Arme Ritter – German Breakfast Casserole
The German French Toast, or “Arme Ritter” in German, is a traditional dish that can be traced back to the Romans. In the antique cooking book De re coquinariayou can find this recipe:
„Zerbrich abgeriebene Siligenen (= Winterweizengebäcke), mache größere Häppchen, tauche sie in Milch, röste sie in Öl, übergieße sie mit Honig und serviere sie.“ (Break winter-wheat bread, make bigger pieces, dip in milk, roast in oil, pour over with honey and serve.)
The oldest German recipe was found in the 14th century in the book “guter spyse” (good food) that is quoted in the German dictionary of the Grimm brothers with: „snit denne aht snitten arme ritter und backe die in smalze niht zu trüge.“
In a German cook book from 1691 the German French Toast is called “Gueldene Schnitten” which means golden slices.
In England they are called Poor Knights of Windsor, in USA French Toast, in France pain perdu, and in Spain torrijas. Arme Ritter is great for the brunch, breakfast or as a sweet dish only.
This recipe is using vanilla pudding and it is baked in the oven as a casserole (Auflauf in German) which is not the original recipe. Please keep this in mind.
Find the original recipe here: Arme Ritter Recipe – plain and simple – Happy Cooking!
Ingredients Arme Ritter – German Breakfast Casserole
(serves 4)
1 jar sour cherries
1/2 package Dr. Oetker Vanilla pudding (0.75 oz) or cornstarch and vanilla extract
3 eggs, medium
1 package vanilla sugar, 0.5 oz – How to make Vanilla Sugar –
dash salt, powdered sugar for dusting
450 ml milk
3 tbsp sugar
8 thicker slices of wheat toast (white)
25 g almonds, sliced
Cooking Instructions
– Drain cherries, keep the juice.
– Mix pudding powder with 5 tbsp juice, mix until smooth.
– Bring remaining juice to a boil and add the pudding powder.
– Let simmer for 1 minute, than add the cherries and let cool off a bit.
– Mix eggs, 200 ml milk, sugar and salt. Beat them thoroughly.
– Cut bread slices diagonal and turn them briefly in the eggs.
– Place the bread slices and cherry compote into a fire proof form in layers.
– Pre-heat oven to 200 C or 350 F.
– Finally add remaining eggs to the form.
– Bake for 15-20 minutes (cover with foil the last minutes if it should get too brown).
– Roast almonds in a skillet without any grease.
Sprinkle the German French Toast with roasted almonds before serving.
Apple Rice Casserole – Apfelreis
For many Germans in the USA this was a dish from their childhood in Germany. The sweet dish Apple Rice Casserole – Apfelreis is still a favorite and very popular. In German we call it a “Auflauf”. You would use layers of short grain rice and apples for making it. Using long grain rice is not the same, and it will turn out differently, so it’s not recommended. The rice that is used for making the Milchreis is rounded, and will be sticky when cooked. Tastes awesome with other fruit such as sour cherries, plums or apricots. Happy Cooking!
Ingredients Apple Rice Casserole – Apfelreis
1 liter milk, 1 dash salt
zest from 1 organic lemon and lemon juice
250 g Milchreis or short grain rice
1 tsp vanilla sugar
60 g butter
3 eggs
80 g sugar
3 tbsp raisins (optional)
4 apples or alternatively 1 jar sour cherries
additional butter flakes
Cooking Instructions Apple Rice Casserole – Apfelreis
– Combine milk with rice, salt and lemon zest in a pan. Bring to a boil and cook on reduced heat until it is mushy (stay with rice cooking instructions).
– Let cool off a bit.
– Peel apples, remove core, cut in halves, then in quarter, and finally in small pieces. Drip with lemon juice, and if you use raisins, mix them with apples.
– Combine butter, sugar and egg yolks, and mix until bubbly. Spoon by spoon add the rice.
– Beat egg white until firm. Fold into the rice.-
– Place layers of rice and apples in a casserole. Start with rice and end with rice.
