Culinary Customs – A Taste of Germany

Recipe Collection
Perfection Springerle Cookies – April 16th

What you’ll need:

• 1/2 teaspoon baker’s ammonia (Hartshorn)
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 6 large eggs, room temperature
• 6 cups powdered sugar (1 1/2 pounds)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened but not melted
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of anise oil
• 2 lb. box sifted cake flour (Swansdown or Softasilk in the US; in Germany, a top-quality flour labeled 405)
• grated rind of orange or lemon – optional (enhances flavor of the traditional anise or the citrus flavors)
• more flour as needed
•. anise seed for sprinkling on the baking sheets
Dissolve hartshorn in milk and set aside. Beat eggs till thick and lemon-colored (10-20 minutes). Slowly
beat in the powdered sugar, then the softened butter. Add the hartshorn and milk, salt, preferred flavoring, and
grated rind of lemon or orange, if desired. Gradually beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer, then stir in
the remainder of the 2 lbs. of flour to make stiff dough. Turn onto floured surface and knead in enough flour to
make a good fingerprint without sticking.
On a floured surface, roll dough into a flat pancake approximately 1/2 inch thick. Roll thinner or thicker
based on the depth of the carving in the cookie press you are using. Shallow carvings will need to be thinner while
deeper carvings will need to be thicker. Flour your cookie mold for each and every pressing. Press the mold firmly
and straight down into the dough, then lift, cut and place the formed cookie onto a flat surface to dry. (I like to put
the formed cookies directly onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, but you may put them on a counter-top or
tabletop covered with flour sack cloths if you do not have enough cookie sheets.)
Do not cover the cookies while they dry. The goal of drying is to set the design. Let the cookies dry at least
12 hours; 24 hours (or even longer) is better. Larger cookies and warm humid weather may require longer drying
times. Cookies that are not dried long enough will not retain the beautiful designs, but will taste fine.
Bake on greased or baker’s parchment-lined cookie sheets at 255° to 325° till barely golden on the bottom,
10-15 minutes or more, depending on size of cookie.
Store in airtight containers or in zipper bags in the freezer. They keep for months, and improve with age. Yield 3 to
12 dozen.
Recipe Source: Margie Gibson
Source:
Oma’s Apfelkuchen (Grandmother’s Apple Cake) – April 24th

Recipe Source: Monika Hoffarth-Zelloe

 Southern German Potato Salad – May 2nd

Ingredients:
3 lbs. potatoes
3/4 cup (178 ml) buillion soup
1 large onion
4-6 bacon strips (optional)
1/3 cup (80 ml) salad oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
salt and pepper
Wash and cook potatoes. Peel and mince onion. Cut bacon (optional) into 1/4 inch lengths. Fry until crisp; drain.
Peel potatoes; cut into 1/8 inch slices. Add bacon, onion, oil, vinegar, and soup. Salt and pepper to taste. Marinate
one hour.
Serves 10-12.

Recipe Source: Trudy Gilgenast’s Das Mehl ist Anders (The Flour is Different)
 Spargelröllchen mit Schinken – May 9th

Recipe:
1 kg white asparagus (peel and blanche in boiling salt water until tender)
8 slices of cooked ham
fresh chives
Roll 3-4 pieces of asparagus in a slice of ham and sprinkle with chives.
Serve with boiled potatoes and home-made Hollandaise sauce. Sauce is made as follows:
250 g of butter
3 egg yolks
3 tablespoons of water
1 tablespoon of lemon juice (freshly squeezed is best)
salt and white pepper
Melt, but do not brown butter. Mix egg yolks, water and lemon juice with a bit of salt in a round
bowl in a hot water bath. Use a whisk to gently mix ingredients until they are creamy and have
doubled in size. Remove from heat and slowly add liquid butter until all ingredients are combined.
Salt and pepper to taste.
*First picture reflects a variation of this recipe. Please note that picture shown is not exact.

