Husaren Cookies

Husaren Cookies

 (Husarenkrapferl, Thumbprint Cookies, Shortcrust cookies)

 

Ingredients:

 2 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour

½ cup sugar
½ lb butter
2 egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla
8 oz blanched grated almonds or hazelnuts

 

Directions:

 Cut the butter into the flour/sugar mixture.  Form well, add yolks, and gather into a ball.  Roll on wax paper.  Form small balls, make thumbprint in center.  Fill with jelly.  Bake at 325 F.

 

Note:  Here's another one I found in Gertrude's handwriting. 

 

Mürbeteig

Mürbeteig (Basic)

Ingredients:

 2 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour

½ cup sugar
½ lb butter
3 egg yolks
Grated rind of one lemon

 

Directions:

Cut the butter into the flour/sugar mixture.  Add lemon peel.  Form well, add yolks, and gather into a ball.  Roll on wax paper.  Place in desired pan.  Bake at 350 F, 30-40 minutes.

 

 Note:  this dough (short crust) is used as the base for a number of German cakes and cookies.  This is another one of Gertrude’s handwritten recipes that I was able to find. She had some variations, such as the addition of rum, milk, chocolate, and ground almonds. In summer, she often baked a fruit tart (Obst Torte) using a round fluted tart pan (tin) for the crust.  I do not have the recipe for the fruit portion of it.

Biskuit Torte

8 eggs separated

1 cup fine sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2/3 cup flour (sifted)
2/3 cup cornstarch  (sifted)

Beat eggwhite until very stiff.  Beat in half the sugar until glossy and when cut with a knife, cut remains.  Beat eggyolks in other bowl with rest of sugar and vanilla until light and foamy.  Add about 4-5 T. eggwhites to lighten the yolks.  Pour yellow mixture on top of white.  Sift flour and cornstarch on top.  With wooden spoon fold lightly (don’t stir) until no eggwhite or flour is seen.  Put into greased and floured springform pan.  Bake at 300 degrees F, 30 to 40 minutes.  Dough is very sensitive.  Don’t hit bowl, pan, or stove or tumble on the floor while cake is baking.

 

Chocolate Pudding (Buttercream frosting):

2/3 cup sugar

3 Tbsp. cocoa
¼ cup cornstarch
2 ½ cup milk
Add 1 tsp. vanilla when cooking
(Or use 1 box pudding mix and add 1T. cornstarch to it.)

 

Let cool to room temperature.  Have 2 sticks butter at room temperature.  Beat the butter until very light and foamy.  Beat the pudding in 1 tsp. at a time.  If you do it too fast, the buttercream will curdle.  It is important to have both the butter and the pudding at room temperature for several hours.  When buttercream is ready and cake is cold, cut cake in 3 pieces for layers. The bottom layer is filled with current or other good jelly.  The second and top layer and sides are frosted with the chocolate buttercream.  Put shaved sweet or semi sweet chocolate at top for decoration.

 

G

 

Notes from Helga:  this is a recipe written out in Mom’s own handwriting that I recently found stuffed in the back of a Land O’Lakes recipe box.  Sometimes it pays to be a pack-rat.  I firmly believe the admonishment about tumbling on the floor was directed at Dennis Beck :>).  Biskuit Torte is the “boden” or base of many different kinds of cakes.

Broccoli Salad

 

Ingredients:

3 broccoli crowns, cut into small florets

½ small red onion, finely chopped
8 slices of turkey bacon, fried and crumbled
½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 12-15 oz jar poppyseed salad dressing (Marzetti’s is good)
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar (optional)

 

Directions:

 Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.  Refrigerate.  Serve chilled.

 

Notes:  This salad makes a good side dish for a picnic or a BBQ.  You can substitute chopped green onion instead of red onion and different cheeses according to your preference.

This is one of my own recipes, and I have made it many times.

 

 

Homemade White Bread

Pour 8 C. hot water into mixing bowl with "heaping" 1/2 C. honey & 1/2 C. oil.

In separate large bowl,  1/2 C. luke warm water (heavy on the warm,
but not hot) add 2 Tbs yeast & 1 tsp. sugar.  Mix well and set aside
while yeast grows.

Add 1 2/3 C. powdered milk, 10 C. flour  & 1 heaping T. salt to
water, honey & oil mixture,  mix well.
Add yeast mixture, mix for 10 min.  Dough will be sticky.  Slowly add
1/4 C. flour at a time until dough is soft & doesn't stick to finger
when you dip finger in just a "little" bit of flour & touch.  (Too
much flour makes bread tough and not enough flour makes bread too soft
to work with and doesn't hold shape).

Place dough in large oily tub, cover with towel,  and set in warm area
for dough to rise double in size.  About an hour.
Grease pans with shortening, then put some shortening on hands to
handle loaves while dividing dough into equal parts and shaping into
loaves.  Try to pop bubbles as they form.

Let rise until double in size.  Bake at 375 for 15 min, then reduce
heat to 350 for 30 min or until done. (Normally it takes me about 25
minutes in my oven. If you tap the loaf and it sounds hollow it is
done.)  Butter tops and remove from pans to cool on wire racks or
towels.

This recipe makes about 6 loaves.  I usually freeze 3 loaves.  When
thawing, just set out for about 2 hours, then put in hot oven
(300-350) for about 5 min, it taste like you just made it!!!
This recipe also halves very well.  So if you don't want to make six
loaves you can make a smaller batch.

Note from Helga:  Thanks to Mary Beck Vansyoc for sharing this recipe.  It is a traditional recipe from her friend's great grandma.  I posted a picture of Mary's bread loaves earlier in this blog.

Rum Cake

 

1 yellow cake mix, with “pudding in the mix”

½ cup Captain Morgan’s spiced rum

½ cup water
1 stick butter, melted
3 eggs, slightly beaten

Mix all ingredients together and beat with electric mixer for two minutes. Pour into greased 13 x 9 baking pan (you can make this with a bundt pan if you want).  Bake at 350°F until done (approximately 35 minutes).  Remove from oven and let stand about five minutes.  Pour hot rum glaze (following) over cake.  It takes about 45 minutes for the glaze to fully absorb into the cake (just let it sit).

 

Hot Rum Glaze

1 cup sugar

1 stick butter
¼ cup water
½ cup rum

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil and boil 1 minute.  Enjoy.

Note:  No, this is not one of Gertrude's recipes.  I have been making this one myself for about 10 years.  It has a very moist texture.  I have brought it to parties and people love it.

Rohkost (Apple-Carrot Salad)

Ingredients

• 1 cup carrots, coarsely grated
• 3/4 cup apples, grated
• 3 tablespoons nuts (roughly chopped, toasted if desired)
• 1/4 cup low-fat yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon honey (or sugar)
• 1 -2 teaspoon lemon juice (depending on desired sweetness)
• 1 pinch salt

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients except nuts together, sprinkle with nuts.
2. Serve immediately, because it turns brown within an hour.

 

Notes:  “Rohkost” translates to “raw food.”  Mom and Dad called it “Rohkost” or “Apfelkost.”