Flavours Of Germany

Sauerbraten

3 tablespoons pickling spice
2 onions, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
1 cup water
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup Burgundy
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 bay leaves
1 (4-pound) sirloin tip roast
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 cup crushed gingersnaps (about 12)

Tie pickling spice in a cheesecloth bag. Combine spice bag, onion, and next 7 ingredients in a shallow dish or large heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag; add roast. Cover or seal, and chill 8 hours, turning occasionally.

Remove roast from marinade, reserving marinade. Brown roast in hot oil in a Dutch oven. Remove roast, reserving drippings in pan. Whisk flour and sugar into reserved drippings, and cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, 2 minutes or until browned. Gradually stir in reserved marinade. Return roast to pan; bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 2 1/2 hours.

Discard spice bag and bay leaves. Remove roast, reserving drippings in pan; slice and keep warm. Stir gingersnaps into reserved drippings in Dutch oven; simmer, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Pour mixture through a colander into a bowl. Press vegetables through colander with back of a spoon. Serve gravy with roast. Makes 8 servings

Plum Strudel

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter or stick margarine, melted
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 cups thinly sliced plums (about 1 pound)
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup diced pitted prunes
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
8 sheets frozen phyllo pastry, thawed
Cooking spray
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon-sugar or granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine vegetable oil and butter in a custard cup or small bowls. Combine 3 tablespoons brown sugar, breadcrumbs, and ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Toss the plums, 1/4 cup brown sugar, prunes, and rind in a large bowl.

Place 2 phyllo sheets on a large cutting board or work surface (cover the remaining dough to keep from drying), and lightly brush with oil mixture. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons breadcrumb mixture. Repeat the layers with the remaining phyllo, oil mixture, and breadcrumb mixture, ending with phyllo.

Lightly coat the top phyllo sheet with cooking spray. Ar-range plum mixture over phyllo, leaving a 2-inch border. Starting at short edge, roll up phyllo jelly-roll fashion. (Do not roll tightly, or the strudel may split.) Place the strudel, seam side down, on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.

Lightly spray strudel with cooking spray; sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until golden. Cool for 10 minutes, and remove from pan. Cut with a serrated knife. Makes 8 servings

Rubbed Pork Loin with Apricot Glaze and Sauerkraut

1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (2-pound) boneless pork loin, trimmed
1 teaspoon olive oil
Cooking spray
1 cup sliced onion
2 teaspoons sugar
2 cups sauerkraut, drained
1/2 cup apricot preserves, divided
1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 425°. Combine garlic powder, cumin, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl; rub spice mixture evenly over pork. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork to pan; cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides.

Transfer pork to an 11 x 7–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Add onion and sugar to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until onion is lightly browned. Add drained sauerkraut to pan; sauté 1 minute. Arrange sauerkraut mixture around pork in baking dish. Brush pork with one third of apricot preserves. Pour 1/2 cup water over sauerkraut mixture.

Bake at 425° for 15 minutes. Brush pork with one-third of apricot preserves; bake for 10 minutes. Brush pork with remaining apricot preserves; bake for 10 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in center of pork registers 160° (slightly pink). Remove from oven, and let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with onion mixture. Makes 8 servings

Peach-Streusel Kuchen

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chilled stick margarine or butter, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon light-colored corn syrup
3 cups sliced peeled ripe peaches (about 2 pounds)

Preheat oven to 375°. Lightly spoon 1 1/3 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine with granulated sugar, baking powder, ginger, baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Combine yogurt and next 5 ingredients (yogurt through egg); add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spoon batter into a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray, spreading evenly.

Lightly spoon 3/4 cup flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine with brown sugar, cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cut in margarine and corn syrup with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Combine 1/2 cup streusel mixture and peaches in a bowl; arrange peach mixture evenly over batter. Sprinkle with remaining streusel mixture. Bake kuchen at 375° for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Makes 12 servings

Pfeffernüsse

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
2 cups sugar
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup chopped pecans

Beat butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Add cinnamon and next 3 ingredients, beating until blended. Add eggs, flour, and baking powder, beating well. Stir in pecans.

Drop dough by heaping teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 14 minutes. Remove cookies to wire racks to cool. Makes 6 1/2 dozen cookies