Mohnhörnchen From Classic German Baking Food

MOHNHöRNCHEN FROM CLASSIC GERMAN BAKING

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• To make the rolls:.
• If using fresh yeast, crumble the yeast into a small bowl. Sprinkle in the sugar and salt. (If using instant yeast, stir the yeast, sugar, salt, and flour together in a bowl and proceed to Step 4.).
• Melt the butter and combine with the milk. The mixture should be lukewarm. Whisk in the egg.
• If using fresh yeast, pour the egg mixture into the bowl with the yeast mixture and add the flour. (If using instant yeast, pour the egg mixture into the bowl with the flour mixture.) Stir together until shaggy; dump out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and silky. If the dough seems too sticky, you can add up to 2 tablespoons more flour, but no more; you want the dough to stay as soft as possible.
• Form the dough into a ball and place back in the bowl. Cover with a clean dishcloth and place in a warm, draft-free spot to rise for 1 hour.
• Punch down the dough and knead briefly. Divide the dough into 10 equal portions (about 3 ounces/85g each). Roll out each portion of dough into a triangle that is about 8 inches/20cm long on each side. Starting with a long side (not a tip), roll up each piece and form into a crescent roll with the tip secured underneath. Place the rolls on the prepared baking sheet. Alternatively, you can roll the original ball of dough out to a 15-inch/38cm round and cut the round into 10 equal wedges. Roll up the wedges and form them into crescents. Cover the baking sheet with the dishcloth and place in a warm, draft-free spot for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C.
• When the rolls have proofed again, make the topping: Beat the egg yolk with the milk for an egg wash. Remove the dishcloth and brush the rolls thinly with the egg wash. Sprinkle the poppy seeds over them.
• Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until the rolls are a rich golden brown. They will be very soft to the touch. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let cool on a rack for 15 minutes before serving. The rolls are best eaten the day they are made.
• Recipe courtesy of CLASSIC GERMAN BAKING by Luisa Weiss. Get the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Classic-German-Baking-Pfeffernüsse-Streuselkuchen/dp/1607748258.

VANILLE HOERNCHEN (GERMAN CHRISTMAS COOKIES)

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients except powdered sugar together in a medium mixing bowl.
• Knead by hand until dough comes together.
• Don't over knead it.
• Seperate dough into about 30 segments.
• Form each segment into a half moon or cresent shape.
• Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Bake 10-12 minutes until they're golden colored.
• Roll the cookies in the powdered sugar while they're still hot or dust them with the powdered sugar while still on the cookie sheet.
• It is important that you do this while they're still warm or the sugar won't stick.
• Put on wire rack to cool.

MONT BLANC TARTS FROM SWEET

Steps:

• To make the flaky pastry:.
• Place the flour, butter, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times, until it is the consistency of fine breadcrumbs, then add the vinegar and water. Continue to pulse for a few seconds, then transfer to a work surface. Shape into a ball and flatten into a disk, cover in plastic wrap and set aside in the fridge for 1 hour (or up to 3 days).
• Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.
• When ready to roll out, allow the pastry to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes (if it has been in the fridge for more than a few hours) and place on a lightly floured work surface. Roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch/3 mm thick and cut out eight circles, 5 1/2 inches/14 cm wide. Reroll the dough, if necessary, to get eight circles.
• Transfer one circle at a time to the 3 1/2-inch/9-cm-wide and 1-inch/3-cm-deep fluted tart pans and gently press the pastry into the corners of the pan; you want it to fit snugly and for there to be a decent amount of pastry hanging over the edge of the pan, as the pastry can shrink a little when baked. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.
• Line the pastry shells in the pans with parchment paper or paper liners and fill with rice or dried beans. Bake for 18 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown at the edges. Remove the rice and paper and bake for another 8 minutes, or until the shell is golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely on the baking sheet. Once cool, trim the shell (so that it can be removed from the pans) and set aside until ready to fill.
• Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• To make the candied pecans:.
• Combine the maple syrup, corn syrup and granulated sugar in a small saucepan and place over a low heat. Stir gently until the sugar has melted, then add the pecans and salt. Stir so that the nuts are coated in the syrup, then tip the nuts onto the lined baking sheet. Place in the oven for about 8 minutes, or until the syrup is bubbling around the nuts. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and set aside until completely cooled. When the nuts are cooled, the glaze should be completely crisp; if not, return them to the oven for a few minutes more. Once cooled, break or roughly chop the nuts into 1/4 -inch/0.5-cm pieces and set aside until ready to use.
• To make the filling:.
• Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure that the base of the bowl is not touching the water. Stir occasionally until melted, then use a pastry brush to coat the inside of each tart shell with the chocolate. Set aside for about 30 minutes, to set, then fill with enough chestnut spread so that it rises about halfway up the sides of the tart shells.
• To make the vanilla whipped cream:.
• Pour the cream into the bowl of an electric mixer with the whisk attachment in place. Add the confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and brandy and beat on high speed for 1 minute, or until medium-soft peaks form.
• Divide the whipped cream among the tarts, so that it is slightly domed on top of the chestnut spread. Sprinkle the candied pecans generously on top-you might have a tablespoon or two left over, but these can be saved to munch on, to sprinkle over your next bowl of breakfast granola or porridge, or to use in the Knickerbocker Glory-and serve.
• Equipment:.
• You will need eight mini fluted tart pans, about 3 ½ inch/9 cm wide and 1 inch/3 cm deep. Alternatively, you can make this in one large fluted tart pan, around 10 inches/25 cm wide and 1 inch/3 cm deep.
• Make Ahead:.
• The pastry can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept in the fridge (covered in plastic wrap) until ready to roll. It can also be frozen for up to 2 months. The candied pecans can be made up to 5 days in advance and kept in an airtight container.
• Storage:.
• Once assembled, the tarts are best eaten on the day they are baked.
• Recipe courtesy of SWEET by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh.
• Get the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Desserts-Londons-Ottolenghi-Yotam/dp/1607749149/.

KLARE OCHSENSCHWANZSUPPE

Steps:

• Rinse the oxtail under cold running water and pat dry.
• Cut into pieces.
• Wash and finely chop the other soup vegetables.
• Heat the butter in a large pot and brown the oxtail and bacon.
• Add ALL the vegetables into pot and cook 2-4 more minutes.
• Add peppercorns, allspice berries, clove, bay leaf, salt and water and bring to a boil.
• Simmer until all ingredients are cooked.
• Strain the soup through a sieve (Add back some water if to much has evaporated).
• Skim the fat off top of soup (I like to chill broth to remove the fat then reheat and contuine).
• Strain the soup through a cloth.
• Remove meat off bones and cut into small pieces and return meat to the pan.
• Season with salt, pepper, lemon juice, red wine and sugar.