Recipe Source: Katja Sipple

 Grießnockerlsuppe – May 14th

For the broth:

1 kg beef bones with marrow
4 carrots, coarsely chopped
4 celery stalks, coarsely chopped
2 medium onions, peel on, sliced in half lengthwise and quartered
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
2 bay leaves
a few sprigs of fresh parsley
salt, nutmeg
Place the beef bones in a large pot with 2.5l of cold water. Bring to a boil. Skim the developing foam and
the fat that rises to the surface. Add the vegetables and simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours. Pot should be covered.
Remove bones and vegetables, and pour soup through a strainer. This may need to be done more than
once to get a clear broth. Season to taste with salt and nutmeg.
For the Grießnockerln:
250 g of semolina flour
100 g of butter (room temperature)
1 extra large egg or 2 smaller eggs
salt and a bit of nutmeg
Combine all ingredients using a mixer or your hands until you have a solid mass. Using two tablespoons
dipped in cold water, form the little dumplings and place them in either softly boiling water or use the
broth that you made earlier, which has to be brought to a gentle boil again.
Cook for 10-15 minutes. The shape should be maintained, but the size will increase and they will
become lighter in color and softer.
Sprinkle with fresh parsley or fresh chives, and serve immediately.
Guten Appetit!

Recipe Source: Katja Sipple

 Obsttorte (Fruit Tart) – May 22nd

Ingredients:
1 2/3 cups flour (200 grams)
1 pinch of salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
7 tablespoons cold butter cut into pieces (100 grams)
1 egg
1 tablespoon Yogurt (or cold water)
1 1/2 pounds of the fruits of your choice. Strawberries are recommended (700 grams)
1 package Dr. Oetker Tortenguss clear or red
Directions:
To make the dough, Knead together the flour with the cut up butter, sugar, salt, egg, yogurt and lemon zest
just until the dough is smooth. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. When the dough has been chilled, roll it out about 2 cm thick and place evenly
into an 11-in tart pan. Take a fork and prick holes evenly into the dough. Put into oven and blind bake for
about 20-25 minutes. Let cool.
Wash, and slice the fruit. Add sugar to taste. Arrange the fruit on the pastry dough crust. Prepare the
Tortenguss glaze as per the instructions in a saucepan. You can substitute the glaze with gelatin, or potato
starch with some fruit juice. Pour over the fruit while still hot. Let the tart cool. Serve with homemade
whipped cream and enjoy!

Recipe Source: Adapted from a cookbook: Basic baking by Cornelia Schinharl, Sebastian Dickhaut
 Rote Grütze – May 29th

2 lbs mixed berries fresh or frozen

pitted cherries washed and picked over
1/4 cup bottled fruit syrup or good fruit juice (raspberry, strawberry, or another fruit you are using)
sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 egg yolks
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1-1/2 cups milk
1 vanilla bean or 1 tablespoon pure vanilla bean paste
INSTRUCTIONS
Bring the blueberries and cherries to a boil in a large saucepan until they pop or release their juice. Hull the
strawberries and cut very large ones into quarters. Add the more delicate fruit like strawberries and
raspberries last. Stir in the syrup and sugar to taste.
Dissolve the cornstarch in at least 1/4 cup cold water. Remove the pan from the heat, stir the cornstarch into
the fruit mixture, and cook briefly over low to medium heat, stirring constantly. Make sure not to undercok
the pudding, otherwise it will taste chalky. When the pudding turns clear and thickens, remove the pan from
the heat immediately. Continue stirring for another 1 to 2 minutes.
Pour the hot pudding into a glass serving bowl or individual dessert bowls. To prevent the glass from
cracking when you pour the hot pudding into it, put a damp dishtowel underneath the bowl. Refrigerate for
several hours until set. Serve the pudding cold, but take it out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving,
so it can develop its full flavor.
Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and cornstarch. Add the milk and vanilla. If using a vanilla bean, slit it
lengthwise, scrape out the seeds with a sharp knife, and add the bean and the seeds to the mixture. Cook
over low heat until the sauce thickens, whisking constantly. Make sure that the sauce does not boil. Remove
vanilla bean, if using. Refrigerate. Stir the sauce before serving.
Recipe Source: Nadia Hassani, Spoonfuls of Germany. https://spoonfulsofgermany.com/
 Kalter Hund – A No Bake Biscuit and Chocolate Cake – June 5th
Ingredients:
250 grams Butter Biscuits (Leibnitz is best)
150 grams Dark Chocolate
450 grams Milk Chocolate
150 grams of Coconut Fat (Palmin)
1 cup Heavy Cream
2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
3 Tbl. Granulated Sugar
2 Tbl. Rum (optional)
Instructions:
Line your loaf pan with aluminum foil. Break the chocolate into small pieces. Melt the chocolates and coconut
fat together in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly.
When it's all melted, add the cream, sugar and vanilla... stir until smooth. If you want to add Rum, now is the
time...pour it in the chocolate mixture... stir until smooth.
Open your package of biscuits. Spread a thin layer of chocolate over the bottom of the pan (about 1/4 inch)
Layer biscuits across the chocolate... you don't want the biscuits to touch the sides! Spread chocolate across the
biscuits and layer more biscuits across the chocolate. Repeat until you fill up the loaf pan... or run out of
chocolate. Make sure you end on a CHOCOLATE LAYER!
Cover with a sheet of plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Take out of the fridge... pull the plastic
wrap off of it, and turn it over onto a rectangular plate. Carefully peel the foil off of the cake. Slice and serve.
Enjoy!

