepared and eaten on special occasions. The daily meals were sparser than those meals enjoyed on Holidays. Daily foods included cereal, soups and hearty bread. At the turn of the twentieth century people walked more and engaged in much more manual labor. Meals were eaten slowly and relished with added servings of fun conversation. There is an old German saying that I think is absolutely scientifically sound: Much laughter improves the digestion! My wish is that whenever your family and friends put there feet under your dinner table that good food and good humor will be shared and the combination will contribute to good health.




Homemade rolls
2 pkgs of yeast or cakes of yeast
2/3 cup of warm potato water
1/3 cup of sugar
¼ cup of lard or shortening
¼ cup of butter
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs, beaten
4 cups of flour
Dissolve yeast in the warm potato water, add sugar, salt and eggs, fats, and 3 ½ cups of flour. Knead and add remaining flour as needed. Knead until you can hear the dough squeak. Roll into a ball and place it in a buttered bowl and let rise for 1-1 ½ hours or double in size. Place a towel over the dough so it will not dry out. Punch down and then shape into whatever shape rolls you desire. Let them rise again and then put them into a hot oven, approx. 400 degrees F for 15 to 18 minutes. Butter the tops as soon as you take them out of the oven. Yield is about 32 rolls, depending on the size and shape you have made them. ( This recipe can be shaped to make nice crescent rolls)


Hot Cocoa
The secret to Hot Cocoa is to use the very best imported Dutch Cocoa you can find in the market. If you just have regular cocoa then add a touch of vanilla to the cocoa and milk after it is heated. And this must be the best vanilla made by extracting the vanilla bean into brandy. I am somewhat of a cocoa snob, as you can see.

Potato Rolls
This can either be made into potato bread or rolls.
2 cups water ½ tsp. salt
2 medium potatoes, boiled and mashed 2 eggs
1 package of yeast 8 Tbsp butter, cut into ½ in. bits
½ cup plus 1 tsp sugar 5 ½ to 61/2 cups of unsifted flour
Cook potatoes and drain and reserve 1 cup of potato water. Mash the cooked potato. You will need l cup cooked mashed potato. Use ¼ cup of lukewarm (110 degrees F) potato water to start the yeast. Add 1 tsp of sugar to yeast and potato water. (If you ever have leftover mashed potatoes from the dinner before, this makes a great starter for the rolls for this evening’s meal.)
Combine 5 ½ cups of flour and remaining sugar and salt in deep mixing bowl and add all the liquids: mashed potato, potato water, eggs, yeast, and 8 Tbsp butter. Mix ingredients until they form a smooth, soft ball of dough.
Knead until smooth, shiny and elastic, approximately 10 minutes. Put in greased bowl and cover in draft free area until it rises to be double in volume. Shape into a loaf or into rolls and bake in a preheated oven of 375 degrees F until golden brown and it sounds hollow inside whenever rapped with your knuckles. Let cool or eat warm after it sets for 5 minutes. Yield: 1 regular loaf or 1 dozen rolls.

Fresh applesauce
Take 6 tart apples peel and core them then shred. Melt about ¼ cup of butter and sauté the apples in the butter until the apples cook down into applesauce consistency. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar to taste. Serve hot or chilled. Great served with pork dishes or potato pancakes.

Potato pancakes-Kartoffelpfannkuchen
Potato pancakes the way my grandmother, Nana, made them was more of an art than a science. Most German recipes include onion to the simple ingredients, but she served them for breakfast and with sweet toppings and the onion did not enhance that flavor, so she left them out of the recipe. She would take 2 large baking potatoes, peel and shred them into a bowl. She would add a large slightly beaten egg to the shredded potatoes. Next she added a pinch of salt and enough flour mixed into the potato and egg to make a thick batter, but not stiff. On a very hot skillet she would pour about 2 or 3 Tbsp. of oil or bacon drippings and fry about ¼ cup of potato batter until golden brown with crispy edges. To determine if the pan is hot enough, take a little of the batter and put it on the skillet. If it sizzles, the skillet is hot enough. Sometimes she made these pancakes as large as a dinner plate or small silver dollar size, depending on her mood. She would then drain the pancake on a paper towel or brown paper and while hot, dust them with powdered sugar. They were eaten hot with fresh applesauce. The poor cook was the last to ever eat, so to avoid this, the first one fed then became the cook and served others until it was their turn to fry these delicious pancakes. Depending on the number of people who are to be served and their appetites, the recipe was sometimes made two or three times. Cold milk is the preferred beverage with this meal.

Creamed Chipped Beef on toast
4 Tbsp butter 2 Tbsp dry sherry
¼ cup finely chopped onion 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
¼ cup flour 1 cup light cream
1 cup milk 4 to 5 oz. paper thin dried beef

In a heavy skillet melt the butter and add onions and cook slowly for about 5 minutes, translucent but not brown. Add the flour and blend well. Stirring the mixture with a wire whisk, pour in the cream and milk in a slow, thin stream and cook over high heat until the sauce comes to a boil and thickens slightly and smoothly. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes and then add the dried beef, sherry and lemon juice. Sprinkle with black pepper and paprika. Serve over toast. Serve immediately while toast is still crisp.
(Note from the author) I doubt seriously that at Ellis Island in the medical dormitory any sherry or lemon was added to this recipe. Believe me it makes all the difference in the world to add it to this meat and gravy dish.


