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 non-stick pan without any grease.
Sprinkle the German French Toast with roasted almonds before serving.
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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 (arborio)
1 tsp vanilla sugar
– How to Make 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
– 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.
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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.
You Might Like these Gravies from Maggi and Knorr (from Amazon)
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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: So Good!
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!
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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
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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.
Makes a Great Gift- No Subscription Needed
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Cherry Cream Dessert – Authentic German Recipe
The Cherry Cream dessert is a delicious combination of sour cherries, heavy cream, and Kirsch Schnaps. In the South of Germany, especially in the Black Forest, you can get the best Kirsch Schnaps and sour cherries. These cherries can be found in many German baking recipes such as cakes and pastries. They are very juicy and therefor great for this dessert. See our notes on using gelatin because you need it for making this delicious dessert. Happy Cooking!
Ingredients Cherry Cream Dessert
8 sheets red gelatin – if you cannot get them, use white gelatin and add some dark, real cherry or red grape juice for the red color
600 g sour cherries fresh or from the jar without pits (see below)
250 ml red wine
110 g sugar
10cl Kirsch Schnaps
6 sheets white gelatin
300 ml milk
3 egg yolks
1 whole egg
500 g heavy cream
2 tbsp grated chocolate
Cooking Instructions Cherry Cream Dessert
1. Soak red gelatin for about 10 minutes in water or red juice.
– Remove pit from fresh cherrie, combine with red wine and 2 tbsp sugar, and let simmer for 3 minutes.
– Drain canned cherries and warm them with red wine, then remove from stove.
2. Press all water out of the gelatin; dissolve gelatin in the cherries and add the Kirsch Schnaps.
– Fill into 6 decorative glasses and keep cool.
3. Soak the white gelatin.
– Slice vanilla bean and with the milk and remaining sugar bring to a boil.
– Remove the bean, scrape out the vanilla pulp, and add to the milk.
4. Make the egg-milk cream: Beat egg yolks and whole egg until foamy.
– Add to the hot milk – Important: Milk should not be boiling hot!
– Mix well.
– Dissolve the white gelatin in the milk. Keep it cool.
5. Beat the heavy cream until firm.
– The egg-milk cream will start to thicken, mix in carefully the firm heavy cream.
– Arrange the cream on top of the cherries, and sprinkle with grated chocolate; decorate with one whole cherry.
How to Use Gelatin Sheets and Substitute with Powdered Gelatin
You can successfully substitute sheet gelatin for powdered gelatin in any recipe by using the following scaling:
1 (0.25 oz.) envelope granulated gelatin = 1 tablespoon powdered gelatin = 3 sheets leaf gelatin.
The recipe is asking for red and clear gelatin sheets. It’s almost impossible to find red gelatin sheets in the USA. We recommend to use red juice and combine it with the gelatin.
Dr. Oetker has the best gelatin sheets here in the USA.
Gelatin sheets are the purest form of neutral gelatin available with a strong set. Use to make molds, aspics, fondants icing, chaud/froid (jelled white sauce to glaze hams, turkeys, etc.) and desserts. Perfect to top and seal homemade pâtés. Simply soak the sheets in cold water for one minute, squeeze, then add to boiling water or any other liquids. Cool and let set. When set, gelatin can stand at room temperature for several hours without weeping which makes it useful for a buffet setting.
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Rose Hip Jam – Hagebutten Marmelade
Find out how to make this special jam, that is so popular in Germany and you find it in almost any supermarket. Unfortunately not in the USA: Rose hip Jam or “Hagebutten Marmelade”. It’s some work to make it, you need to reserve 2 hours. But the outcome is a jam, that will be more than delicious. Happy Cooking!
More Info on Making Rosehip Jam
Ingredients Rosehip Jam
1.5 kg rose hips
½ lemon, juiced
apple or orange juice as needed
1 kg Gelierzucker – Gelling sugar or regular sugar
1-2 tsp cinnamon to taste
Instructions Rose Hip Jam
– Wash rose hips, cut of stems and blossom. Cut open and remove the seeds (Important – If you don’t remove the seeds, you must press the cooked rose hips through a sieve after the grinding process). Then wash again.
– Add 600-700ml water in a pan and cook them until they are tender, this can be 1 hour.
– Let cool of a bit. Use a so called “Flotte Lotte”, a food mill, to mash the rose hips. (see below) You can also use a grain mill grinder or a metal food grinder. Important is that the rose hips have to be grind very fine.
This should result in about 700 – 800 g mashed rose hips.
Find this Jam on LoveGermanFood.com
– Add as much apple juice is needed to get a creamy liquid. Also add a bit of orange juice, and lemon juice plus cinnamon.
– Now add the sugar, and best is to let sit overnight.
– Bring to a boil and let boil for 3 min.
– Rinse jam jars with boiling hot water, place them upside down on a clean kitchen cloth and while still hot, add the hot jam. Cover with a lid right away.
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