New German Cookbook: More Than 230 Contemporary and Traditional Recipes

by Jean Anderson, Hedy Wurz, LaMar Elmore (Photographer), LaMar Elmore

Overview

Contemporary German cooking couples hearty regional traditions with the subtle, light, and more sophisticated tastes of the modern palate. Jean Anderson and Hedy Würz lead readers from the back roads of Bavaria to the vineyards on the Moselle, from a quaint subterranean tavern in Lübeck to the three-star restaurants of Munich, opening kitchen doors and kettle lids to reveal modern Germany's gastronomic triumphs.

With explanations of ingredients, clear instructions, and evocative introductions to the recipes, the cooking of today's Germany is illuminated for American cooks. All the traditional dishes are here, many in their original robust versions and others cleverly lightened by German's new generation of chefs and home cooks. Potato salad, barely glossed with dressing, then greened with fresh chevil; sauerkraut teamed with cod; and pumpernickel reduced to crumbs and folded into an airy Bavarian cream are just a few of the creative new German dishes that nevertheless bow to tradition. A chapter on wine and beer by Lamart Elmore, former executive director of the German Wine Information Bureau, completes the picture of Germany's total gastronomic experience.

Germany today is a land of contradictions, a land where meandering rivers run alongside autobahns, where castles and cuckoo clocks coexist easily with high tech, high fashion, and haute cuisine. German food reflects this rich tapestry, and in The New German Cookbook, Jean Anderson and Hedy Würz import and interpret the traditional and the subtle, flavorful, and sophisticated dishes of modern Germany for American cooks.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780060162023
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	10/28/1993
Edition description:	1st ed
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	266,220
Product dimensions:	7.37(w) x 9.12(h) x 1.29(d)

About the Author

The winner of five best cookbook awards (Tastemaker, James Beard, IACP) and a member of the James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame, Jean Anderson writes for Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Cottage Living, Gourmet, More, and other national publications. She lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Read an Excerpt

Veal Tenderloins in Riesling Sauce with Mushrooms and Pearl Onions (Kalbslende in Rieslingsauce mit Champignons und Perlzwiebeln)

Makes 4 to 6 servings

A marvelous family recipe from Beatrix Carolyn Schmitt of Hermannshof, the winery of Hermann Franz Schmitt in Nierstein on the Rhine. It couldn't be easier to prepare and is perfect for a small, elegant dinner, but you should have all ingredients measured and at the table ready before you begin. If the veal is to remain succulent, tender, and tinged with pink, it must be coddled: simmered very slowly in the sauce after the initial browning and turned often so it cooks evenly. You need nothing more to accompany than boiled rice (for sopping up every last drop of sauce), a crisp green salad, and a nicely chilled Riesling. Frau Schmitt makes her sauce with veal stock, but because few Americans have veal stock on hand, we've substituted—with excellent results—a half-and-half mix of beef and chicken broth.

Ingredients

2 center-cut veal tenderloins, each measuring about 6 inches long and 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter (1 3/4 pounds in all)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine
1/4 pound small mushrooms, trimmed and wiped clean
3/4 cup canned pearl or baby onions, drained and rinsed
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup rich beef broth (preferably homemade)
1/2 cup rich chicken broth (preferably homemade)
1 tablespoon tarragon or Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup Riesling or other dry white wine
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour blended with 3 tablespoonscold water (flour paste)
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh tarragon, or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried leaf tarragon, crumbled
3 tablespoons Cognac

Instructions

Sprinkle the veal evenly with half the salt and pepper and set aside. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a heavy 12-inch skillet over high heat. Let it foam up and subside, then add the veal and brown evenly on all sides; this will take about 5 minutes. Transfer the veal to a heated large plate, cover with foil, and keep warm.

Reduce the heat under the skillet to moderate, add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and, when it melts, stir in the mushrooms and onions and saute 1 minute, stirring often. Add the cream, beef and chicken broths, and mustard and boil, uncovered, stirring often, about 10 minutes, until reduced by half. Blend in the lemon juice, wine, and flour paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture bubbles up and thickens slightly.

