Oktoberfest Wieder (Again)

October is a beautiful month.  In northern Wisconsin, my home state, it means the riotous colors of the changing leaves.  Even when they fall to the ground, you can enjoy the smoky smell and delightful crunching as you walk through what I like to call “God’s confetti.”

In Louisiana, my adopted state, October means temperatures might “dip” into the 70s during the day, necessitating the occasional sweater.

October also means Oktoberfest in Germany and in many places around the world.  And so I thought a German meal would be perfect for entertaining some dear friends.  (This was one of several Oktoberfest-themed dinner parties we’ve hosted, and the second of my Oktoberfest blog posts.  See Remembering October(fest), January 2011.)

Actually, an Oktoberfest was the beginning of a family near and dear to me.   In October 1954 in a crowded Munich beer garden, a young American G.I. met a young German woman who had recently escaped from East Germany.  The festive flirtation led to a courtship, a marriage, and the birth of my husband and his brother. 

This May my dear mother-in-law passed away, so in my heart this dinner party was in her honor.  Auf wiedersehen, Ruth!  Until we see each other again.

Oktoberfest Menu

Onion Tart

Sauerkraut Soup

German Cucumber Salad

Ruth's Beef Rouladen

Spaetzle

Ruth's Red Cabbage

Pear Upside-down Cake

Onion Tart

Source:  Pepperidge Farm web site

Yield:  6-8 servings

Ingredients:

2 T. vegetable oil

1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced (I used 2)

All-purpose flour

½ of a 17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet), thawed

1½ c. shredded Gruyère cheese  (about 6 oz.) (can substitute Emmental and/or Swiss or a combination of any of these)

¼ c. grated Parmesan cheese

2 T. chopped fresh chives (I used thyme)

Process:

Heat the oven to 400°F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 15 minutes or until well browned, stirring often.  Remove the skillet from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

Sprinkle the work surface with the flour.  Unfold the pastry sheet on the work surface.  Roll the pastry sheet into a 12-inch square.  Place the pastry onto the baking sheet.  Brush the edges of the pastry with water. Fold over the edges 1/2 inch on all sides, crimping with a fork to form a rim.  Prick the center of the pastry thoroughly with a fork.  Spread the onion mixture on the pastry to the rim.  Sprinkle with the cheeses and chives or thyme.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.  Let the pastry cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Cut into 24 (3x2-inch) rectangles.  Serve warm.

Sauerkraut Soup

Source:  adapted from The German Cookbook, Mimi Sheraton

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients:

3 slices bacon, diced

1 lb. fresh sauerkraut, rinsed, drained, chopped (I used jarred)

1 onion, peeled and finely diced

1 T. flour

6 c. hot beef stock 

1 c. dark beer (or 1 c. stock)

1 small apple, peeled and grated

1-2 tsp. caraway seeds

Salt to taste

Optional garnish per serving:

1 piece of pumpernickel bread (cut in a round with biscuit cutter)

¼ c. grated Gruyére (or Swiss) cheese

Fry diced bacon in a 1½- to 2-quart saucepan and when rendered, sauté sauerkraut and onion in hot fat until they begin to take on color.  Sprinkle with flour and stir together, add hot beef stock, beer, grated apple, caraway seeds and salt.  Simmer, covered, 20 minutes.  

For the garnish:  Place the bread rounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet and heat in a 350° until lightly toasted.  Sprinkle the cheese on each piece of bread and return to the oven until the cheese melts.  Float a bread round in each bowl of soup.

German Cucumber Salad

Source:  someone posted this in Facebook 

Yield:  6-8 small servings

Ingredients:

Salad:

2 large cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced

1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced

3 small roma tomatoes, thinly sliced

Dressing:

1/3 cup low-fat sour cream

¼ tsp. Dijon mustard

1 T. white vinegar

2 T. low-fat milk

½ - ¾ tsp. sugar

1 T. chopped fresh parsley

2 T. chopped fresh dill

¼ tsp. pepper

¼ tsp. salt, to taste

Process:

Place the cucumbers, onions and tomatoes in a large bowl. Set aside.  In a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients. Pour over salad mixture.  Toss to coat well.  Chill at least 2 hours before serving.  I served individual portions on small beds of mixed greens.

Ruth’s Beef Rouladen

The key to this is dish is . . . the butcher!  My husband was able to find one who expertly cut the meat to our exact specifications.  

Source:  my mother-in-law, Ruth Demastes

Ingredients:

Top round or sirloin tip cut in pieces approximately 6 in. X 10 in. and ¼ in. or less thick (2 pieces per person)

Salt & pepper

Dijon mustard

Bacon strips cut in half

1 onion, peeled, cut in 

Dill pickles, cut in half crosswise, and then in ½-inch pieces

Water and 2 bouillon  cubes (or beef stock), about 2½ c.