– Place butter flakes on top.
– Bake in pre-heated oven on 370 F for 45 min.
– It’s ready when the upper layer has a golden brownish color.
German Potato Goulash – Kartoffelgulasch
Here’s another yummy German dish that is quite popular: You will love the German Potato Goulash dish. It doesn’t contain beef but sausages and potatoes. This Eintopf or stew is spiced with paprika, marjoram and caraway seeds, and can be served with some fresh bread. It’s very easy to make. Happy Cooking!
Ingredients German Potato Goulash
(serves 4)
6 bigger potatoes
75 g Speck (bacon)
1 tbsp lard or sunflower/canola oil
2 smaller onions
1/2 green or red pepper
2 tbsp tomato paste
salt to taste
1 tbsp mild paprika seasoning
marjoram, caraway seeds to taste
1/2 l beef or vegetable broth – How to make Beef Broth –
1 German pickle – optional
2 tbsp sour cream
3 sausages (Frankfurter, Wiener sausage)
Cooking Instructions German Potato Goulash
– Peel potatoes and onions. Chop onions fine, Cut potatoes in smaller cubes.
– Heat lard/oil in a pan, add onions, saute for 1-2 min, then add potatoes. Reduce heat to medium.
– Fry for about 5 min.
– Add tomato paste, mix well.
– Spice with salt, pepper, paprika, marjoram and caraway seeds.
– Add the broth.
– On low heat let simmer covered for 10-15 min.
– Cut pepper in half, remove seeds, cut in cubes. Add to the goulash.
– If you like add the chopped pickle as well.
– Cook for another 10 min.
– Add the sour cream, cut sausages in slices and add to the Goulash.
Serve in 2-3 minutes when sausages are warm.
German Beer Bread – Original Bavarian Recipe
German Beer Bread is the best to be made with German beer and especially the Bavarian beer from Hofbrau which is one of the oldest breweries in Bavaria. Here is a little history of the Hofbrauhaus: The Hofbrauhaus was founded in 1589 by Herzog Wilhem V.
Since then the brewery and the Brauhaus are a historical location in Munich. Hofbrau are part of the Bavarian history and it is a 400 year old tradition to brew this beer that is been served at the annual Oktoberfest. We all know it by its abbreviation “HB”. Indeed it is part of Bavaria and the beer has created a life style with the beer garden, the food and the “Gemutlichkeit”.
The First Oktoberfest
Bavarian king Maximilian I. demonstrated that he is a generous man when his son Ludwig was going to marry Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. For this wedding he sponsored a gigantic celebration for 40.000 visitors; it was in fact the first Oktoberfest and happened on October 17, 1810. The sensation of the fest was the horse race on a meadow in front of the city, and from that date on it was called the “Theresienwiese” (Wiese = Meadow), and from that day on, it had been decided that such a fest should be occurring every year.
It was the starting day of the famous Oktoberfest and it is happening yearly on the “Wies’n”, the former Theresienwiese. 2 years later, in 1812, a special beer was created: The Oktoberfest Beer. It is of a dark yellow color, and is more spiced, and contains more alcohol than the regular beer. Since then the Oktoberfest beer from Hofbrau has been the world most famous beer worldwide.
Germany is known for being the country with the best beer. It is because of the water they use, the hops and of course of their traditional recipes that are kept secret for hundreds of years. The beer does not contain any chemicals, nor unnatural ingredients. It is brewed per the rules that are quite strict in Germany (Reinheitsgesetz).
It is not strange that the German cook with beer! We found a recipe to make bread and the main ingredient is beer. Happy Cooking! And Prosit!
Ingredients German Beer Bread
360 g whole grain flour (rye, wheat or a mix of flours)
1 tsp baking powder (Dr Oetker)
1 tsp salt
1-2 tbsp honey (or to taste)
375 ml light beer such as original Hofbrau or Lager or any other light German beer
some melted butter
Baking Instructions German Beer Bread
– Pre-heat oven to 190°C or 375 F.