Return the veal to the skillet together with any accumulated juices. Adjust the heat so the sauce bubbles very gently and cook, uncovered, for 30 to 35 minutes, turning the veal every 5 minutes, until an instant-register thermometer inserted in the center of a tenderloin registers 140 to 145degrees F (the veal will be pink but not rare).

Transfer the veal to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes. Meanwhile, raise the heat under the sauce to moderate, add the tarragon, Cognac, and remaining salt and pepper and boil, uncovered, for 5 minutes, until slightly thickened. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust as needed. Slice the tenderloins 1/2 inch thick and arrange in rows on a heated platter, overlapping the slices. Spoon some of the sauce over the veal and pass the rest in a gravy boat.

---

Cod with Sauerkraut and Tarragon Sauce (Kabeljaufilet mit Sauerkraut und Estragonsauce)

Makes 4 servings

By borrowing the breading and browning technique from, Wiener Schnitzel and by teaming two of Germany's mainstays—cod and sauerkraut—Chef Heinz Wehmann of Landhaus Scherrer in Hamburg has come up with something altogether unique. What follows is our adaptation of the restaurant recipe. Use only top-quality eggs from a reliable source for this recipe; the mayonnaise-like sauce may not reach the temperature (or stay at that temperature long enough) to kill salmonella bacteria, an ongoing problem in the American poultry industry.

Ingredients

Cod:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine
4 slices bacon, snipped crosswise into 1/4-inch strips
1 medium-size yellow onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 pound fresh sauerkraut, drained well
1/2 cup Sekt (dry German champagne) or Riesling
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds skinned, 3/4-inch-thick cod or halibut fillets, cut into 4 pieces of equal size
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup unsifted all-purpose flour
2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup fine dry white bread crumbs
2 tablespoons corn or vegetable oil

Tarragon Sauce:

2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar2 extra-large egg yolks, well beaten
2/3 cup melted unsalted butter or margarine
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon, or 1 teaspoon dried leaf tarragon, crumbled

Instructions:

For the cod: Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a heavy 12-inch skillet over moderate heat. Add the bacon and saute 2 minutes, stirring often. Add the onion and saute 2 minutes, until limp. Add the sauerkraut, reduce the heat to moderately low, and saute 5 minutes, turning often until nicely glazed. Add the Sekt, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Season with the pepper, cover, remove from the heat, and set at the back of the stove to keep warm. Sprinkle both sides of each cod fillet with the salt and lemon juice, then dredge in the flour, shaking off any excess. Dip the dredged fillets into the beaten eggs, then into the bread crumbs, again shaking off the excess. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons butter and the oil in a large heavy skillet over moderately high heat for 1 1/2 minutes. Add the cod, reduce the heat to moderately low, and brown 4 to 5 minutes on each side; drain on paper toweling and keep warm.

For the tarragon sauce: Boil the vinegar, uncovered, in a 1/2 cup metal measure over moderate heat until reduced to 1/2 tablespoon; this will take about 2 minutes. Whisk the hot vinegar into the egg yolks, then add the melted butter drop by drop, whisking vigorously until the mixture begins to thicken. Continue adding the butter in a thin stream, whisking all the while. Mix in the salt and tarragon. Set the bowl of sauce in a large pan of simmering water—off the heat—and keep warm, whisking occasionally, while you arrange the platter.

To serve: Arrange the sauerkraut mixture on a heated platter, top with the cod, then a generous ladling of hot sauce. Pass any remaining sauce separately. Accompany with boiled potatoes.

What People are Saying About This

Jean D. Hewitt

"These contemporary versions of Germany's hearty regional cuisines, from Munich to Hamburg, show Jean Anderson's special talent for researching, and adapting, recipes for American kitchens. Great eating here, or there!"

Barbara Kafka

"Cherish this book by consummate food writer Jean Anderson and enjoy the new, lighter food of Germany."