Recipe Source: The blog German Girl in America. https://germangirlinamerica.com

 Rumtopf (Fruit with Rum) – June 11th
German Rumtopf Recipe
What you need to make the German Rumtopf Recipe
To make the German Rumtopf Recipe you need a fermenting crock pot (5 l – 1.32 gal or larger) or a large
stoneware pot with lid. A preserving jar (5 l, also available in smaller sizes) with a rubber/glass lid can be an
alternative. Furthermore, the seasonal fruit and Rum 54% alcohol or more. I like to mix the Stroh Rum 80%
alcohol with a 43% Rum using two parts of Stroh Rum and one part of the 43% Rum, but you also can use just
the Strohrum. You can find the Strohrum online at Wine Chateau.
What is a Rumtopf?
The Rumtopf is an alcoholic dessert consisting of Rum, sugar, and seasonal fruit. The ripe sugared fruits are
added in layers to the pot and covered up with Rum. The Rum should be about 2 cm – 1 inch above the fruit. I
start the Rumtopf with the strawberries by the end of May, beginning of June, and add the last fruit, the
pineapple, by the end of October. It is a growing process, and best served after each layer of fruit has soaked in
the alcohol for 4-6 weeks.
Preparation of German Rumtopf Recipe
How to prepare the fruit
Use only ripe, clean, and washed fruit. Wash the berries gently and dry with a paper kitchen towel. Prick a hole
into the blueberries using a wooden skewer. Remove the stems of the cherries and add them with the pit. Peel
the apricots and peaches, remove the stone and cut into slices. Pit the Italian plums and cut into halves. Peel the
pears, take the core out, and cut into small pieces. Cut the pineapples first in slices and then into cubes.
Starting the Rumtopf
Before starting the German Rumtopf Recipe, clean the container and stone with hot water and dry. Start with 1
pound of strawberry and one pound of sugar. Sprinkle the sugar over the strawberries and let sit for 30 minutes.
Add to the pot and pour the Rum to it until covered. Continue with the other fruits as they are ripe using only
half of the amount of sugar for the weight of the fruit. I use 250 g – 8.8 oz of raspberries, blackberries,
blueberries, and grapes sprinkled with 125 g sugar. I use 500 g – 1.1 lbs of the other fruits combined with 250 g
– 8.8 oz of sugar.
Make sure the fruit is not floating on top. The Rumtopf comes with a stone to keep the fruits down. If you use a
container without a stone, you can use a plate on top of the fruit to keep them down. If you use a preserving jar,
turn it from time to time. Cover the pot with cellophane foil before covering with the lid. Place the Rumtopf in a
dark place like the basement, pantry, or closet.
Serve the Rumtopf on top of cakes, to vanilla pudding, or ice cream. I use some of the soaked fruit, place it in a
blender and freeze it in a silicon ice cube tray. Adding the frozen fruit cubes to sparkling wine, just wunderbar.
Fruit Calendar:
May/June: Strawberries
June: Red Raspberries
June/July: Cherries, Blueberries
July/August: Apricots, Peaches, Sour Cherries, Blackberries
August/September: Italian Plums (Prunes), Yellow Plums
August/September/October: Grapes (In some regions the Fall Red Raspberries)
September: Pears
October: Pineapple
Recipe Source: The Oma Way - https://www.theomaway.com/
 Whoopie Pies – June 20th