Cucumbers in Sour Cream
Peel and slice very thinly 2 large cucumbers. Put them in a bowl and salt them liberally and then put crushed ice over the cucumbers and a little water with 2 Tbsp. of tarragon vinegar. Let them stand in this for 30 minutes. Take them out of the icy water and squeeze out the excess vinegar water. Add to them ½ cup of sour cream, 2 Tbsp. finely minced parsley, 1 small onion cut into thin rings, 1 Tbsp. sugar, 2 Tbsp Tarragon vinegar and paprika for a little garnish color. Serve immediately.

Fluffy mashed potatoes
The secret to fluffy mashed potatoes is to heat the milk and butter and pour it in after the potatoes have been mashed. Before serving add some sour cream and salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chives or green onions and crisp bacon pieces.

Christmas Stolen- Aunt Ada’s version Yield: 1 large stolen or 2 braids
1 cup scalded milk
½ cup sugar
¼ cup butter
1 yeast cake or 1 pkg. of dry yeast in ¼ cup of potato water:
(potato water is the starchy water poured off of boiled potatoes)

*Note: The secret to good bread is to feed the yeast with a small amount of sugar or potato starch and lukewarm water until you see the yeast bubble and spread. It is the gas formed by the yeast that makes the dough rise.

2 eggs beaten
1 tsp mace or ground cardamom seed
1 tsp salt
4 ¼ cups of flour
½ cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds
½ cup of candied citron fruit (the kind that is used in fruit cake)
(Most recipes I have read have the dried fruit soaked in a little brandy or rum to soften but I don’t recall my tea totaling Nana ever did.)
Mix the cooled milk, sugar and butter together with yeast and eggs. Add the dry ingredients a little at a time and then the solid nuts and fruit that have been dredged in a little flour. Knead and then let rise. Punch down and let rise again. Shape into a braid or flat folded like traditional stolen. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, or as my Nana used to say, until done. (In other cookbooks the braided version is very similar to what is called Bohemian Braid. This bread uses the spice mace rather than cardamom seed or ground cardamom. The same recipe for this type of holiday bread is called Swedish Coffee Braid only if the spice used is cardamom.) Both mace and cardamom give off a fragrant aroma which I like equally well, the taste is also very similar.



Pork Roast/ Sauerkraut with Caraway Seeds
This recipe is so easy. Take a 3-4 lb pork roast and brown it on all sides in a heavy skillet that has a tight fitting lid. Pour 1 lb. of sauerkraut and juice over the browned roast and sprinkle about 1 Tbsp. of caraway seeds over the sauerkraut then put in an oven at 350degrees F for two hours. In the last 15 minutes add the slices of one apple and replace the lid. The meat should fall apart when done. This meat goes well with fluffy mashed potatoes.


Stuffed Pork Chops
Determine the number of servings needed. One pork chop is usually one serving. Purchase the thick sliced chops or have the butcher cut them thick for you. This is an easy dish to prepare and the chop is baked rather than fried. Heat oven to 350 degree F. Prepare your favorite stuffing for chicken, goose, or turkey. Add your choice of dried fruit to the stuffing, such as dried apricots, raisins, cranberries, pineapple, or fresh apple. Walnuts or pecans are also a welcomed addition. Make a slit in the pork chop to the bone, making a little pocket and place some stuffing inside the opening. Four chops take about an hour to cook. Cook covered the first half hour and then without the cover for the remainder of the cooking time so the meat can have an attractive brown color. Take the pan drippings and add hot water and thicken with cornstarch for a nice glaze over the meat.

Cream Puffs and Vanilla Cream Filling
The cream puff shell can be used for any type of stuffing you wish from shrimp or any other meat salad, creamed chicken or pudding. Our family usually enjoyed them as desserts. There is a trick to making good cream puffs and it is adding one egg at a time and mixing thoroughly before adding the next egg. It does not tolerate any distractions, so plan a time when you can make this dessert from start to finish, uninterrupted.

1 cup Water 4 large eggs
½ cup butter *Vanilla Custard filling
¼ tsp salt Confectioners’ Sugar
1 cup sifted flour

In a sauce pan, heat water, butter, and salt to a rolling boil. Reduce heat and quickly stir in flour, mixing vigorously with a wooden spoon until mixture leaves the sides of the pan and forms a ball. Remove from heat. Use a wire whisk or preferably an electric mixer, beat at medium speed adding one egg at a time, beating approximately 30 seconds after each addition. Scrape bowl and beater. Mix at highest speed for 15 seconds. Depending on the size of the cream puffs use a small spoonful or a larger on or place batter into a pastry tube and squeeze onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees in a preheated oven for 10 minutes and then lower the temperature to 350 degrees and continue to bake for 25 minutes. Puffs are ready whenever they are double in size, golden brown, and firm to touch. Remove puffs from oven and cut the side of each with a sharp knife. Put them back into the turned-off oven. The puffs must be cut so the inside can dry. If not the puff will collapse in on itself and the whole affect is ruined. Keep the door ajar and let them stand for 10 minutes. Cool puffs on a rack. Slit top; fill with Vanilla Custard filling. Sprinkle with Confectioners’ sugar.
*Vanilla Custard filling- May be made up ahead of time and chilled until ready to fill the cooled puffs 1 ½ cups milk 1/3 cup sugar 1 egg yolk, slightly beaten
1 Tbsp flour 1 tsp vanilla-The real stuff
1 Tbsp Cornstarch ½ cup whipping cream, whipped
¼ tsp salt

In a sauce pan, combine sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually stir in milk. Cook and stir until mixture thickens and boils; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes longer. Stir a little of the hot mixture into the egg yolk; returning it all to the hot mixture. Cook and stir until mixture just boils. Add vanilla; cool. Beat smooth; fold in whipped cream. (Note, as the custard cools to avoid a scum forming on the cooling surface, sprinkle a little sugar over the surface.)

