October is for Apples and Oktober Fest

   When I think of October, I think of fall, the changing of the leaves, the colors,  and lots of good

cooking.  :D  Winter Squash is so tasty,  lots of apples to use in almost anything we can imagine or

our mind can concieve.  If I ever moved from Florida I would love to move to a place where apple trees were abundant.  As long as I don't have to deal with the snow :D.  In Ohio,  we have apples trees, pear trees,  and snow  :-(   not what I had in mind.  

     October is also known for  OKTOBER FEST :D   Lots of great German Recipes with apples,

bratwurst,  saurkraut,  if you are looking for great german recipes,  mine are authentic, unfortunatly my aunt and cousins did not pass their recipes on to me.  Mine?  Cookbooks,  Stephen Block has his grandmothers recipes and I have made some of his.  I have learned alot from him.  

     I would like to share,  Authentic German recipes, with you so you too can celebrate OKTOBERFEST.

APPLE STRUDEL (  APFELSTRUDEL )

Authentic strudel is made with strudel dough, a labor-intensive, paper-thin dough. To simplify things, we've used store-bought phyllo dough, which is widely available and relatively easy to work with.

INGREDIENTS

Crumb mixture: 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons 1 cup fresh bread crumbs 1/3 cup sliced almonds Apple filling: 1 1/2 pounds (about 4 apples) Granny Smith apples, peeled, halved, cored and very thinly sliced 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1/3 cup golden raisins 1/2 cup granulated sugar Assembly: 8 sheets phyllo dough (each sheet measuring 12" x 17") 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted Confectioners' sugar for sprinkling

PREPARATION:

1.)   Make crumb mixture: In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add bread crumbs and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until crumbs are golden brown. Stir in the sliced almonds and set aside to cool. 

2.)   Make filling: Place apples slices in large bowl and toss with lemon zest, lemon juice and raisins. Add sugar and toss to coat. 

3.)   Assemble strudel: Position a rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lay a sheet of phyllo on a clean work surface. Lightly brush sheet with butter. Sprinkle with 2 1/2 tablespoons bread crumb mixture.

4.)  Layer remaining 7 sheets phyllo over first, buttering and sprinkling each one with bread crumb mixture. Spoon apple compote evenly down long side of phyllo, about 2" from bottom edge and 1" in from both sides. 

5.)   Fold bottom edge and side flaps over filling and roll up phyllo jelly roll-style. 

6.)   Transfer strudel to baking sheet and brush it lightly with melted butter. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until crisp and golden. Remove strudel from oven and let cool on baking sheet on wire rack for 10 minutes. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve, sliced, with whipped cream.

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APPLE PANCAKES ( APFELPFANNKUCHEN )

makes 3 apple pancakes

Set out a 10 inch skillet

wash , quarter core and pare 3 small firm cooking apples ( about 2 1/2 cups sliced )

Thinly slice the apples.  

2 tablespoons of sugar

1 teaspoon of cinnamon 

1/2 cup sifted flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

4 eggs

1/3 cup milk

6 tablespoons of butter

confectioners sugar

Heat in the skillet over low heat,  1/4 cup of butter.

Add the apple slices, cover and  cook over medium heat until apples are almost tender,

moving and turning slices with a wooden spoon serveral times during cooking. 

  When apple slices are almost tender, sprinkle, 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.

continue  cooking uncovered until apples are just tender.  Turn apple mixtrue into a bowl as set 

aside to keep warm. 

sift together into a bowl and set aside

1/2 cup sifted flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

just until thick and piled softly.   add 4 eggs, beat in eggs one at a time, until smooth, add 1/3 cup of 

milk.  Combine egg mixture with dry ingredients and beat with rotary beater until smooth. Set

aside.

  Set out  6 tablespoons of butter 

  add 2 tablespoons of the butter to the skillet and heat until moderately hot.   Spoon in enough

batter to cover bottom of skillet.  Spoon about one third of apple mixture evenly over batter.

Spoon in more batter to just cover apples.  Cook pancake over medium heat until golden brown 

on bottom.  Loosen edges  with spatula, Carefully turn and brown,  other side.

  When pancake is cooked, remove skillet from the heat and brush pancake generously with 

melted butter.

Roll up pancake and transfer to warm platter, sift confectioners sugar over the top.

keep pancake hot, repeat prodecure twice for remaining batter.  

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by : stephen block

cooking bratwurst on the stove

uy enough Bratwurst to go around-at least 1 per person. Anyone with a hearty appetite will want "seconds." 1. Some recipes say to **** the sausage before as it will keep the casing from bursting. Usually there is enough of an opening at the end of the sausage to give it a little ventilation.
2. Put into a skillet with about½ inch of water, and cover.
3. Cook over medium heat till water is evaporated. DO NOT BOIL! This may burst the skin, simmer instead. This is how they will look when cooked. Water has evaporated.  4. Uncover and brown a bit, over low heat, in the small amount of fat left in the skillet. 5. Add onions if desired and brown. 5. After onions have browned add a cup of beer if desired and simmer for 5 minutes.