Vanilllekipferl

Christmas is approaching and I have started with baking our Christmas cookies!  To start things rolling, I have started to bake Vanillekipferl, small crescent-shaped cookies which mainly consist of ground hazelnuts and almonds.  They are flavoured with vanilla and have a fine sugar dusting finish.   

Ingredients for about 80 Kipferl:

50 g ground almonds

50 g ground hazelnuts

300 g flour

100 g sugar

a pinch of salt

200 cold butter

2 egg yolks

2 small packets vanilla sugar (Vanillin-Zucker)

½ cup fine sugar

Method:

Sift the flour on a kneading board, add in ground almonds, ground hazelnuts, sugar, salt, butter and egg yolks.  Knead dough until pliable.  Wrap the dough with a cling film and leave it in the fridge for about 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 190ºC (Fan 170º).  Take a bit of dough and roll it with your hands to form the shape of long pencils.  Cut the dough into 5 cm lengths and form each length into a small moon by bending both ends inward.

Bake the Vanillekipferl in the centre of oven for 10-12 Minutes.

Mix the vanilla sugar with the fine sugar thoroughly.  Once the Kipferls are ready and still warm, coat them very carefully in the sugar mixture.  Leave to cool down completely.  Store the Kipferl in between layers of pergament paper in a biscuit container in order that they do not break into two.

Happy Baking!

Rinderrouladen served with Buttered Brussel Sprouts & Whipped Potatoes

Rinderrouladen or Beef Rolls is a traditional dish which is served as lunch on Sundays in both Germany and Austria.   This dish is normally served with either whipped potatoes, boiled potatoes, dumplings or Spätzle.  These thin slices of beef is taken from the upper leg part.  Each slice is seasoned with salt & pepper and mustard, then filled with various kinds of fillings.  It is a very tasty dish and the following recipe serves 2.

Ingredients:
4 huge slices of beef (ask your butcher to cut from the upper leg part of animal)
1 large onion, to be cut into wedges
about 1/2 litre of beef stock or just water
350 g créme fraîche
3 tbsp cooking oil
salt and pepper to taste

Filling Ingredients:
100 g pickled gherkins, to be finely cubed
1 medium-size onion, to be finely cubed
mustard
salt & pepper to taste

Method:
Mix both pickled gherkins and onion together in a bowl.  Place a slice of beef on a cutting board. Season with salt & pepper and spread a bit of mustard on top.  Add gherkins/onion mixture on top and spread evenly.  Roll the beef slice from one end slowly.  Secure each Roulade with a clip or toothpicks and set aside.

Heat oil in a bit pot and add the beef rolls.  Brown on all sides.

Then, add onion wedges to pot and cook for about 3 minutes.  Pour beef stock into pot and bring to a light boil.  Simmer covered over medium heat for about one and a half hour.

Once the beef rolls are done, remove them to a plate.  By using a hand-held blender (Stabmixer), blend the gravy until the onions are dissolved.  Return to stove and add créme fraîche.  Bring to a light boil before adding the beef rolls.

Serve with buttered brussel sprouts and whipped potatoes.

Bon Appetit!

Oreo Cheese Cake

Oreo Cheese Cake has been very popular lately and our son has been pestering me to bake one for him.    And here we go .....

Crust Ingredients:

20 Oreo biscuits, to be crushed in a blender

85 g melted butter

Filling Ingredients:

680 g Philadelphia Classic Cheese

3/4 cup sugar

6 eggs

85 g Schmand or sour cream

1 tsp vanilla essence

10 Oreo biscuits, to be coarsely crushed

Note: One will need to buy 3 packets of 176 g Oreo biscuits

Method:

Mix crust ingredients well together. Line the bottom of a 20 cm cake tin with pergament paper. Lightly grease the side of cake tin with butter. Add crust mixture into tin and press lightly with a tablespoon until a base is formed.

