TODD COLEMAN

Comforting German Recipes

We love these hearty dishes from Germany, a country with a culinary tradition much richer than it gets credit for.

In Southern Germany, entire menus are dedicated to this springtime spear. This soup highlights the delicate nature of the white flesh and is a great way to start any meal. See the recipe for White Asparagus Soup »

Just a few simple ingredients come together for a delightfully punchy, vinegary potato salad that's perfect with any barbecue spread.

These fragrant treats provide a delightful rush of warm spices when bitten into. For best results, start with whole spices and grind them yourself.

Braised Red Cabbage with Bacon The secret to cooking this dish, a classic German accompaniment to a hearty meat course, is in keeping the pot covered, which helps preserve the cabbage's deep, purple hue. See the Braised Red Cabbage with Bacon recipe

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This recipe is based on one that appears in German Home Cooking by Dr. August Oetker (Bielefeld, 1963). The addition of a little flour gives the soup a smooth texture, while celery root adds an earthy note. **See the recipe for German Split Pea Soup »**

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A hearty German potato salad like this one makes an ideal accompaniment for smoked brisket. The dish is a legacy of German immigrants who settled in Central Texas. See the recipe for German Potato Salad »

Red wine warmed with cloves, cinnamon, lemon, and sugar is a quintessential fall treat.

Traditionally, choucroute au poisson was a dish made in Alsatian riverside villages, but today restaurants throughout Alsace serve a version in which filets of flaky, white-fleshed fish such as pike perch are pan-fried or poached and served on a bed of choucroute and topped with a creamy riesling sauce. We found that trout works beautifully, too. See the recipe for Sauerkraut with Fish in Cream Sauce »

The sauce in this dish, based on a recipe in Mimi Sheraton’s The German Cookbook (Random House, 1965), is enriched with hazelnuts and brandy.

Turkey soaks up aromatic flavors like a sponge, and this riff on the Alsatian dish choucroute garnie is a case in point: as the bird roasts under a cloak of bacon and braises in sauerkraut, wine, apples, and a bundle of spices, it takes on the piney fragrance of juniper berries, the fruity flavor of the riesling wine, and some of the smokiness and savor of the pork. Serve this dish with the traditional choucroute accompaniments: sausages, boiled potatoes, and tangy mustard.

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Though it takes a man's name, the Strammer Max butter-fried bread topped with ham and an egg, is actually German slang for male virility. See the recipe for Strammer Max »

Klaus Weiler, the chef at Weinhaus Weiler in Oberwesel, Germany, shared the recipe for this classic barley soup. Garnished with sausage, it's substantial enough to make a meal in itself.

A creamy potato soup, fragrant with nutmeg and marjoram, gets a zesty kick from a grating of fresh horseradish root. After cooking, it's whipped into a smooth, airy froth. See the recipe for Kartoffelrahmsuppe (Spiced Potato Soup) »

The dumplings in this beef soup get a boost of richness from beef bone marrow; parsley and nutmeg impart bright and warming flavors.

Dumplings filled with minced pork, beef, veal, and bacon steal garnish this specialty soup of Swabia in southern Germany. See the recipe for Maultaschensuppe (Dumplings in Broth) »

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To ensure that this consommé is absolutely clear, a "raft" of ground beef and egg whites is created to absorb impurities, producing an elegant soup with concentrated flavor. See the recipe for Ochsenschwanzsuppe (Oxtail Consommé) »

This rendition of the deeply-spiced German Christmas cookie gets its soft, chewy texture from the addition of honey. Get the recipe for Lebkuchen (German Fruit and Spice Cookies) »

This classic German cake, a masterpiece of cherry brandy-soaked pastry engineering, improves the longer it sits.

The crisp-fried veal topped with luscious egg, salty anchovies, and capers is a brilliant study in contrasting flavors and textures.

The secret to the shimmering roux that tops this classic German roast is a pinch of sugar; it gilds the gravy as it balances the lemon and pickling spices in the dish. See the recipe for Sauerbraten »

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At the Hofbrauhaus beer hall in Munich, these giant pretzels, which have a similar chew to bagels, are served with soft butter. See the recipe for Laugenbrezel (Traditional German Pretzels) »

Applesauce is the perfect foil for these savory, golden fried pancakes, a mix of starchy potatoes, flour, and eggs.

This sweet-tart conserve is a luscious accompaniment to ice cream. It also adds a fruity dimension when stirred into champagne.

Juniper berries and caraway seeds give braised pork a floral, woodsy flavor. Wrapping it in bacon keeps the meat moist. Get the recipe for Braised Pork Roast with Root Vegetables »

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Apples are roasted in wine and butter for this sweet and spicy dessert, a staple of holiday markets throughout Germany.

The recipe for these Christmas cookies comes from the bakery Rischart in Munich. Their base is simple, leaving plenty of room for creative decorations.