Beer Brats

 

Whether celebrating Oktoberfest or just watching the game.. Beer Brats are perfect!  You can make everything ahead and stay out of the kitchen and enjoy the festivities yourself!

Wursts or sausages come in a number of varieties… and are part of many recipes… one of which is Beer Brats.  You can buy commercially made Beer Brats… Guinness and Johnsonville make them.. just to name two. 

Beer Brats are bratwursts poached in beer with some butter and onions… then grilled… served with grilled onions and sauerkraut ….really pretty simple.

TIPS

The big question always asked… so what beer to use?… a good question… obviously Guinness is an option.. I have tried their Beer Brats and liked them… so I’m sure their beer would do well.

Some people use a lager beer… some a Pilsner … it really is up to your personal taste.   If you like the taste of beer.. use a stronger tasting beer… if you only want a faint flavor of beer.. use a lighter one.  A dark beer will give it a richer flavor.

Most people agree to stay away from IPAs.. they tend to impart a bitterness to the meat. 

I don’t boil mine.. I simmer them until they’re cooked…. Packages should tell you how long to cook them.. 5 to 10 minutes should do it.   Then grill for about 10 minutes.

Serve with grilled onions and sauerkraut …. German Potato Salad … And of course.. beer!

Recipe:  Beer Brats

All you need:

Bratwursts

1 large sweet onion, sliced

3 tablespoons butter

Enough beer to cover

Toppings

1 large sweet onion, sliced

Mustard

Sauerkraut

All you have to do:

Place the butter and brats in a large pot or Dutch oven.  Cover with beer.  Bring to a boil and immediately turn down the heat.  Simmer until cooked, about 10 minutes.  Reserve beer mixture.

Grill brats until golden in color and charred slightly.  Return the brats to the reserved beer mixture until ready to serve.

Meanwhile, grill onions in a grill pan with a little butter or oil.   Return the brats to the reserved beer mixture until ready to serve.

Serve on buns with toppings and a side German potato salad.

Jagerschnitzel

Today's post is a delicious recipe for a terrific German dish called Jagerschnitzel. Schnitzel is the basis for a number of schnitzel recipes. Jagerschnitzel has a wonderful mushroom sauce over the schnitzel. It’s often served with spaetzle (German dumpling noodles) or noodles.

A perfect recipe .. just in time for Oktoberfest!

TIPS

The recipe is very easy and can be made somewhat ahead if using this dish to entertain. The schnitzels can be kept warm and the sauce kept warm on the stove.

Don’t make the schnitzels too far in advance though as they will dry out in the oven. I wouldn’t keep them for more than an hour in the oven… lay a sheet of foil over them, don’t crimp the sides… you don’t want the warming plate to have steam and take away the crispiness of the schnitzel.

I hope you try this wonderful dish.








Recipe: Jagerschnitzel

All you need:

For the Schnitzel:

Thin veal, pork , or chicken cutlets
Plain bread crumbs (about 1 cup for 4-6 cutlets)
2 eggs with a dash of milk, beaten
Flour seasoned with salt and pepper (amount depends on the quantity of cutlets)… about ½ cup for 4-6 cutlets
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil

For the sauce:

2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, finely diced
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 ½ cups beef broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
½ cup sour cream

All you need to do:

To make the Schnitzel:

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.

Set up 3 bowls (wide bowls, if possible)

In one bowl, mix the flour, salt and pepper.

In another bowl, beat the eggs and milk until well combined.

In another bowl, add the bread crumbs.

Dip the cutlets, one at a time, first in the flour (make sure the entire cutlet is covered in flour).

Then dip the floured cutlet in the egg mixture.

Then dip the cutlet in the bread crumbs, covering the cutlet completely.

Place on a plate and repeat the steps until all cutlets have been breaded.

At this point, you can cover the cutlets and store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to fry them.

When ready to fry, heat a large skillet on medium high heat.

Add the butter and olive oil to the skillet. Do not let butter burn.

When the butter is melted, add the cutlets to the skillet.

Cook until the bottom is brown and crispy (about 3 minutes).

