The Charmed Kitchen

Sauerbraten

I was asked to make Sauerbraten for a dinner over the weekend. It is a richly flavorful dish, that is worth the extra effort. Sauerbraten is not a spur of the moment dinner. The meat is marinaded in a combination of vinegars, wine, veggies and spices for 3-5 days before cooking. It gives the meat a unique flavor. The sauce is finished with gingersnaps. Yes, cookies in the gravy. This recipe came from my sister Cindy.

Sauerbraten

Marinade:
1 c. red wine vinegar
½ c. cider vinegar
½ c. red wine, burgundy is traditional
1 large onion, sliced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
top from 1 bunch celery
few sprigs of fresh parsley or 1 T. dried
1 bay leaf
4 whole cloves
3 whole allspice
½ t. whole peppercorns
1 t. salt
4- 6 lb. lean boneless chuck roast
additional flour for dredging
⅓ c. oil or shortening
2 c. warm water
¼ c. flour

1 T. sugar
1 c. crushed gingersnaps
water

Combine marinade ingredients in a large glass or ceramic bowl. Add meat and cover. Refrigerate 3-5 days. Tum meat at least once a day. Remove meat from marinade and pat dry. Dredge in flour. Heat oil in Dutch oven and brown meat in pan. Add warm water and simmer, covered, for 1- 2 hours or until fork tender. Start testing meat for doneness after the first hour. Remove meat to platter and keep warm while sauce is being prepared.

For sauce, strain the pan juices and discard solids. Skim off any fat. Return the juices to the Dutch oven and keep hot. In small bowl combine the ¼ c. flour, sugar, and gingersnaps. Stir in cold water until smooth paste is formed. Whisk this paste into the hot marinade and simmer, stirring until thickened. If it’s not thick enough, make a little more paste with flour and water. Serve meat sliced thin, with sauce on the side, and hot cooked noodles, potato dumplings, or spaetzle.
Serves 8 – 12.

Caramelized Onion Relish

One of my favorite appetizers is caramelized onions. I made them recently for a party and they were a big hit. Slow cooked to bring out all the sweetness, they can be served with crusty breads, cheeses, smoked meats or crackers. I sometimes spread them on French bread and top with cheese then bake until toasty. They cook down a lot, so make plenty. I add them to pasta dishes and soups, too. You can also freeze leftovers.

Caramelized Onion Relish

2 lbs. Onions, chopped

3 T. oil

1 t. salt

2 T. brown sugar

¼ c. balsamic vinegar

Dash red hot pepper sauce

Paprika

Sauté onions in oil with salt over low heat for 35-45 minutes. Onions should begin to caramelize and brown without burning. Add remaining ingredients and cook slowly another 15 minutes. Adjust seasonings, if needed and serve warm with crusty bread, crackers or smoked meats.

Homemade Spaetzle

For a family birthday party, I had a request for an Octoberfest- themed dinner. A number of the guests asked for the recipes, so I will be sharing them. Over the next few days, I will be posting recipes for many of the dishes I made that night. I’ll start with the spaetzle.

Spaetzle are easy to make little dumplings that can serve as the noodles in all sorts of dishes. The dough is a thick batter, dropped into boiling water, and cooked until the spaetzle float to the top and simmer for 5 minutes or so. They come out in all sorts of shapes, which adds to the charm. Serve as is, or you can brown them in a little butter first.

Homemade Spaetzle

3 eggs
1/2 c. evaporated milk
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. flour

Combine all ingredients and let rest 30 minutes. Drop by small spoonfuls into boiling water. Cook until they float and puff up, about 5 minutes. Serve with soups, stews sauces. You can toss them with a little butter. I sometimes heat butter in a pan and brown them up a little. You can also add some fresh, chopped herbs to the batter.

Rainbow Marshmallows

I have posted my recipe for homemade marshmallows before. They are really easy and I make them often. For a party, I made them in assorted colors. These are for a child’s birthday party, so I went with teal and purple to match the birthday cake. Whether it is a birthday party, a holiday, or supporting a team, you can tint your homemade marshmallows almost any color, for any number of occasions. Or maybe, just tint them because it’s fun.

                       Marshmallows

1/2 c. cornstarch

1/2 c. powdered sugar

small amount of butter

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1/3 c. water

2/3 c. corn syrup

1/2 t. vanilla

Combine cornstarch and powdered sugar in a small bowl. Butter an 8x8x2 inch-baking pan. Sprinkle with some of the cornstarch mixture. Reserve the rest of the mixture for use later on. Combine the gelatin, granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until gelatin is dissolved. Pour gelatin mixture into a large bowl, adding the corn syrup and vanilla.* Beat with an electric mixer on high speed for 15 minutes. Be precise on the timing. The mixture will be thick and fluffy, marshmallow cream, actually. Pour mixture into the prepared pan, spread evenly and refrigerate overnight. The next day, sift some of the reserved cornstarch mixture over the marshmallows. Sprinkle some more of the coating mixture on a work surface and turn the marshmallow out onto the prepared surface. Cut the marshmallows into 1-inch squares, coating as you go. The marshmallows are very sticky until completely coated. Allow to dry on a rack. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks. Makes about 4 dozen candies.