Wilted Lettuce-This is a quick and easy side dish and can actually be use for any summer green, not just lettuce.

1 Head of leafy lettuce or greens, such as kale, collards, or cabbage (except for Iceberg Lettuce doesn’t work for this recipe.)
2-3 strips of bacon
Wine vinegar-to taste
Sugar-to taste
½ tart apple shredded (optional)
Fry bacon until crisp. Remove crisp bacon and cool and then break into pieces to be added to the dish as a garnish. Shred lettuce or greens. Stir into the hot bacon dripping and stir until the greens are wilted. Add enough wine vinegar and sugar to taste. Sprinkle bacon bits and shredded apple, if you like, on top and serve hot.

Red Cabbage- This is a dish where the purple cabbage magically turns red (The secret is the chemical change that occurs whenever the vinegar is added to the cabbage) There are many different ways to season this dish and everyone is welcome to add their own herbs or spices, but it is basically stir-fried cabbage in some type of fat with sugar and vinegar added and cooked until tender, but not mushy. My Nana said the best red cabbage was cooked in goose fat drippings and with current jelly to sweeten rather than just sugar. She insisted to always use red wine vinegar rather than apple cider vinegar. I have used bacon drippings, olive oil, and even butter and just plain old vinegar. I’m here to tell you, it’s all good.

White cake w/raspberry jam and glaze
Cook in a moderate oven-350 degrees. Grease generously and flour 2- 9” layer pans or 13 x 9” oblong pan.
Cream together until fluffy 2/3 cup soft butter or shortening
1 ¾ cups of sugar
Stir together 2 2/3 cups sifted flour
3 tsp. double-action baking powder
¾ tsp salt
Stir in alternately with 1 1/3 cups of thin milk (half water)
2 tsp. almond extract or vanilla
Fold in 4 egg whites (1/2 cup) stiffly beaten
Bake layers 30 to 35 minutes or oblong 35 to 45 minutes until tested done with toothpick or cake tester. Carefully cut into layers to make a four layer cake. On the bottom three layers spread generously with raspberry jam. Drizzle top with glaze made from 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar and ¼ cup of lemon juice with one tablespoon of lemon zest.

Pickled Beets

Cook two pounds of fresh beets. Cool and cut into round slices or use peeled baby beets. In a sauce pan bring to boil ½ cup vinegar, ½ cup water off the boiled beets, 2 Tbsp sugar, 2-4 whole cloves, ½ tsp salt, 3 pepper-corns, and 1 bay leaf. Pour hot liquid over cooled beets. Cover and chill. These beet pickles seem to be best in 3 days to 1 week.

Real Meatloaf
This dish was originally made by mixing beef, pork, and veal together. Mostly today it is made with only ground beef. If you try it with sage flavored pork sausage it will turn this Ho Hum meat dish into a family favorite.
1 lb. lean ground beef
½ lb. Pork sausage with sage seasoning
2 cups bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1 cup of condensed milk
4 Tbsp minced onion
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp dry mustard
¼ tsp cardamom (optional)
Bake this mixture in a 9x5x3” loaf pan in a moderate oven of 350 degrees F for 1 ½ hours. Serves 8 people and is best eaten with brown gravy and mashed potatoes. Some prefer it served with catsup rather than gravy. Either way it is good and it is also great for sandwiches the next day. This is the same filling my Nana used to make her Cabbage rolls, but instead of cardamom she used cinnamon.

Pie Crust-Lard
2 cups flour 2/3 cup Lard
1 tsp. salt 5 to 7 Tbsp Ice Water

Sift flour and salt in bowl. Cut lard into flour mixture until the pieces are the size of peas. Add very cold water a few drops at a time. Press into a ball. Divide in half. Roll 1/8 inch thick. Place in pie pan and prick with a fork. Bake at 450 degrees F 8 to 10 minutes. This is excellent for any cream pie. In today’s thinking this is not a healthy choice but if occasionally made as a treat, you will discover it is the flakiest pastry you have ever eaten!!

Potato Salad-
Potato Salad is like Meatloaf, every family has their own version. This is not a Hot Potato Salad which is usually thought of as German. This is a cold potato salad with mayonnaise, but it is always good to the last bite. Exact measurements are not written done. My Nana always said to do this until it looks right! HA!! So this recipe is about this amount of ingredients, a little more or less is up to your individual taste. Enjoy.
6 medium sized Red Potatoes-This is the best type of potato to make potato salad.
1 medium onion-chopped fine
5-6 inner tender stalks of celery with the yellowish-green leaves-chopped fine
1/3 cup sweet pickle relish or 3 large sweet pickles chopped fine
2 hard cooked eggs-chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Enough mayonnaise to cover the vegetables as a dressing

Cook the potatoes and eggs together for convenience. Cool. Shell and chop the eggs. Cut up the potatoes into bite-size chunks. Potatoes may be peeled or not. Chop up all the other ingredients and mix together with the mayonnaise. Cover and chill overnight for flavors to mingle. This dish is great with ham or barbeque. If you prefer macaroni salad the only difference is substitute 4 cups of cooked, cooled elbow macaroni instead of the potatoes. Yum!

