Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Homemade Spaetzle with Store Bought Braughts

Confession time- I have a ridiculous Celebrity Chef crush- I heart, wholly and fully, Tyler Florence. 
Source
I cannot deny it- I just think he's adorable.  Additionally- I love his recipes.  Normally I use them mainly for inspiration or for technique descriptions, but whenever I see his show on TV- I love whatever he makes.  Yeah- I'm totally back in 3rd grade with this one- if I could send him a Smurf valentine next week I totally would.


So now that gossip time is over, I do have a reason for bringing up my crush- he helped make my Super Bowl gathering purposeful!  Since my beloved Patriots were not playing, I had to choose which team to root for.  Being from New England, the choice was obvious- Packers all the way!  Now the big question remained- what to make for this team from Wisconsin?  I did a little research- Wisconsin has a pretty large German population, an it is also where Johnson ville Braughts are made.  I put the two together and decided on Spaetzle and Beddar Cheddar Johnson ville Braughts as the main dish Sunday evening.


Spatzle is a German based noodle dish, made primarily from flour, eggs and salt.  A quick search found me a recipe by Tyler Florence, so I scooped it up and made just a couple changes to the final preparation.


The original recipe:
"Spaetzle




Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence


Prep Time: -- Inactive Prep Time: -- Cook Time: -- Level:


Easy Serves:


6 servings Ingredients


1 cup all-purpose flour


1 teaspoon salt


1/2 teaspoon ground pepper


1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg


2 large eggs


1/4 cup milk


3 tablespoons unsalted butter


2 tablespoons minced fresh chives


Directions


In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. In another mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the egg-milk mixture. Gradually draw in the flour from the sides and combine well; the dough should be smooth and thick. Let the dough rest for 10 to 15 minutes.






Bring 3 quarts of salted water to a boil in a large pot, then reduce to a simmer. To form the spaetzle, hold a large holed colander or slotted spoon over the simmering water and push the dough through the holes with a spatula or spoon. Do this in batches so you don't overcrowd the pot. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the spaetzle floats to the surface, stirring gently to prevent sticking. Dump the spaetzle into a colander and give it a quick rinse with cool water.






Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add the spaetzle; tossing to coat. Cook the spaetzle for 1 to 2 minutes to give the noodles some color, and then sprinkle with the chopped chives and season with salt and pepper before serving." 


My edits?


I followed the directions above to a T until it was time to suttee them.  Then I made a few little changes.  I sauteed a tablespoon of butter over medium heat and added two minced cloves of garlic.  Then I added the Spaetzle, two tablespoons of whole grain mustard and about a 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, salt and pepper.  As they cooked I added another tablespoon of butter after the first had been absorbed and I started noticing the noodles sticking to the pan a little.  


I broiled the braughts, sliced them up and served it all together on a giant platter that I realised during plating is actually shaped LIKE a football!  I love coincidence!


I loved combination of these two great German foods!  The braughts were tender, perfectly salty and delicious as the cheddar cheese that had been incorporated into the meat inside the casings oozed out.  I had been told that these things were addictive- they certainly were- in the fabulous "processed" sort of way.  The Spaetzle was also delicious.  Soft noodles, soaked through with butter and seasoned with tangy mustard and fresh parsley...is there anything better?   I will say this much- the Spaetzle was a bit difficult to make!  The idea of pressing the batter through holes of a strainer is the way to go- but I definitely got my arm work out in for the day!


I loved the challenge of making a dish that I've never made before, and one from a region that I rarely work with. I think I'm going to go looking for other German holidays I can celebrate so I can dabble a bit more! 

1 comment:

The Small Boston Kitchen said...

This was SO good! I'm totally going to make this and I also totally think you should send him a Smurf Valentine :)

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