You can swap out flavorings- using maybe mint or lemon in place of the vanilla. You can also add a few drops of food coloring, if you like. Oh, and when you are at the rolling the pieces around in the cornstarch and powdered sugar stage of the process- don’t wear black. You’ll thank me later for that.

*This is when you add food coloring, if desired.

Pumpkin Squares

I made this cake last night for a class at Graf Growers in Akron. While they are called pumpkin squares, truth is you can make them from pretty much any winter squash. OK, maybe not spaghetti squash, but most any other winter squash. I used Hubbard squash in this recipe and they were really great. This recipe has been part of our family for years now. The original recipe came from Bisquick, but it had 2 cups of sugar in it. My Mother’s sensibilities kicked in and she cut the sugar down to one cup. Great move on her part. The cake is still plenty sweet with less sugar. It mixes and bakes up in no time. I normally top it with cream cheese frosting, but it would be good with a simple powdered sugar glaze or even just a dusting of powdered sugar mixed with a little cinnamon. The texture is moist and tender and I think you’ll enjoy it as much as I do.

Pumpkin Squares

1 c. sugar
½ c. oil
16 oz. cooked pumpkin, canned, fresh (preferred) or frozen
4 eggs, beaten
2 c. biscuit mix (homemade or Bisquick or Jiffy Mix)
2 t. cinnamon
½ c. raisins, optional
Grease a jelly roll pan and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat first 4 ingredients for 1 minute. Stir in mix, cinnamon and raisins. Pour in prepared pan and bake 25-30 minutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick. Cool and frost. Frosted cake must be kept refrigerated between servings.

Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese
2/3 c. butter
2 T. milk
2 t. vanilla
3 c. powdered sugar, or more
Beat together until smooth.

Kahlua Chocolate Squares

These yummy treats are brownie-like in texture, studded with nuts and chocolate chips and full of Kahlua flavor. There is Kahlua in the batter, Kahlua brushed over the squares after baking, and in the brown butter frosting. So easy and so tasty. Made these in class last night and everyone liked them a lot. It was a class on making liqueurs, held at the Community Center in Concord.

Kahlua Chocolate Squares

1 ¼ c. all purpose flour
¾ t. baking powder
½ t. salt
½ c. butter, softened
¾ c. packed brown sugar
1 egg
¼ c. coffee liqueur
1-c. chocolate chips
1/3 c. walnuts
1 T. coffee liqueur (for tops of bars)

Brown butter icing

2 T. butter
1 T. coffee liqueur
2 t. milk
1 1/3 c. powdered sugar

Walnut halves or chopped walnuts

Combine dry ingredients and set aside. In large bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg then stir in liqueur, then flour mixture. Fold in chips and nuts. Turn into greased 7×11 inch pan and even out. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 30 minutes. Top should spring back when touched lightly. Cool in pan 15 minutes then brush with remaining liqueur. When cool spread with brown butter icing and top with nuts. Makes 24 bars.

To make icing:
Brown butter in small saucepan. Do not burn. Remove from heat and beat in remaining icing ingredients. Spread on bars. Allow frosting to set up before cutting.

Honey-Pomegranate Glazed Ribs

While I prefer cooking ribs on the grill, you can cook them indoors with good results, too. It was a stormy evening so grilling was not to be. I like my ribs to be fall off the bone tender, but still have a crispy glaze. I decided to use a combination of moist and dry heat to get the result I wanted. I finished them off with a sauce made from pomegranate molasses and honey. They were really good. Here is what I did.

Honey-Pomegranate Glazed Ribs

1 slab ribs, cut into 3-4 rib portions

salt and pepper

1 c. apple cider vinegar

2 T. soy sauce

1 T. hot sauce

1 t. garlic powder

1 t. smoked paprika

Glaze:

3/4 c. pomegranate molasses*

1/2 c. honey- or more to taste

1 T. hot sauce, or more to taste

Place rib portions in a large pan and season with salt and pepper. Pour over the vinegar, soy sauce, hot sauce, garlic powder and smoked paprika. Cover and chill for a couple of hours. You could even do this the night before. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place rack in large baking dish. Pour 2 cups of water into the bottom of the pan. Place rib portions on the rack. Pour over the marinade. Season with salt and pepper then place in the oven and bake for 1 hour. Turn heat down to 400 degrees.  Remove ribs from oven. Place ribs in a fresh baking pan. Combine glaze ingredients and brush all over the ribs. Return to oven and bake 20-30 minutes longer, or until glaze has gotten sticky and browned a little.