Roast goose
Like our Thanksgiving turkey, the goose has his day on November 11, St. Martin’s Day and also, it is traditional in many countries on Christmas Day.

1 plump young goose about 12 lbs.
6 medium –large tart apples
½ cup of plums or prunes, partially cooked
3 pints of stock
Salt and pepper to taste
Select a nice young goose and allow it to hang for several days. (What this means today is if you don’t start out with a live goose that you have to kill and dress, make sure the frozen goose is thawed and drained of all blood.) Wash and clean the goose and wipe dry. Rub both the inside cavity and the outside with salt and pepper. Pare and chop the apples and plums and stuff the cavity with the fruit. Sew up the goose, truss it and roast it at 425 degrees F for about 2-21/2 hours, basting very frequently with its own juices. When goose is browned, add the stock. Continue to cook until goose is done. You can tell the goose is done when the meat pulls away from the bone.
Shortly before the goose is done, pour off the gravy, replacing with 2 cups of hot water. Set the gravy for a few minutes for the fat to rise, then skim off all the fat possible and save it.*
Place the goose on a heated platter and garnish with baby new potatoes and parsley. Serve with red cabbage.
*Place the goose fat in a skillet with a medium chopped onion and an apple, simmer until the fat has taken on their flavors. Strain the fat off into a jar and chill to use later as a spread for dark bread. (I do believe this is an acquired taste).

Cabbage soup:
This is the famous soup made out of whatever is leftover and needs to be used up. It basically starts with cabbage, onion, carrot or parsnip, chicken stock and cooked until vegetables are tender enough to eat. Feel free to add green beans, celery, mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic, zucchini squash, new potatoes, as well. It is great on a snowy day with hot fresh bread and plenty of creamery butter or garlic flavored olive oil.

Pot Roast with oven roasted vegetables
The standard pot roast is made with a shoulder cut or a rump roast since these are the tougher cuts on the animal.( Never NEver NEVER use the pot roast method of cooking roasts on beef tenderloin or rib roast, my Nana will descend from heaven and smack you!)
In a large skillet brown roast (3 to 5 lbs.) in a little bacon grease or oil. Place in a roasting dish that has a lid that fits tightly or continue to cook in the skillet that has a heavy lid. Cover just to the top of the meat with water. Add several pieces of garlic and ½ of onion cut up into chunks and 2 bay leaves and a teaspoon of mustard seed which is optional. Cook the roast for 1 ½ to 2 hours. Remove lid and add to the roast enough peeled and diced potatoes and carrots to feed your family a generous portion. Continue to cook until the vegetables are tender. This may be cooked on the stove top in the skillet or in a roasting dish in the oven at 350-375 degrees F. Pour the juice off and thicken with a roux of flour and fat to make the brown gravy. Slice and arrange meat onto the platter with the vegetables garnishing the meat. Any leftover meat and gravy makes for great hot open faced roast sandwiches.


White cake with peaches and cream:
This can either be a plain white cake or shortbread cut into a square, then topped with fresh sliced sweetened peaches and drizzled with heavy cream.
(A more modern way to prepare this dessert is to use either canned peaches or thawed frozen peaches and top with vanilla ice cream. However you put it together, this is a great summer dessert.) Peaches can be replaced with any seasonal berry.
My Nana’s shortcake with strawberries, or blackberries, or peaches was more like a big sweet biscuit. The cake or biscuit was a normal biscuit with ¼ cup more butter cut into the flour and 2 Tbsp. of sugar added to the recipe. It was baked in a pie plate. When crispy brown it was cut into wedges, buttered and filled with sliced sweetened fresh strawberries. Strawberries were also ladled over the top of each slice. It was served in a bowl and either had whipped cream or vanilla ice cream served on top. It is especially good if the shortcake is still a little warm.

Deviled Eggs
This is not an exact recipe, but more a how-to-recipe. Hard cook the number of eggs you wish to serve. Peel and cut into halves. Remove the yolks and add mayonnaise, finely minced onion, sweet pickle relish, and capers. Spoon the yolk mixture back into the center of the halved eggs. Sprinkle with paprika or caviar.




Christmas Cookies: Pfeffernusse:
4 cups sifted flour ½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt ¼ tsp powdered anise
1 tsp soda 1 tsp mace
1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp allspice
¾ cup molasses ¾ cup shortening
¾ cup honey 1 egg

