1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die: A Food Lover's Life List (79 page)

Where:
In New York
, Blaue Gans, tel 212-571-8880,
kg-ny.com/blaue-gans
; Café Sabarsky, tel 212-288-0665,
kg-ny.com/cafe-sabarsky
.
Retail and mail order:
In New York
, Schaller and Weber, tel 212-879-3047,
schallerweber.com
.

A native of the southwestern German province of Swabia that is known for its
kirschwasser
—the icy-clear firewater that is cherry brandy—the
Schwarzwälderkirschtorte
rose to prominence during the 1930s in Berlin’s pastry shops and became a favorite in bakeries and restaurants across Britain, America, Austria, and Switzerland in the late twentieth century.

Whatever variations this miraculously rich
and subtle sweet may inspire, know that all authentic versions include layers of moist, bittersweet chocolate cake sprinkled with fiery kirsch brandy and interspersed with drifts of whipped cream. The finishing touches, dottings of brandied cherries and chocolate shavings, result in a dessert that tastes every bit as good as it looks. Although aerated cream, poor-quality cooking chocolate, and canned cherries can conspire to give the spectacular-looking creation a bad name, the real thing is utterly, decadently irresistible.

Where:
In Baden-Baden
, Café König, tel 49/72-21-23573,
chocolatier.de/kh_koenig.php
;
in Munich and Dresden
, Kreutzkamm, tel 49/89-993-5570,
kreutzkamm.de
;
in Chicago
, Lutz Café and Pastry Shop, tel 877-350-7785,
chicago-bakery.com
;
in Houston
, Rudi Lechner’s, tel 713-782-1180,
rudilechners.com
.
Further information and recipes:
The German Cookbook
by Mimi Sheraton (2014);
Neue Cuisine: The Elegant Tastes of Vienna
by Kurt Gutenbrunner (2011);
The Cake Bible
by Rose Levy Beranbaum (1988);
saveur.com
(search black forest cherry cake anderson würz).
Tip:
The German Museum of Confectionery, in Kitzingen, Bavaria, Germany, has a small but thorough history of the Schwarzwälderkirschtorte; tel 49/93-21-92-94-35,
conditorei-museum.de
.

Stirring in rye flour brings out a nutty flavor.

The chewy nuggets of dough called spätzle are made with nothing more than flour, eggs, and water, or sometimes milk. But form is everything where German noodles are concerned, and well-made spätzle must be tiny and ethereally light if they are to serve as vehicles for the rich gravies and drippings of the northern European kitchen. Mostly served as a side dish, the diminutive savories are perfect foils for the juices of roasted meats and game.

Their simple dough requires no kneading, tossing, resting, or rolling, but it must be pressed through a sieve or colander, or better yet through a dedicated spätzle press, directly into salted boiling water—an acquired skill. When sufficiently cooked, after only a few minutes, the adorable little dumplings float to the top, ready to be drained. Then the noodles may be sautéed in hot butter until golden, or tossed in butter with herbs such as dill, chives, or parsley and spices like nutmeg and mace.

A centuries-old staple in Germany and Austria, spätzle are believed to have taken their name from one of two origins: the word
spatzen
in the southern German dialect, meaning sparrow; or the Italian
spezzare
, “to cut into pieces.” Whatever their etymological origin, the heart of spätzle land indisputably lies in southern Germany’s Black Forest. Fortunately the chewy mini-dumplings appear on fashionable menus wherever there is good gravy to be sopped up.

Where:
In Berlin
, Weinschenke Weinstein, tel 49/30-441-1842,
weinstein.eu
;
in New York
, at the restaurants of Kurt Gutenbrunner, including Wallsé, tel 212-352-2300, Blaue Gans, tel 212-571-8880, and Café Sabarsky, tel 212-288-0665, all at
kg-ny.com
;
in Kansas City, MO
, Grünauer, tel 816-283-3234,
grunauerkc.com
;
in Milwaukee
, Mader’s, tel 414-271-3377,
madersrestaurant.com
; Karl Ratzsch’s, tel 414-276-2720,
karlratzsch.com
;
in Seattle
, Lecosho, tel 206-623-2101,
lecosho.com
;
in San Francisco
, Suppenküche, tel 415-252-9289,
suppenkuche.com
;
in Santa Monica, Venice, and Culver City/Mar Vista, CA
, Röckenwagner,
rockenwagner.com
.
Mail order:
For spätzle presses,
germandeli.com
(search spaetzle press);
deutscheshaus.cc
(search spaetzle press); amazon.com (search westmark classic round noodle maker; danesco stainless spaetzle maker).
Further information and recipes:
Neue Cuisine: The Elegant Tastes of Vienna
by Kurt Gutenbrunner (2011);
cookstr.com
(search spaetzle dumplings hensperger);
smittenkitchen.com
(search spaetzle).

Named for the streusel, or crumbs, that make up its crisp and buttery, cinnamon-scented topping,
streuselkuchen
is the ultimate in comforting coffee cakes. A heavenly match for a cup of hot coffee, it also goes well with strong tea or hot chocolate for a felicitous breakfast or an afternoon lift. Baked in individual portions called crumb buns, it is ubiquitous in Germany’s coffee stands and shops, as it once was in U.S. diners.

