This week I am focusing on Germany, so for one of my dishes I decided to make an apple strudel. Apple strudel has been a favorite dessert in many parts of Germany for hundreds of years. It’s usually reserved for special events, such as holidays or birthdays.
So, when you think of an apple strudel, it
doesn’t sound too complicated, right? Well, that’s what I thought too, and boy,
was I wrong about that. The recipe itself was super easy to follow, but my end
product was not the prettiest...
To start, I peeled and sliced 5 Granny
Smith apples (which took a good amount of time), and then softened them but
simmering them down with water and brown sugar. Next, I created the mixture
that I would be putting on each layer of the strudel – it consisted of
cinnamon, sugar, and chopped pecans. Then came the hard part. So, I used a type
of pastry known as phyllo dough. If you’re unfamiliar with what it is, it’s a paper-thin
dough that is extremely fragile. I layed down each sheet of the phyllo dough,
and sprinkled the nut mixture and brushed butter on top before repeating this 7
times. Up until this point, I thought I was doing pretty good. Now I had to put
a line of the apple mixture (consisted of golden raisins, brown sugar, and
apples) down the sheet. Well, apparently I put way too many apples because
after that I was supposed to roll the sheets into a log, which was impossible.
The bottom layer of the dough was beginning to rip, so if I knew that if I
tried to roll it, the whole thing would fall apart. So, to improvise, i just
decided to put another sheet on top of the apples, and top that with butter and
a sprinkle of brown sugar. Let me just say, it did not turn out to be the
prettiest thing. I’m not sure if it would even be categorized as a strudel,
although it did taste pretty good in the end.
Overall, I would rate the actual recipe a
6/10, because it didn’t give very good instructions on the amount of apples I
should have put in the center of the strudel. As for the taste, I would give it
an 8/10.
Pork and Sauerkraut:
For my second dish this week, I made a pork and sauerkraut recipe. Eating sauerkraut on New Year's Eve has been a tradition in Germany for hundreds of years. People believe that the dish brings wealth and blessings in the new year. Before the meal, those at the table wish one another as much money and happiness as the number of shreds of cabbage in the pot of sauerkraut. As for the pork portion of this meal, people believe that the pig symbolizes good luck and well-being. Therefore, many think that eating a meal with pork on New Years will bring luck in the new year.
The recipe that I used was super easy to follow, and only took a few minutes to prepare. I decided to slow cook my pork in a crock pot, to make it more tender. I used a 4 pound pork loin, and placed it in my crock pot. Then I sprinkled that with caraway seeds, which gave it a lot of flavor, and pepper. I diced up an apple, and put that in there, and then poured 2 bags of sauerkraut (and the juice) on top. Lastly, I sprinkled brown sugar on top of the sauerkraut, and drizzled it with melted butter. It cooked for a total of 8 hours (which made it the perfect thing to do on the snow day!). When it was time to eat , I served it with mashed potatoes (the traditional thing to do in Germany), as well as peas.
I would rate the recipe a 10/10, as it was very easy to follow. I would rate the taste 9 or 10/10. The pork was very flavorful, and I think that slow cooking it made it even better. I personally HATE sauerkraut, but the taste was absorbed by both the apple and pork in the crock pot, so it wasn't as bitter.
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Below is a video I watched prior to making my apple strudel. The chef in this video makes his own dough, unlike I did. Although, it was helpful to watch how he rolled the apples into the strudel, since I struggled with that. Check it out!
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