Sift all the dry ingredients together. Place honey and molasses in a saucepan and warm (don’t boil) Add the shortening and stir to melt in the warm liquid. Cool and add beaten egg. Stir in the dry ingredients being careful not to over mix the dough. Let the mixture stand for 15 minutes then form into little balls the size of a walnut. Place on greased baking sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees F. Roll in confectioner’s sugar while still warm. I have found people either really love these little cookies or don’t like them at all. They look like Mexican Wedding cookies, so forewarn people ahead of time.
Sugar cut-out cookies
¾ cup butter (no other fat will do, only real butter)
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla or rum extract
2 2/3 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cream butter and sugar together. Beat in eggs and extract. Add baking powder and flour, one cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. The dough will be very stiff. Divide dough into two balls. DO NOT chill dough.
Roll dough out onto a floured cookie sheet; cut out cookie right on sheet. Remove excess dough. (Secret: Place a dampened towel under the cookie sheet to prevent slipping as you roll out dough. Dough should not be more than ¼ inch thick. Dip cutter into flour before each use. Press on dough and then remove the excess dough. Bake cookies on the top rack of the oven. Bake the sugar cookies for 8- 10 minutes or until lightly brown. Remove cookies from cookie sheet immediately after removing from the oven onto a rack. Before the cookies are cool, dot mark cookies with designs or writing with a toothpick to make decorating easier. Let cookies cool on a rack before decorating them with icing and candies.
Quick-Pour Icing Recipe
This is the perfect icing to delicately coat cookies. It dries to a smooth shiny surface unlike ordinary icings. Use for frosting the surface of cookies only.
6 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted 1 teaspoon almond extract
½ cup water liquid food color, as desired
2 Tbsp. light corn syrup
Place sugar in a saucepan. Combine water and corn syrup. Add to sugar and stir until well mixed. Place over low heat. Do not allow temperature to exceed 100 degrees F. Remove from hear, stir in flavor and food color.
If you wish to decorate the Holiday cookies using a pastry bag and pipe on the designs, this is the best recipe for decorating frosting.

SNOW-White Buttercream Icing Recipes
Decorations made with this icing or frosting may be air dried. These decorations are a pretty, translucent quality and are good tasting that do not require refrigeration or freezing.
2/3 cup of water 1 ¼ cups solid white shortening ½ tsp almond
4 Tbsp. Meringue ½ tsp clear vanilla flavoring
Powder flavoring ¼ tsp butter
12 cups ¾ tsp salt flavoring
Sifted confectioner’s sugar (approx. 3 lbs)
Combine water and meringue powder, whip at high speed until peaks form. Add 4 cups of sugar, one cup at a time, beating after each addition at low speed. Alternately add shortening and remainder of sugar. Add salt and flavoring; beat at low speed until smooth. This all used to be done by hand but them God invented the electric mixer. Thank you, Lord! Yield is 7 cups. It can be cut in half if you are only making cookies for your own home use, but if you are giving them away as Christmas, Valentines, or Easter presents you will probably need to double the recipe.


Gingerbread Cookies w/Icing-Sometimes called Gingies, known to help alleviate motion-sickness.

Mix together thoroughly 1/3 cup soft shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 ½ cups dark molasses
Stir in ½ cup cold water
Sift together and stir in 6 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Stir in 2 tsp soda dissolved in 3 Tbsp of cold water
Chill dough. Roll out very thick (1/2”). Cut dough with 2 ½” round cutter. Place far apart on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake until when touched lightly with finger, no imprint remains. Bake in a moderate oven 350 degrees F for 15 to 18 minutes. Yield is approximately 2 ½ dozen cookies. These may be iced when cooled using the following simple white icing.

Simple White Icing
Blend together 1 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar, ¼ tsp salt, ½ tsp vanilla extract, and enough milk to make it easy to spread, about 1 ½ Tbsp. This is good to glaze donuts or sweet bread.

Thanks to a dear friend, Cathy Smith, I was able to borrow her Mom’s recipe for cake frosting. The recipes I had for cakes either didn’t include a frosting recipe or else they just didn’t eat many of their cakes with regular frosting, but instead used whipped cream or fruit topping. The following are three never fail recipes. Thanks, Cathy.

White Frosting:
½ cup Shortening 1 Tbsp almond extract
¼-1/3 cup milk 4 cups (1 lb) confectioner’s sugar

Mix together shortening, a little milk, flavoring, and 1 cup of the sugar with a wooden spoon or electric mixer. Gradually add more milk and sugar until all the ingredients are added and well mixed. Increase the speed of the mixer to the highest speed and whip the frosting for 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Yield: 3 cups

Butter Cream Icing:
½ cup shortening 1 tsp almond extract
½ cup butter 4 cups confectioner’s sugar
2 Tbsp. milk (add 2-4 Tbsp. more if frosting a cake)
Cream together the shortening and butter. Add extract. Gradually add sugar, scraping the sides well. Add milk between 2nd and 3rd cups of sugar. Beat until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Yield: 3 cups.

Chocolate Butter Cream Icing:
Add ½ cup of cocoa or 2- 1oz unsweetened squares of chocolate, and an additional 1-2 Tbsp. of milk to the above recipe once it is made. Mix until well blended.

Orange Cookies
1 cup of butter or lard
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
½ tsp salt
2 Tbsp Orange juice
1 Tbsp. orange peel

Cream the sugar and fat and add egg. Beat until smooth and creamy. Slowly add the dry ingredients and at last add the orange juice and peel. Form into small balls the size of a walnut. Bake at 350degrees F or 10 minutes. You will want them to be chewy with crisp edges. Yield approx. 2 dozen cookies. Attractive with orange sugar sprinkled on while hot. These keep well, only if they are hidden. These are my favorite cookies and I have never seen them in any cookbooks or at any parties.