Note: One can also use a 24 or 26 cm cake tin but the height of the cake will be reduced.

In a mixing bowl, whisk the Philadelphia Cheese until smooth. Add in sugar and Schmand or sour cream. Mix well. Then, add in eggs one at a time and stir well. Add in vanilla essence and stir well again. Lastly, add in the crushed Oreo biscuits. Pour mixture into cake tin.

Bake in a preheated fan oven (170° C) for about 50 to 60 minutes or until done. The above photo shows the temperature as 160° C because this applies only to my oven. One has to make sure that the centre of the cake is also cooked before taking it out of the oven.

To decorate, pipe out whipped cream or butter cream florettes on top of cake and place a halved Oreo biscuit on it. Note: I didn't bother to do that because the cheese cake is sweet enough!

Bon Appetit!

Roti Prata

"Roti" means "bread", while "prata" means "flat".  Roti Prata originated from southern India, where it is called Paratha, which literally means layers of cooked dough.  It is very popular in Singapore and Malaysia and can be eaten at any time.  Following recipe yields 16 Roti Pratas.

Ingredients:
940 g plain flour
2 heaped tsp sugar
1 heaped tsp salt
450 ml water
30 g clarified butter or melted ghee
30 g condensed milk
1 egg white

Method:
In a large bowl, combine water, sugar, salt, clarified butter, condensed milk and egg white together.  Stir well until sugar is dissolved.

Then, add in flour and knead (using a mixer) until the dough becomes smooth and pliable.  Cover dough with a damp cloth and leave aside for one hour.

Divide the dough into 16 equal balls.  Then, coat them with clarified butter and arrange in a bowl.  Leave to rest at least overnight, if possible.  If not, let it rest for about 2 to 3 hours before flipping the Roti Prata.

Flipping:
Place dough ball on a greased surface.  Flatten the circumference lightly and leave the middle of dough as it is.  Using one hand as a pivot, flip the dough until it becomes thin.  Sprinkle some oil on top.  Fold the sides of the dough into a square.  Then, fold the 4 corners inward slightly.

Frying:
Fry the Prata on a hot girdle for about 2 to 3 minutes or until it is browned on both sides.  Spread a dish cloth on worktop and place cooked prata on it.  Fold cloth to cover prata and then smash by using both palms of your hand on all sides just like the mamak always do!

Serve with any kind of curry or dalca.

Bon Appetit!

Cheese Cake

This German Cheese Cake is served regularly during tea-time in my in-laws' homes.  It was originally called "Tränekuchen" which is literally translated as "Crying Cake" due to the appearance of "teardrops" in between the soft peaks topping of the cake.

Crust Ingredients:

200g flour

100g sugar

100g butter

1 egg

Filling Ingredients:

500g Magerquark (available from german supermarkets outside Europe - ask for Quark 20% fat)

150g sugar

1 egg (whole)

2 egg yolks

½ cup cooking oil

1 packet pudding powder (vanilla flavour)

½ litre milk

Topping:

2 egg whites

3 tbsp sugar

Method:

Knead all the crust ingredients together and form into dough on flat surface.  Line a lightly buttered 26 cm diameter cake tin (with loose bottom) with dough with the edges halfway up the sides.

Mix all filling ingredients together except the milk.  Lastly, add the milk so that the fluid consistency is reached.  Do not cook the filling.  Pour filling into form and bake in a preheated fan oven at 160ºC for 50 minutes.

Beat egg whites and sugar until stiff.  Once cake is done, remove from oven and pour topping onto cake.  Then, form soft peaks on topping with the back of a tablespoon.  Make sure that the spoon is wet.  Ensure that the topping does not touch the sides of the cake form.  If it does, clean it properly with a wet knife.  Also, ensure that the peaks are high enough in order that the sugar crystals (golden brown color) can appear in between the peaks on the surface when the cake is cooled.  Bake the cake for another 10 minutes.

Bon Appetit!