– Grease a bread baking form of size: 4 x 9 inches with butter. Or layer with parchment paper.
– In a big bowl mix all dry ingredients very well, add the honey and then the beer. You could also dissolve the honey in the beer.
– Stir a little bit but not too much, this is fatal. You need to have some clumps in the dough. Use a wooden spoon (no mixer) and stir several times.
– Pour dough in baking form and bake it for 30-45 minutes, should have a light brown crust.
– Remove from the oven, and increase temperature to 220 C or 425 F.
– Place the bread on a baking tray (must not be in the form) and because the bread is hot any butter will melt right away, so spread the butter generously over the top and sides. This creates a nice crust.
– Place back in oven and bake for another 5-10 minutes.
Available from Sept 1 – Oct 30
Tips
If you don’t like it sweet reduce honey or don’t use sweetener at all.
Dissolve the honey in the beer. The taste might be different according to the beer you are using. A light beer is recommended that is not too strong in taste.
Don’t use Guiness, Bock beer or ale.
Add if you like ham, onions, or garlic to the dough.
Poached Eggs in Mustard Sauce – Verlorene Eier
This German egg dish – Poached eggs in Mustard Sauce – is coming from the good old times when meat was rare or too expensive. It’s a recipe from grandmothers cooking book and what do you know, it’s still popular. It’s called in German “Verlorene Eier” because the eggs have lost their shell. Some call this dish also “Saure Eier” because you use vinegar.
It used to be a very popular dish in East Germany. It’s a good combination, the poached eggs and the mustard sauce, rounded up with boiled potatoes (we recommend Gold potatoes). Happy Cooking!
Ingredients Poached Eggs in Mustard Sauce
1 small onion
40 g butter
40 g flour
500 ml water
3 tbsp German mustard
– All About German Mustard -How to Use it in Cooking –
1 tsp lemon juice
4 fresh eggs
1 liter water
4 tbsp white wine vinegar
salt, pepper to taste
German Mustard from Develey: Mild, Hot or Sweet – which one do you like?
Cooking Instructions Poached Eggs in Mustard Sauce
– Chop onion fine.
– Melt butter, saute onion until transparent.
– Add flour, mix very well until you get a slightly yellowish substance. Then add 500ml cold water.
– Bring while mixing to a boil.
– Add mustard and lemon juice, spice with salt and pepper to taste.
– Bring 1 liter water to a boil, add vinegar and 1 tsp salt.
– Crack one egg in a cup.
– Very carefully let the egg slide into the boiling water. Repeat with each egg.
– Reduce heat, and let simmer for 5 min.
– Remove eggs with a slotted spoon and place on a plate.
Serve the poached eggs with the mustard sauce and boiled potatoes.
TIPS
This recipe is using a lot of water. Always make sure that you use purified and good water. Here is a recommendation: The Berkey filter.
I am using this filter since a long time and it’s the best water I’ve ever had, and I tried many filter systems. All the water that I need for cooking will be going through this filter. The coffee and tea tastes better, the drinking water has no strange after-taste anymore. The other good thing is, this filter system is portable. So it’s 100 percent hassle free. No special connections needed. And they have good deals. Check it out!
320×100 Lifestyle
RECIPE VARIATIONS
You can add any German mustard or make a mix out of hot and mild mustard.
Add 1 tbsp vinegar to the sauce.
Use instead of onions German speck (bacon) or use both, onions and Speck.
If you feel you can’t poach the eggs so that they won’t fall apart, we recommend to use an egg poaching tool.
Berkey System Collection
Contains German Mustard
Easy German Apple Streusel Cake
This easy German apple streusel cake is one of our favorite cakes (streusel means crumbles). It can be varied with the Damson plums, peaches or apricots. It is the ultimate “Kaffee and Kuchen Cake” in Germany – what we call a typical coffee cake. The cake is easy to make, even baking beginners can be proud of themselves. Give it a shot. This is a proven recipe from Germany. Happy Baking!