Pastry indulgences are generally devised for richness and complexity, the gooier and creamier and sweeter the better. By comparison, this subtly addictive cake looks basically harmless and almost dull, like a flat sponge or pound cake with a golden brown crumb topping. At its best and most authentic, it will be a yeast cake, developing ripe and winey overtones as it rises modestly. Butter and the grated zest of lemons and oranges bestow a sunniness that’s a pleasing match to the cake’s fine, spongy texture, to which the butter, flour, and cinnamon-sugar crumbs add a satisfying crunch.

The crumb cakes and buns available commercially outside of Germany are rarely made of a yeast dough, which takes time to be proofed. An easy, fast, and fairly convincing substitute for the home baker is
blitzkuchen
, or lightning cake, for which baking powder produces the rise.

Where:
In Berlin
, Weichardt-Brot, tel 49/30-873-8099,
weichardt.de
; Café Buchwald, tel 49/30-391-5931,
konditorei-buchwald.de
;
in Munich and Dresden
, Kreutzkamm, tel 49/89-993-5570,
kreutzkamm.de
;
in Baden-Baden
, Café König, tel 49/7221-23573,
chocolatier.de/kh _koenig.php
;
in Vienna
, Demel, tel 43/1-535-17-17-0,
demel.at
;
in New York
, Café Sabarsky, tel 212-288-0665,
kg-ny.com/cafe-sabarsky
;
in Chicago
, Lutz Café and Pastry Shop, tel 877-350-7785,
chicago-bakery.com
;
in Santa Monica, Venice, and Culver City/Mar Vista, CA
, Röckenwagner,
rockenwagner.com
.
Further information and recipes:
The German Cookbook
by Mimi Sheraton (2014);
germanfood.about.com
(search streuselkuchen sheet cake);
epicurious.com
(search streusel kuchen).

Succulently moist pork captured in white-diamond aspic is the basis for three delicious Austro-German specialties that are especially popular in Berlin. Most authentically the gel is a result of boiling pig’s feet into a stock.

Sülzkotelette,
or pork chops in aspic, is by far the most elegant of the three, a refreshing main course in warm weather or a stylish course for a late supper. Tender loin chops are set in their gelatin-rich stock, which hints of onion, root vegetables, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Turned out of cutlet molds onto frizzy greens, they are garnished with cooked carrots, hard-cooked eggs, and freshly grated horseradish.

Sülze,
or headcheese, is a luminous gel capturing boneless bits of mostly tender and flavorful pork’s head meat—tongue, cheeks, and all—much like French
tête de veau
and
jambon persillé.
Sülze is usually sliced from gelled loaves, and is verdant with parsley and perky with onions and garlic. Gherkins and tiny pickled white onions complement the amber gel, as does a touch of hot mustard.

Saure sülze,
jellied or pickled pigs’ feet, tend to be favorites of hearty beer drinkers. If meat is usually sweetest closest to the bone, this meat must be a confection—plenty of bones here. Also sometimes made with calves’ feet, these bay leaf–, black pepper–, and white vinegar–accented snacks are often found at bars in traditional beer halls.

Retail and mail order:
In New York
, Schaller and Weber, tel 212-879-3047,
schallerweber.com
(search headcheese; click Find & Buy for sources in the U.S.);
in Wheeling, IL
, Stiglmeier Sausage Co., tel 800-451-8199,
stiglmeier.com
(search sulze; head cheese).
Further information and recipes:
The German Cookbook
by Mimi Sheraton (2014);
Lüchow’s German Cookbook
by Jan Mitchell (1996);
Gourmet’s Old Vienna Cookbook
by Lillian Langseth-Christensen (1959);
ifood.tv
(search schwein sulze).

The word
waldmeister
translates to “master of the wood.”

Along with asparagus, new peas, and woodland strawberries, woodruff (also known as
Galium odoratum
or
waldmeister
) is a favorite harbinger of springtime in Germany, where it is enjoyed in a cooling ice or punch
throughout the summer. The herb, bedecked with starry white flowers and elegantly long, slim green leaves, grows wild in forests and does well as a ground cover in shaded gardens. With a flavor suggesting newly mown hay and dewy fresh air, it is highly prized as a flavoring for white wine punches, or
bowle
, drinks based on Mosel and Champagne (most typically the
Maibowle
, a May Day specialty). You’ll also see it stuffed into sachets to perfume linens; in a pillowcase, woodruff is said to ensure sweet dreams.

The dried woodruff available in herb shops is an ethereal ingredient for sophisticated diamond-yellow ices that renew the palate between courses or provide a refreshing finish to a heavy meal. To prepare the ices, woodruff sprigs are steeped in a combination of sugar syrup and fruity white apple or grape wine, or a prepared woodruff syrup is used. Brightened with orange and lemon juice and strained before being frozen, the mixture is garnished with strawberries for a roseate finish.

Mail order:
For woodruff plants,
whiteflowerfarm.com
(search sweet woodruff); amazon.com (search dried woodruff; for seeds, search 20 sweet woodruff asperula; for syrup, search tri top sirup waldmeister).
Further information and recipes:
Gourmet’s Old Vienna Cookbook
by Lillian Langseth-Christensen (1959);
youtube.com
(search waldmeistereis woodruff ice).