James Villas

"This long-awaited volume...is not only a veritable relevant cookbooks to be published in years. Those who still believe that genuine German food is little more than sauerbraten, potato pancakes, and heavy cakes will have their eyes opened to (and thier tastebuds piqued by) a delectable trout soup, an intriguing squab and green bean salad with warm gravy dressing, and quark pudding with cherries. Virtually every wonderful classic dish is included here, but equally exciting are the more updated, contemporary recipes that confirm the important role Germany now plays in the evolution of world gastronomy. No serious cook (or traveler) should be without this useful and fascinating new book."

Editorial Reviews

These contemporary versions of Germany's hearty regional cuisines, from Munich to Hamburg, show Jean Anderson's special talent for researching, and adapting, recipes for American kitchens. Great eating here, or there! —Family Circle

Jean D. Hewitt

Cherish this book by consummate food writer Jean Anderson and enjoy the new, lighter food of Germany.

Barbara Kafka

This long-awaited volume...is not only a veritable relevant cookbooks to be published in years. Those who still believe that genuine German food is little more than sauerbraten, potato pancakes, and heavy cakes will have their eyes opened to (and thier tastebuds piqued by a delectable trout soup, an intriguing squab and green bean salad with warm gravy dressing, and quark pudding with cherries. Virtually every wonderful classic dish is included here, but equally exciting are the more updated, contemporary recipes that confirm the important role Germany now plays in the evolution of world gastronomy. No serious cook (or traveler should be without this useful and fascinating new book. —Town & Country

James Villas

German cooking may bring to mind images of rollicking Oktoberfests with dark beers hoisted, heaped meats downed and aprons aplenty. And while there may be some measure of truthful oom-pah-pah in this, Anderson and Wurz have gone to great lengths to propose a different view of German food today. The recipes here make use of foodstuffs typical of that nation: cabbage, game, pork, potatoes, fish and fruits. But these ingredients are combined to create a somewhat lighter--though by no means low calorie--cuisine that reflects international influences. Some recipes emerge from the latest generation of German chefs, whose work can be sampled in hotels and restaurants across Germany, but many come from private people who simply know--and know how to cook--good food. The authors provide an instructive glossary of German cooking and food terms, and their section on German beers and wines will be handy for dinner or lunch plans. Most of the recipes are best-suited to veteran cooks, but some will serve others honing their skills. This is an excellent introduction to a cuisine that has been overlooked, offering a good opportunity to turn out some schmackhaft (tasty) and verschieden (different) meals. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

This book should give many cooks a new perspective on German cooking. All of the ingredients traditionally associated with this cuisine appear, but veal, for example, shows up in a Riesling wine sauce as well as in Wiener schnitzel, and dumplings are scented with tarragon and tossed into a clear asparagus soup. Anderson, author of numerous cookbooks, and Wurz, a German native who works for the German Tourist Office in New York, have gathered recipes from the country's creative young chefs, regional home cooks, and their own files to provide an up-to-date look at the culinary scene. Although Horst Scharfenberg covered some of the same ground in The Cuisines of Germany ( LJ 9/15/89), this is recommended for most collections. Homestyle Book Club main selection; Better Homes & Garden alternate.

Library Journal

Squashing stereotypes is one mission here, especially the myth of Germany as the "capital of cabbage." Another goal? To provide an authoritative yet up-to-date reference blending the best of the country's old and new cuisines. Both Anderson and Wurz are well suited to these two tasks, the former as a prolific and well-known cookbook author ("Doubleday Cookbook", among many others), the latter as a representative of the German national tourist office. In fact, part one is almost as important as the more than 300 recipes; it's a quick but panoramic overview of the region's history and its wines and beers, accompanied by a glossary. The rest of the book yields many gastronomic surprises, including tiny potato pancakes with smoked salmon, asparagus rice soup, braised duck with turnips, rice cakes, leek tarts, and poppy seed ice cream. Plus, those readers seeking sauerkraut and schnitzel will not be disappointed.

Barbara Jacobs