Ingredients
1 cup margarine or butter
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup sour milk (see notes below)
1 cup hot water
2 teaspoons baking soda
Filling (choose one of the fillings below)
Recipe
Preheat oven to 350° F. Cream margarine or butter; add sugar and eggs. Beat. Sift all dry ingredients except
baking soda. Add dry ingredients with sour milk and vanilla. Put baking soda in hot water and add last. (You
can bake one cookie to see if it is too flat. If it is, add more flour.) Bake until the center springs back to the
touch. Cool completely.
Spread filling thickly between 2 cookies. One batch of either filling is enough to fill one batch of cookies.
Filling #1
Place 3 tablespoons flour and 2/3 cup milk in saucepan; cook until thick. Cool. Cream together 3/4 cup
vegetable shortening, such as Crisco, and 3/4 cup white sugar. Mix all together. Beat vigorously until smooth.
Filling #2
Beat 2 egg whites. Add 1 tablespoon vanilla, 4 tablespoons flour and 4 tablespoons milk. Beat. Add 2 cups
powdered sugar. Beat and cream. Add an additional 2 cups of powdered sugar and 1-1/2 cups vegetable
shortening. Mix well.
Notes: Sour milk is not milk that has turned sour. Substitute buttermilk if it is not available. To make your
own, mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice and enough milk to make 1 cup and let set for 5 to 10 minutes.

Recipe Source: The blog German Girl in America. https://germangirlinamerica.com

 Frankfurter grüne Soße (Green Sauce) – June 26th

This particular recipe comes from The Oma Way - her blog post about it can be found here:
https://www.theomaway.com/main-dishes/original-frankfurter-green-sauce-recipe/
She recommends even growing the herbs yourself in your backyard garden for a truly homemade version!
Here's what you'll need:
6 hard boiled eggs
3-4 tablespoons of vegetable oil
454 g (16 oz) of sour cream
454 g (16 oz) of plain whole milk yogurt
1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice
2 teaspoons of mustard
2 teaspoons of sugar
2 teaspoons of salt & pepper
1-2 pressed cloves of garlic (optional)
At least about 250 g – 300 g (8.81 oz – 10.5 oz) of mixed herbs:
20 stems of parsley
20 stems of cress (available at Whole Foods, Wegmans, Farmer’s markets)
3 tablespoons of chives cut in rolls
5-7 stems of burnet
5-7 leaves of sorrel
6 stems of chervil
8 leaves of borage
Directions:
Place the eggs in a pot with water and bring to a boil and let the eggs boil for about 10 minutes. You also
can use an egg cooker when boiling the eggs. Rinse the eggs under cold water, peel and let them cool
down. Peel the eggs and cut them into halves.
Place the yogurt, sour cream, oil, lemon juice, mustard, salt, pepper, and sugar in an electric blender.
Wash the herbs and dry them with a kitchen paper towel. Remove the leaves from the stems of the cress,
the parsley, the chervil, and the burnet and add to the blender. Cut the borage, sorrel, and chives in pieces
and add to the blender.
Mix all ingredients in the blender on high speed. Pour the Green Sauce in a serving bowl and let it sit for
about one hour before serving.
Bring small potatoes with the skin on to a boil and let them cook for 15 – 18 minutes. Remove from the
stove and place the potatoes in a colander. Rinse the potatoes under cold water and skin them. Place the
egg halves into the green sauce and serve with the boiled potatoes.

Recipe Source: The Oma Way - https://www.theomaway.com/

 Bienenstich – July 12th

For the pastry:

250 g flour
220 g powdered sugar
4 eggs divided and egg white should be beaten into a meringue
2 teaspoons baking powder and ½ teaspoon yeast (mix with the flour - the mixture will become light and airy)
6 tablespoons milk
At the end of this process, fold the meringue into the pastry mixture and place it into a springform pan lined with
baking paper.
Preheat the oven at 350 Fahrenheit, and bake for approximately 15-20 minutes.
While the pastry is baking, start making the almond topping. I always roast the almonds the day before, but this
does not have to be done.
Place 60 g brown sugar and 4-5 tablespoons of honey in a pot and melt on low heat. Stir in 130 g of almond
pieces. But do not let the mixture cool, or else it will harden.
Take the cake out of the oven, spread the almond mixture over top of it and bake it for another 15 minutes to
ensure that the dough is fully cooked (toothpick test) and the almond crust is firm.
Cream (original recipe):
400 ml Milk
1 package of vanilla pudding mix
1 package of vanilla sugar
3 tablespoons sugar
50 g melted butter
150-200 g whipped cream
Prepare pudding according to the instructions with 400 ml of milk and butter. Beat in the whipped cream and mix
in with the slightly cooled pudding mixture.
Alternatively one can use Dr. Oetker Paradiescreme and mix it with 400 g whipped cream and the vanilla sugar.
This method also tastes great and takes less time.
Cut the top off of the pastry and place the filling on the bottom half of the pastry. Place the upper half back on top
and put the finished product in the fridge to chill.
Enjoy as a perfect afternoon snack during your next "Kaffee und Kuchen!"

Recipe Source: Katja Sipple