New German Cookbook: More Than 230 Contemporary and Traditional Recipes

Read an Excerpt

Veal Tenderloins in Riesling Sauce with Mushrooms and Pearl Onions (Kalbslende in Rieslingsauce mit Champignons und Perlzwiebeln)

Makes 4 to 6 servings

A marvelous family recipe from Beatrix Carolyn Schmitt of Hermannshof, the winery of Hermann Franz Schmitt in Nierstein on the Rhine. It couldn't be easier to prepare and is perfect for a small, elegant dinner, but you should have all ingredients measured and at the table ready before you begin. If the veal is to remain succulent, tender, and tinged with pink, it must be coddled: simmered very slowly in the sauce after the initial browning and turned often so it cooks evenly. You need nothing more to accompany than boiled rice (for sopping up every last drop of sauce), a crisp green salad, and a nicely chilled Riesling. Frau Schmitt makes her sauce with veal stock, but because few Americans have veal stock on hand, we've substituted—with excellent results—a half-and-half mix of beef and chicken broth.

Ingredients

2 center-cut veal tenderloins, each measuring about 6 inches long and 2 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter (1 3/4 pounds in all)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine
1/4 pound small mushrooms, trimmed and wiped clean
3/4 cup canned pearl or baby onions, drained and rinsed
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup rich beef broth (preferably homemade)
1/2 cup rich chicken broth (preferably homemade)
1 tablespoon tarragon or Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup Riesling or other dry white wine
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour blended with 3 tablespoonscold water (flour paste)
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh tarragon, or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried leaf tarragon, crumbled
3 tablespoons Cognac

Instructions

Sprinkle the veal evenly with half the salt and pepper and set aside. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a heavy 12-inch skillet over high heat. Let it foam up and subside, then add the veal and brown evenly on all sides; this will take about 5 minutes. Transfer the veal to a heated large plate, cover with foil, and keep warm.

Reduce the heat under the skillet to moderate, add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and, when it melts, stir in the mushrooms and onions and saute 1 minute, stirring often. Add the cream, beef and chicken broths, and mustard and boil, uncovered, stirring often, about 10 minutes, until reduced by half. Blend in the lemon juice, wine, and flour paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture bubbles up and thickens slightly.

Return the veal to the skillet together with any accumulated juices. Adjust the heat so the sauce bubbles very gently and cook, uncovered, for 30 to 35 minutes, turning the veal every 5 minutes, until an instant-register thermometer inserted in the center of a tenderloin registers 140 to 145degrees F (the veal will be pink but not rare).

Transfer the veal to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes. Meanwhile, raise the heat under the sauce to moderate, add the tarragon, Cognac, and remaining salt and pepper and boil, uncovered, for 5 minutes, until slightly thickened. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust as needed. Slice the tenderloins 1/2 inch thick and arrange in rows on a heated platter, overlapping the slices. Spoon some of the sauce over the veal and pass the rest in a gravy boat.

Cod with Sauerkraut and Tarragon Sauce (Kabeljaufilet mit Sauerkraut und Estragonsauce)

Makes 4 servings

By borrowing the breading and browning technique from, Wiener Schnitzel and by teaming two of Germany's mainstays—cod and sauerkraut—Chef Heinz Wehmann of Landhaus Scherrer in Hamburg has come up with something altogether unique. What follows is our adaptation of the restaurant recipe. Use only top-quality eggs from a reliable source for this recipe; the mayonnaise-like sauce may not reach the temperature (or stay at that temperature long enough) to kill salmonella bacteria, an ongoing problem in the American poultry industry.

Ingredients

Cod:
5 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine
4 slices bacon, snipped crosswise into 1/4-inch strips
1 medium-size yellow onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 pound fresh sauerkraut, drained well
1/2 cup Sekt (dry German champagne) or Riesling
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds skinned, 3/4-inch-thick cod or halibut fillets, cut into 4 pieces of equal size
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup unsifted all-purpose flour
2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup fine dry white bread crumbs
2 tablespoons corn or vegetable oil

Tarragon Sauce:

2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar2 extra-large egg yolks, well beaten
2/3 cup melted unsalted butter or margarine
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon, or 1 teaspoon dried leaf tarragon, crumbled

Instructions:

For the cod: Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a heavy 12-inch skillet over moderate heat. Add the bacon and saute 2 minutes, stirring often. Add the onion and saute 2 minutes, until limp. Add the sauerkraut, reduce the heat to moderately low, and saute 5 minutes, turning often until nicely glazed. Add the Sekt, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Season with the pepper, cover, remove from the heat, and set at the back of the stove to keep warm. Sprinkle both sides of each cod fillet with the salt and lemon juice, then dredge in the flour, shaking off any excess. Dip the dredged fillets into the beaten eggs, then into the bread crumbs, again shaking off the excess. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons butter and the oil in a large heavy skillet over moderately high heat for 1 1/2 minutes. Add the cod, reduce the heat to moderately low, and brown 4 to 5 minutes on each side; drain on paper toweling and keep warm.

For the tarragon sauce: Boil the vinegar, uncovered, in a 1/2 cup metal measure over moderate heat until reduced to 1/2 tablespoon; this will take about 2 minutes. Whisk the hot vinegar into the egg yolks, then add the melted butter drop by drop, whisking vigorously until the mixture begins to thicken. Continue adding the butter in a thin stream, whisking all the while. Mix in the salt and tarragon. Set the bowl of sauce in a large pan of simmering water—off the heat—and keep warm, whisking occasionally, while you arrange the platter.

To serve: Arrange the sauerkraut mixture on a heated platter, top with the cod, then a generous ladling of hot sauce. Pass any remaining sauce separately. Accompany with boiled potatoes.