Ingredients Easy German Apple Streusel Cake
Dough
300 g flour
200 g butter
1 egg
100 g sugar
lemon juice
1 package vanilla sugar, 0.28oz
OR
– How to make Vanilla Sugar –
1 dash salt and 1 tsp baking powder (preferably Dr Oetker, not baking soda)
Baking Made Easy – German Streusel Cake Baking Mix
Topping
5 medium sized apples
cinnamon to taste
For the Streusel (Crumbles): 200 g flour, 200 g butter, 200 g sugar
Baking Instructions Easy German Apple Streusel Cake
– Combine all ingredients for the dough, mix until everything is combined well, then knead dough until it has a firm consistency, it should not fall apart.
– Form to a ball.
– Wrap dough in foil and keep cool for at least 30 min.
– Peel apples, remove core, slice them, mix with cinnamon. Sprinkle with lemon juice (prevents browning).
– Layer a deep baking dish (Height 2 inches, Length 16 inches) with parchment paper or grease it thoroughly with butte and dust with flour generously.
– Gently press the dough into the baking dish with a rim that is about 1 inch high.
– Pre-heat oven to 350F.
– Place apples on top of the dough.
– For the streusel combine all ingredients, mix until you get a crumbly dough.
– Evenly spread the crumbles on apples.
– Bake in pre-heated oven for 20-30 min on 350 F (175C). The baking time depends on your oven.
Authentic German Cabbage Soup with Croutons
This is a delicious German cabbage soup for all seasons. Soem say it’s a soup for fall and winter but honestly, I think it doesn’t matter. Nevertheless cabbage is a popular fall/winter vegetable in Germany and can be used for many German recipes such as the German cabbage soup with heavy cream. Cabbage contains a lot of Vitamin C and can be preserved easily or make your own Sauerkraut – How to make Sauerkraut – Happy Cooking!
Ingredients German Cabbage Soup
1kg white cabbage
60 g butter
80 g bacon cubes (German Speck cubes)
1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp caraway seeds
200 ml dry white wine
1 liter vegetable broth (instant or home made) – How to make Vegetable Broth –
200 ml heavy cream
2-3 potatoes, medium size
salt, pepper to taste
4 slices farmers bread or baguette bread
5 tbsp chopped chives
Cooking Instructions German Cabbage Soup
– Cut cabbage in quarters, remove hard parts and cut it in 1 inch wide stripes.
– Heat butter, add speck, sugar and caraway seeds with cabbage and saute it until transparent.
– Fill up with wine, broth and heavy cream, spice with salt and pepper.
– Peel potatoes and grate them, mix into soup, cover with a lid and let it simmer for 25 minutes.
– Cut bread into small cubes and fry it in a skillet in 1 tsp of butter until golden colored.
– Cut chives in small pieces and when soup is done sprinkle over soup on top of croutons.
For your German Breakfast
German Fried Potatoes Berlin Style
This is a recipe for German Fried Potatoes Berlin Style or “Bratkartoffeln Berliner Art” as they make it in the capital of Germany, Berlin. Recommended are potatoes such as the yellow Gold or red potatoes, Russet are cooking too soft and fall apart. Serve with your favorite sausages or Frikadellen (German Burgers). Happy Cooking!
Ingredients German Fried Potatoes
(serves 4-5)
2,5 kg potatoes
1 small-medium sized onion (chopped)
5-7 thicker cut slices of bacon (Speck) and cut in small cubes
salt, pepper, red sweet paprika powder (optional)
butter or clarified butter for frying
Cooking Instructions German Fried Potatoes
– Melt butter in a non-stick skillet.
– Fry chopped onions and cubed bacon until they are light brown.
– Peel potatoes, cut in halves and then in thin slices.
– Add potatoes to onions and bacon and fry them on medium-low heat for about 30 minutes. Turn potatoes as needed. Make sure there is enough grease in the pan. Add more if needed.
– Spice with salt and pepper to taste.
Tip:
If you like the potatoes crunchy dust or turn the potato slices before frying in a bowl with flour; then fry them.
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