Bierocks

Every culture seems to have some version of a meat and bread pocket sandwich.  I think these originated in Germany.  Easily taken and eaten on the run, these make for a no fuss breakfast or lunch option.  They also freeze well.  Just reheat in a low oven to warm through. 

 

 

Filling:
1 pd. Ground Beef
1 Onion, minced
½ Head of Cabbage, diced
Hot Sauce, optional
Dough:
¼ C. Warm Water
¾ C. Milk
¼ C. Canola Oil
¼ C. Sugar
1 Egg, beaten
2 ½ tsp. Dry Active Yeast
½ tsp. Salt
4 C. Flour + more for kneading

Make the filling:
In skillet, brown ground beef, breaking up into pieces. Add the onion and cabbage. Cover and cook until cabbage is tender. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce. Set aside to cool.
Make the dough:
In small bowl, dissolve the yeast in water. In saucepan, heat milk, sugar, oil and salt over low medium heat. You want to scald the milk but be careful not to let it simmer. Stir to completely dissolve the sugar into the milk. Pour milk in large bowl and cool to lukewarm. Temper the egg by pouring a small amount of the milk mixture into the egg whisking constantly. Add the yeast and egg to the milk mixture and stir to combine. Add about 2 cups of the flour. Mix until smooth. Continue adding the rest of the flour until dough leaves the sides of the bowl. Turn out on floured surface. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, incorporating as much flour as needed. Form into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Lightly brush the top of the dough with additional oil. Cover with a towel and place in a warm spot to double in size. Punch down. Take a small amount of dough and on a floured work surface, form a disk about 6 inches in diameter. Place around 1/3 of a cup of filling in the center. Pull up edges of dough to the center and twist to seal. Place seam side down on baking sheet. Cover baking sheets with towel and let rise again. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 – 15 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately brush the tops of rolls with melted butter. Let cool on rack.



Swiss Cheese Fondue

This recipe was given to me by my sister, who spent several years living in Switzerland.  This was the recipe given to her by the locals.  The Gruyere is a must, but you can substitute the Jarlsberg for Emmenthaler.  The first time I tried this recipe it was a failure.  I overheated the cheese which turned it into a gooey mass.  Do not overcook or overheat the cheese; it will rebel against you.  Keeping a constant eye on the heat and stirring constantly will prevent this.  Once this dish is smooth and velvety, don’t hesitate to start dipping.  It won’t wait on you.  Truly a great dish for those who love cheese, bread and wine. 

 



Cut bread and place into bowl.  Let the bread openly sit and lose some of its moisture for 2 – 3 hours to dry out slightly.  Peel and cut a garlic clove and thoroughly rub the entire inside of the fondue pot.  Use more garlic if necessary.  Add the white wine to the pot and heat gently over medium heat.  Alternately add the cheese by small handfuls, stirring constantly after each addition to melt the cheese.  Once all of the cheese has been added and melted, dissolve the cornstarch in a small additional amount of white wine or brandy.  Add the cornstarch to the fondue stirring constantly to incorporate.  Serve with the cubed bread.

**If you do not have a fondue pot, you can use a thick walled small kettle.  Keep the kettle on the stove over low heat to keep the cheese in a smooth consistency.

Banana Nut Bread

Nothing smells better than bread straight from the oven.  Swap in the type of nuts and spice you prefer.  This is also good with pecans.

 

1 - 1/3 C. Flour
¼ tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Baking Soda
¼ tsp. Baking powder
5-1/3 Tbsp. Butter
2/3 C. Sugar
2 Lg. Eggs
2 Bananas, Mashed
½ C. Walnuts, chopped
½ tsp. Cinnamon
¼ tsp. Nutmeg

Have all ingredients at room temperature. Heat oven to 350. Grease 6 cup loaf pan with oil. In bowl, cream butter and sugar until light in color. Beat in flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Mixture will be very dry. Beat in eggs, cinnamon and nutmeg. Fold in bananas and nuts. Batter will be very thick. Scrape into pan and bake about 50 – 60 minutes until toothpick inserted in middle of loaf comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Loosen sides and turn out on cooling rack.