Fastnachts-Makes about 2 dozen donuts
In America these were called Spudnuts and were made with potato flour rather than boiled potatoes. Other than that, they seem to look and taste the same.
In Germany these donuts were eaten the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday because, Lent season was supposed to be void of any sweets or desserts. Hot Cross Buns broke the fast from sweets on Easter morning.
2 cups water 1 package or cube of active yeast
1 medium boiled potato 1 tsp. plus 2 ½ cups of sugar
4 Tbsp. butter, plus 2 tsp softened butter 6 to 6 ½ cups unsifted flour
1 tsp salt 2 eggs
Oil for deep fat frying
Cook potato until it can be easily mashed with a fork. Drain and reserve 1 ½ cups of the cooked potato water. Mash the potato. You will need ½ cup. Beat the 4 Tbsp. butter into the mashed potato. Cover and keep warm.
Cool the potato water to lukewarm (110 degrees F) Dissolve yeast and 1 tsp of sugar in ¼ cup of the potato water. Let stand for 2 to 3 minutes to see if the yeast is actively growing to double in size.
Combine 6 cups of flour, ½ cup of the sugar and the salt in a deep mixing bowl. Make a well in the flour and drop the potato, eggs, yeast and remaining 1 ¼ cups of potato water. Using a wooden spoon, mix ingredients together until dough forms into a soft ball. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Add more flour to hands as needed to handle the dough without it sticking to hands or surface.
Use the remaining butter to evenly coat the bottom and sides of a large bowl. Cover and let rise for about 1 ½ hours, or until the dough is double in bulk.
To shape the risen dough, cut into squares or if you prefer, use a doughnut cutter and let rise in a draft free place for 30 to 45 minutes, or until double in bulk.
Fry at 375 degrees for 3 minutes or until puffed and brown. Drain and then drop into a bag of granulated sugar or powdered sugar.
These treasures are best eaten while they are still warm.

SAUERBRATEN
(I think my Nana made our family Sauerbraten once that I can remember. She said it was an awful lot of work as you will see. Hardly anyone goes to all this trouble to cook an authentic Rheinischer Sauerbraten. Today most cooks just rely on bottled marinade or sauce to put on cooked roasted meat. If you want to try this very German dish, plan ahead and enjoy.)

5 pounds of rump roast-beef, pork, lamb, or wild game
3 cups white vinegar or wine (not cooking wine, it is too salty)
3 cups water
1 large onion sliced
2 bay leaves
8 cloves
8 peppercorns
1 Tbsp pickling spice
1 large carrot or parsnip scraped and sliced
4 slices of bacon
2 Tbsp butter
2 large onions sliced
1 bay leaf
6 cloves
8 to 10 gingersnaps crushed to make the gravy in the last ½ hour of cooking

If the meat is very lean it will need to be larded with bacon either by you are a butcher.
Some prefer to tie the roast with string so it will hold its shape better throughout this process. Rub the roast well with salt and place in a deep, close-fitting glass or earthenware baking dish. Combine the vinegar or wine and water with onion, bay leaves, cloves, peppercorns, pickling spices, and carrot in a saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes. Cool marinade and pour over meat. Keep in a refrigerator or below 40 degrees, but do not freeze, for 3 to 5 days. It needs to be turned a couple of times a day. Remove the meat from marinade and dry off the meat. Cook the bacon until fat is rendered and then add the butter. Use this fat to brown the meat on all side. Do NOT use too hot of a flame or it will make the fat break down and smoke which will also blacken the meat and destroy the flavor of the dish. Strain the marinade and reserve. Remove browned meat and add onions and cook until deep golden brown. Place meat on top of the onions and add strained marinade over the meat with the addition of fresh bay leaves and cloves. Cook by bringing the marinade to a boil then reduce heat and simmer very slowly for 3 ½ to 4 hours. This is a good dish to cook in a crock-pot, but it may take longer than 4 hours. The meat is done when it can be easily pierce with a fork or skewer. Remove meat, strain the liquid. Pour liquid into a pan and bring to a boil. Add the crushed gingersnaps to the liquid and cook until thickened. Slice meat very thinly and ladle some of the gravy over the meat and pour the rest into a gravy boat. Serve garnished with cooked carrots, parsley, and pickled pearl onions. Serve with Mashed Potatoes or Spraetzels and fresh hard crusted bread or rolls.
NOTE: Nana used left over gingerbread cookies to thicken the gravy. I noticed a note to herself on one of the recipe cards to remind her to strain out the raisins in the gravy after the cookies part had dissolved in the meat juices.

*Thanks to THE GERMAN COOKBOOK by Mimi Sheraton, 1965, Random House New York for the directions on how to make this dish!

Spraetzels
This is basically a standard egg noodle: egg, flour, salt. What makes it a spritzel is the dough is forced through a sieve into boiling water to make a crazy curly sort of noodle. Everyone has their own version of this recipe. Some use just a little oil or butter to make a soft noodle dough. Others may add just a hint of nutmeg, cardamom, or lemon zest to liven up the plain pasta. However, nothing needs to be added to the dough recipe whenever it is to be served with Sauerbraten because the rich gravy is absorbed into the noodle and makes for not only a filling dish but one that delights the taste buds.

Homemade Egg Noodle
2 to 2 ½ cups flour 3 eggs
½ tsp. salt 1 Tbsp cold water
On a pastry board or counter-top place the flour and salt. Make a well in the center and add the eggs and water. With fingers or a spoon, gradually mix the flour and salt with the eggs and water. Gather it all together to form a ball. Knead until you incorporate ½ cup more flour until it makes a firm ball. You will need to mix and knead this ball for approximately 15 minutes. When the dough is smooth use a rolling pin and roll the dough to the thickness you want your noodles to be. Cut in long ¼ inch wide pieces. You may cook them at once in salted boiling water or wrap them in plastic and keep in the refrigerator for a day or freezer for several months.