*Pomegranate molasses is available in some specialty stores, or you can make your own by boiling down pomegranate juice until it gets thickened.

I was in charge of dessert for a dinner over the weekend. The hostess asked if I could make my vanilla cupcakes. I was happy to. I normally top them with a vanilla buttercream, but decided to make a white chocolate frosting instead. Yes, I know white “chocolate” is not really chocolate. But when I say white chocolate, everyone knows what I am talking about. I used a bar- and broke it into pieces, before melting, but you could you use white chocolate chips instead. The frosting has a really nice flavor and fluffy texture, without being too sweet. The cupcakes were a hit.

Classic White (Vanilla)  Cupcakes

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with 12paper liners. In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Finally stir in the milk until batter is smooth. Pour or spoon batter into the prepared pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cupcakes are done when they springs back to the touch. Makes12

White Chocolate Frosting

6 oz. white chocolate – if using bars, chop before melting
1 stick (4 oz.) cold butter, cut into cubes
1-2 c. powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla

Melt chocolate. I just melt mine in a microwave safe dish, but you can use a double boiler. Let chocolate cool down a little. Beat butter into the melted chocolate. Beat until smooth and then beat in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Whip until frosting is smooth and fluffy. I normally beat for 5 minutes or longer. If too thick, add a few drops of water or milk.

It is because I made cupcakes that I ended up making Hollandaise sauce last night. It makes sense, really. A friend, who has been sick, had a taste for white cupcakes. I made a batch for her, but since the recipe only used the egg whites, I had the egg yolks leftover.  If you have never made Hollandaise sauce, it is a little fussy, but not that hard to make. It is only a few ingredients, but they do have to be mixed carefully. The recipe is mix of egg yolks, melted butter, lemon juice and some salt. You can add other seasonings, too, if you like. The tricky part is cooking the egg yolks, while adding the melted butter slowly enough to cook the egg yolks, without scrambling them. Sometimes I pull the bowl off the heat, while whisking, and then put it back over the heat, so I don’t scramble the eggs. When done properly, Hollandaise sauce is creamy, silky smooth and delightfully rich. Hollandaise sauce is often used over asparagus and it is essential for Eggs Benedict. I used it as a topper over rye toast and sunny side eggs with some crumbled bacon. Bliss.

 Hollandaise Sauce

4 egg yolks
1 T. lemon juice
½ c. unsalted butter, melted (1 stick)
Pinch salt
Pinch pepper, optional
Vigorously whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a stainless steel bowl and until the mixture is thickened and doubled in volume. Place the bowl over a saucepan containing barely simmering water (or use a double boiler,) the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. Continue to whisk rapidly. Be careful not to let the eggs get too hot or they will scramble. If you think the eggs are getting too hot you can take them on and off the heat while whisking. Slowly drizzle in the melted butter and continue to whisk until the sauce is thickened and doubled in volume. Remove from heat, whisk in salt and pepper. Cover and place in a warm spot until ready to use. If the sauce gets too thick, whisk in a few drops of warm water before serving.

 This sauce is easy to make and you probably have most, if not all, of the ingredients already. A mix of vinegar, juice, sugar, cornstarch and some spices, it can be ready in about five minutes.

So why bother to make your own sweet and sour sauce? Maybe I’m weird, but I like to make a lot of foods from scratch.  You can add just the seasonings you prefer. You can make it as spicy, or as mild, as you like. Knowing all the ingredients, and what goes into your food, is part of it, too.

Truth is, I make my own sweet and sour sauce because I think it tastes better than what I can buy at the store. So here is the recipe. I hope you enjoy it, too.

Sweet and Sour Sauce

½ c. apple cider vinegar
½ c. sugar
½ c. pineapple juice
3 T. catsup
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. cornstarch*
1 T. fresh minced garlic or 1 t. dried minced garlic
1 t. fresh grated ginger
Hot pepper flakes to taste

In saucepan combine all ingredients. Cook over medium heat, stirring as mixture gets hot, until sauce begins to bubble. It will also get much clearer. Simmer gently 1 minute, stirring constantly, before removing from heat. Makes 1½ cups. Keeps in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

* Regular cornstarch works fine in this recipe- but I prefer to use Clear Gel. Clear Gel is a modified cornstarch. It is used to make things like pie fillings. Unlike regular cornstarch, which gets runny if you reheat it, Clear Gel can be reheated and will stay thick. You can find it at Amish stores and online.