Flip the cutlets and cook the other side until brown and crispy (about two minutes).

Remove cutlets from the skillet and lay on paper towels to pat off excess grease.

Put the cutlets on a oven proof plate and keep warm in the preheated oven while you cook the remaining cutlets. Cover loosely with foil…. you don’t want moisture from the steam to make the cutlets lose their crispiness.

When ready to serve… pour a small amount of sauce over the schnitzels.

To make the sauce:

In a large skillet, over medium high heat, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter.

Add the onions and sauté until they’re translucent.

Add the mushrooms and cook an additional few minutes until the mushrooms are soft.

Add the cornstarch to the 1 ½ cups of beef broth (in the measuring cup)… with a fork, beat it until the cornstarch is incorporated.

Lower the heat to medium.

Pour the beef broth into the skillet and simmer until the sauce begins to thicken.

You just want it to gently simmer… adjust heat as necessary.

Lower the heat to low.

Stir in the sour cream and continue to cook over low heat until sauce is thickened.

Do not allow sauce to boil.

Spoon sauce over cutlets and serve.

Oktoberfest Time!

Picture from the Official Oktoberfest website - © Fotostudio Kubinska & Hofmann - to see more pictures from the festivities go to the official website.

So What Exactly is Oktoberfest?

In case you were wondering what Oktoberfest is.... it's a 16 day festival held each year in Munich, Germany. This Bavarian festival runs from late September to early October. The festival traditionally ends on the first Sunday in October. It officially starts with the tapping of the first barrel of Oktoberfest beer. The popular festival attracts more than six million people. 2013 is the 180th Oktoberfest. Cities around the world hold Okoberfests modeled after the Munich fest.

The festival features fabulous German foods, music and, of course, beer. Some of the foods traditionally served at Oktoberfests are roast pork, potato pancakes, sausages (Bratwurst and Weisswurst, to name two), Sauerbraten (a German style pot roast), spaetzle, red cabbage, pretzels, strudel and many more wonderful German dishes. There is even a tent that serves only veal.

According to Wikipedia,“the original Oktoberfest occurred in Munich, on October 18, 1810, for the commemoration of the marriage between the Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen.”

For more information about Oktoberfest, go to Wikipedia and the official Oktoberfest site.

I would recommend you go to the official Oktoberfest site… it's a guide to all that there is to experience... the foods, the beer, the rides, the beer, the crowds of people, the beer(I think you get the idea), and information about attending, in case I’ve inspired you to hop a plane and go there. If you do, you can get some nifty official 2013 Oktoberfest souvenirs .... and send me some pictures!

Growing up in New York, we attended a yearly Oktoberfest and I loved the foods, the music and the festive atmosphere, I do miss going to it.

So to celebrate Oktoberfest... here are some classic German recipes ...







For Breakfast...






Bauernfrühstück is a hearty German Farmer’s Breakfast…









German Apple Cake is a delicious apple-rich coffee cake with a hint of cinnamon.









Main Dishes...




Chicken Cutlets with Hunter's Sauce Schnitzel smothered in a brown savory sauce with vegetables









Schnitzel - What Oktoberfest would be without a Schnitzel?












Jagerschnitzel has a wonderful mushroom sauce over the schnitzel. It’s often served with spaetzle (German dumpling noodles) or noodles.







Side Dishes...



Spaetzle are little dough "balls" or dumplings that are boiled.. delicious with sauces, a German tradition.









Roesti Potatoes - a German and Swiss tradition made with shredded potatoes, sauteed onion and grated cheese, all fried in a little butter...







German Potato Salad - served warm in a vinegar based dressing with bacon and onion











Green Beans with Onion and Bacon - the name says it all












German Potato Pancakes - these are pancakes made from mashed potatoes and onion..seasoned and fried in a bit of butter










Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage










And now for the Desserts...



German Apple Strudel - layers of flaky buttery pastry around an apple filling, topped with some powdered sugar

Black Forest Cherry Cake - dense chocolate cake, sprinkled with Kirsch, layered with fresh whipped cream and cherry filling

Schweinohren - a delicate flaky pastry, lightly sweet, made with honey and butter