Wiener schnitzel-No single cut of meat is more beloved in Germany that the Schnitzel which literally means a slice or cutlet from the veal leg. In Italy it is called scaloppini and in France, escalope. Weiner schnitzel is actually from Vienna, Austria, but the Germans claim it as well.

6 veal cutlets, pounded 2 Tbsp. salad oil
Lemon juice (optional) 1 generous cup dry, fine
½ to 1 cup flour breadcrumbs
2 eggs, beaten with 2 Tbsp. cold water 4 to 5 Tbsp. butter, lard or oil

Veal cutlets may be marinated in a sprinkling of lemon juice for 30 minutes before breading. Whether or not they are marinated, sprinkle with salt on both sides before breading. Measure flour onto a sheet of waxed paper or a flat plate.(I use a pie plate) Beat eggs and water in wide flat bowl; beat in oil if you are using it. The oil is supposed to hold onto breading on securely and help to make it crisp. Measure breadcrumbs onto a sheet of waxed paper or plastic wrap. Dip salted cutlets into flour on both sides, then into beaten egg mixture. Let the excess egg drip off and dredge cutlet with breadcrumbs. Let stand at room temperature 15 to 30 minutes. Heat the fat in large skillet. Do not crowd cutlets into pan. Fry first side very slowly until golden brown. Turn and brown the other side with a spatula but do not pierce with a fork. Cook at least 4 to 6 minutes on each side. Keep warm in an oven 250 degrees F until all the cutlets are cooked.
*The secret to perfect Schnitzel is to pound it to 1/16 to 1/8 “thickness and cook crispy and serve crispy. If it is allowed to get soggy it is considered uneatable.


KRUMMELKUCHEN (CRUMB CAKE)

This is not the type of crumb cake that many make or buy today. Those are made with a sweet biscuit-type baking powder cake and have a streusel topping. This cake is more of a pastry-yeast leavened product with a streusel topping. The dough is basically rich, sweet bread dough.

Dough:
3 ½ cups of all purpose flour
1 cup lukewarm milk
½ cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp yeast or 2 cakes of yeast
¼ cup real butter
2 eggs

Streusel Topping:
1 ¼ cups of flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. crushed almonds or nuts that are available such as walnuts or pecans
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
5 Tbsp. real butter, melted
Confectioners’ sugar

Sift flour into a large bowl and make a crater in the center. Into the crater pour one half of the milk; add in the sugar and sprinkle the yeast over the top. Sprinkle some of the flour over the yeast. After the yeast begins to foam( 15 to 20 minutes) add the butter, eggs, and salt and slowly work in the remaining milk to make an elastic dough. Knead by hand for 15 minutes until it no longer sticks to the table or hands. Place in oiled bowl and cover to rise for 1 to 2 hours until double in size, depending on the warmth of the kitchen. Roll dough into a rectangle shape and place on a large baking sheet. Stone ware is the best for this recipe.
To make the streusel topping, start by combining the flour, sugar, crushed almonds, and cinnamon. The melted butter should no longer be hot, but still fluid; sprinkle the butter over the other ingredients, coat your hands with flour and rub the mixture back and forth until you have little clumps (streusel) topping.
Sprinkle over raised dough and bake for 35 to 45 minutes in a preheated oven of 325 degrees F. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar while still warm.

Sun Perch with Grated Horseradish Red Sauce

This pan fried preparation of fish can be used for any fresh water or salt water fish. The fish must be cleaned. This means washed, scaled, and gutted. Roll the whole fish in half flour and half fine bread crumbs seasoned with salt and pepper. Pan fry slowly in enough oil or drawn butter to keep the fish from sticking to the pan. Turn the fish only once and then put a lid on the pan and continue to cook until the thickest portion of the fish is completely done. Test for doneness by pricking with a fork or toothpick to see if the meat is flaky. Transfer to a serving dish that is garnished with fresh dill weed and lemon and/or limes. The red sauce is nothing more than the sauce used to make shrimp cocktail which is an equal part of horseradish and catsup. The most delicious red sauce is made by using fresh grated horseradish root instead of the commercial bottled type. This is usually very potent and hot so add catsup to horseradish at a ratio that best pleases your own taste.

Apple Dumpling

An Apple Dumpling is a baked apple within a rich pie pastry. The more traditional way to prepare them is to core and peel a baking apple, leaving it whole. Stuff the hole with cinnamon, brown sugar, and raisins. Cover the entire apple with pie crust and bake in a 375 degree F oven until the crust is golden brown. The dumpling is served warm with a chilled custard sauce or cold heavy cream.
The less traditional way is to use a cooked apple pie filling and spoon a small amount on a square piece of pie crust and seal the edges with fork marks or finger pinching the dough together. These look more like fried pies although they are baked and not fried. Rather than custard or heavy cream, serve with the frozen form: ice cream!
Making apple dumplings is more of a science than an art. The best pastry has flour, lard, salt, egg, vinegar and water. It must be rolled thin enough to be delicately flaky but thick enough to hold together and stay on the apple while baking. If it is too thick it will not cook evenly and will taste doughy, if too thin it will be too crisp or it will not hold in the apple juices as it bakes. It takes years to perfect this dish and, alas, some of us never have!