Cornstarch or flour

Process:

For each roulade:  Lightly salt and pepper the piece of meat.  Spread each piece of meat with a teaspoon of mustard.  Near one edge of each piece, place a strip of bacon, a few pieces of onion, and a piece of pickle. Roll up jelly-roll fashion and secure with a toothpick.  

Ready to roll

All rolled up

Heat the oil in a large pot or frying pan over medium heat.   Add the meat rolls and brown well on all sides. Reduce the heat to low, and add the water and bouillon cubes (or beef stock).  (The liquid should not cover the meat.)  Simmer until the meat is tender, about 1 to 1½ hours.  Remove the meat and cover.  To thicken the sauce, stir a tablespoon or so of cornstarch to ½ c. water.  Whisk a little of the cornstarch mixture into the sauce until it thickens.  (Alternatively, remove a cup of hot liquid and combine with 2 T. flour.   Stir back into pan and cook, stirring, until it comes to a boil and thickens.)  Add rolls to sauce and reheat gently.  

Spaetzle 

Source:  from my mother-in-law via my sister-in-law, Theresa Spradling (who saved me when I inexplicably lost MY recipe in the middle of dinner party preparations)

Yield:  6 servings

2 c. flour

2 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper 

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

¼ c. milk

½ c. water (I used ¾ c. milk)

3 eggs, slightly beaten

In a large bowl which together the dry ingredients.  In a small bowl, whisk together the liquid ingredients. Stir the liquid ingredients until blended.  The batter will be very sticky.  Push the batter through a spaetzle maker into a large pot of boiling water.  As the spaetzle come to the surface, remove with a slotted spoon.  

A spaetzle maker

Alternatively, you can push the spaetzle batter through the holes of a colander.  The spaetzle can be made slightly ahead of time.  Stir in a tablespoon of butter to prevent sticking and keep in a covered casserole dish. Reheat in the microwave if necessary.

Ruth’s Red Cabbage

The first time I made this I was terrified I had done something wrong since the cabbage turns navy blue in the initial cooking stage.  But don’t worry.  As soon as the other ingredients are added, the cabbage returns to beautiful pinkish red.

Blue red cabbage!

Red red cabbage

Source:  my mother-in-law, Ruth Demastes

Yield:  8 servings

Process:

1 red cabbage, hand chopped 

½ onion, sliced or chopped

2 chopped apples, cored but not peeled

3 bay leaves

6 whole cloves

¼ c. sugar

¼ c. vinegar

Salt & pepper to taste

3-4 T. of bacon drippings (I add the bacon as well)

Process:

Put the cabbage into a large pot of salted boiling water.  Let the water come to a boil again, about 1 minute. Drain off most of the water.  Then add one cup of cold water and the remaining ingredients.  Cook all this at low temperature with the lid slightly open until tender, about an hour.  Check once in a while and add a little water if necessary.  (But you don’t want a lot of liquid.)  At the end of the cooking, you can blend 2 T. cornstarch with a little cold water and stir into cabbage just to thicken the liquid.  

Pear Upside-Down Cake

Source: Family Circle, Nov. 2013

Yield:  8-10 servings

2 T. cold unsalted butter

½ c. packed dark brown sugar

2 Bartlett pears, (about 1 lb.), peeled, cored and thinly sliced

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 t. ground ginger

2 t. baking powder

½ t. salt

½ t. ground cardamom

½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 c. granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 t. vanilla extract

2/3 c. milk

Whipped & sweetened cream or ice cream (optional)

Process:

Preheat oven to 350°.  Add cold butter to a 10-inch springform pan.  Heat in oven until melted, about 3 minutes.  Swirl pan to coat bottom with melted butter.  Sprinkle evenly with brown sugar.  Wrap bottom of pan with foil. Fan slices of pear over sugar, with pointed ends toward center of pan, overlapping slightly.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, baking powder, salt and cardamom.  With a stand mixer, beat softened butter in a large bowl until smooth.  Add granulated sugar and beat 2 minutes, until creamy.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in vanilla.

On low speed, beat in flour mixture, alternating with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.  Spoon batter over pears and spread to pan edge with a spatula.  Bake for 55 to 60 minutes.  Test center of cake with a toothpick; if pick tests clean, remove to a wire rack.  Cool 5 minutes.

Invert cake onto plate, remove side of pan.  Carefully lift off pan bottom and cool cake to room temperature. Serve slightly warm with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.