Bread and Butter Pickles- Makes about 4 quarts of pickles

This is one of those recipes that I only found the list of ingredients and no instructions. If you decide to try this recipe that has been in our family for generations, consult a canning manual for proper home canning methods first. It is not difficult, just time consuming.
5 lbs. firm ripe cucumbers 1 large red bell pepper, washed
(about 10 medium sized and halved, cut into 2 by ¼ inch
Cucumbers), scrubbed strips
And cut crosswise into 1 cup of salt
¼ inch thick rounds 6 cups of sugar
3 medium onions cut into ¼ inch 3 cups distilled white vinegar
Thick slices 1 Tbsp celery seeds
1 large green bell pepper and 1 Tbsp mustard seed

Combine the cucumbers, onions, and peppers in a large colander set over a bowl. Sprinkle the vegetables with salt, turning the vegetables about with a wooden spoon to coat with evenly. Let these stand for 2 to 3 hours to allow the excess liquid to drain. Place the colander under cold running water and wash off salt. Let these vegetables drain.
In an 8 quart enameled or stainless steel saucepan bring sugar, vinegar, celery seed and mustard seed to boil over high heat until sugar dissolves. Add vegetables and boil briskly for about 2 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and ladle pickle mixture into hot sterilized jars, filling them to within ¼ inch of the top of jar. Process the jars for 15 minutes in a boiling-water bath with lids on the jars.

Stewed Chicken and Dumplings-
This recipe is not difficult, just time consuming. If the broth is made ahead of time it really saves on the preparation time. Even cooking the chicken ahead of time is a smart thing to do if you like this dish, but have limited time to prepare it.
The secret to good chicken and dumplings has to do with the good chicken stock used to cook the chicken. First you must cook one chicken with celery, onion, garlic, thyme, fresh parsley, carrot, sage, 1 or 2 Bay leaves, and a small amount of turmeric just to get the rich broth. Add salt to taste after the flavors have had a chance to cook out into the broth. Take that chicken and use it for chicken sandwiches or some other dish that needs a cooked chicken. Now take another pump, fat chicken and cook in the drained chicken broth as follows.

31/2 to 4 lb chicken, cut onto ¼ cup white wine
8 serving pieces 1 stalk of celery, including the
¼ cup flour green leaves
1/3 cup oil 1 medium Bay leaf
1 large onion, chopped 2 tsp salt
6 cups fresh chicken stock Freshly ground pepper
Cut the chicken into pieces and dredge in flour and fry until lightly brown. Remove to plate and now slowly cook the onions until soft and translucent, but not brown. Add liquid and herbs to the onion and add the partially cooked chicken to the broth. Reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes until the meat is so tender it will fall off the bone. Remove the bay leaf and make the dumplings.
Dumplings
2 cups of unsifted flour ¼ cup finely chopped parsley
4 tsp. double acting baking powder and/or chives
1 tsp. salt 2 tablespoons butter, cut into ½ in.
1 cup whole milk bits
Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it looks like coarse meal. Add milk to make a batter. Drop the batter into simmering broth by the tablespoon. Cover the pot and simmer undisturbed for 10 minutes longer. Uncover and cook an additional 10 minutes. The dumplings are done when they are puffed and fluffy and a toothpick inserted into the center of the dumpling comes out clean.
We like to eat our chicken and dumplings served in individual bowls so there is plenty of broth to eat with a spoon.


Disclaimer: Neither of these cookie recipes have their origin in German cuisine. However, all true Germans love good food and when it is all said and done it really doesn’t matter who invented the dish just as long as they can eat some of it and have the recipe to make more of it!! My Nana liked these cookies. She made them for us and we liked them too. It is my hope you will also like these easy to make and delicious to taste cookies with tea or coffee or straight out of the oven with a glass of cold milk.

Brownies
Melt together 2 squares of unsweetened chocolate (2 oz.) and 1/3 cup butter.
Beat in 1 cup of graduated sugar and 2 beaten eggs. Add ¾ cup of flour, ½ tsp. baking powder, ½ tsp. salt, and ½ cup of broken nuts (optional). Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 to 35 minutes.

Coconut Macaroons
1 ¾ cup of shredded coconut 1/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. Flour 1/8th tsp. salt- commonly called a
3 egg whites dash of salt
½ tsp. almond extract
Combine coconut, flour, sugar, and salt. Stir in egg whites and extract. Mix well. Drop from teaspoon onto a slightly greased baking sheet. If desired top with a half of a maraschino cherry. Bake at 325 degrees F for 25 minutes or until browned around the edges. Remove from baking sheet at once or it will become a permanent part of the pan. HA! This recipe makes about 2 dozen cookies. These are great at Christmas time with green tinted coconut and red cherry. Very festive!

These treasures require time, energy, and fresh wholesome ingredients. There is no such thing as fast food when it comes to this type of cuisine. It is a labor of love to cook and serve these dishes. Food cooked with love is a nutrient that many are finding deficient in their lives nowadays. Try sitting down together as a family with all your feet under one table and eat, talk, laugh, and enjoy one another.
I promise, you will want second helpings of this kind of fun!
Blessings to you and good appetite,
Carol Welty Roper