When I decided to make a string of Biergarten recipes last week, I have to admit this was the one I was looking forward to making this recipe all week.  When I was growing up, my mother used to take part in neighborhood cookie swaps where around Christmas, a group of people would get together and bring homemade cookies, then everybody would "swap" cookies and recipes and go home with a huge tray of a bunch of different cookies.  It was almost a solid guarantee that she either made or came home with Florentine cookies, which were my favorite (I love fruit cookies!) So for me, these have not just Disney memories but childhood memories...  And I've always said that recipes that bring out food memories are the best recipes.

Making this recipe is super simple, but I took some shortcuts that did change the recipe a bit from how it's served at Disney.  Namely, I didn't roll the cookie dough nearly thin enough.  This dough is supposed to be super thin, like thin crust pizza thin, and I didn't go quite that thin.  Blame it on my recent move...  I know I have a rolling pin, but I've yet to unpack the box that I apparently put it in!  I also put it in a glass dish instead of a large cookie pan, which I wouldn't suggest, because my cookie sheets were already in use.  I definitely suggest that these cookies go on a foil-lined cookie sheet for the best results.  And finally, I used a lot of jelly...  Maybe a bit too much.  What can I say? I love fruit cookies!

This recipe lived up to both my food memories and the recipe I had at Biergarten in EPCOT.
 The sugar cookie was moist and crunchy and there was just the right level of fruity ooey-gooeyness.  I actually think the sugar cookie base was yummy enough as a stand-alone sugar cookie even without the fruit on top.  I think, with the tweaks above, I'll be making this every Christmas too!

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Raspberry Florentine Cookies

As is served at Biergarten, Germany Pavilion, EPCOT

Cookie Dough  

°o°  2 cups all-purpose flour    
°o°  1/2 teaspoon salt  

°o°  1/2 teaspoon baking powder  

°o°  1 cup unsalted butter, softened  

°o°  1 cup sugar 

°o°  1 egg  

°o°  1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Filling  

°o°  2 cups raspberry jam (or jam of your choice)  

°o°  1 cup sliced, blanched almonds

Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl.  Set aside.

Using a mixer, beat together butter, sugar until fluffy and light.  Beat in egg and vanilla.  Once incorporated, slowly add the flour mixture.  Mix until just combined.  Do not overmix!

Place dough on a foil or parchment lined cookie sheet, spreading as thin as possible.  Cover with plastic wrap and put in refrigerator for 2 hours or until firm and easy to handle.

Preheat oven to 375.

Remove from fridge and roll flat to a thickness of about 1/4 inch.  Place on a foil lined and
greased cookie sheet.  Spread with jam and top with almonds.  Bake 15-20 minutes or until cooked through and the edges are browned.  Edges may brown faster than the center of the cookie.

Once cooked, cut into individual cookies.  To prolong freshness, store in sealed container in the refrigerator.  

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I've been obsessed with carbs lately!  Blame it on the diet or my training for the Wine and Dine Half, but I feel like if I were left to my own devices, I'd snack on pasta all day.  When I went looking for a pasta recipe, I found this one from Biergarten which made me so happy...  Being second generation from Germany and having been to Germany several times, I realized I was also craving some German style food.  Since my reservation at Biergarten is still about 75 days away, I thought this was perfect.

Now, when I was making this, I had the strangest feeling that I've made this recipe before, but I looked and looked and didn't see that I had...  So if I've posted it and it's a repeat I apologize...  At least it's amazing enough to warrant a double-post!

This is super easy to put together (a refreshing change after my birthday recipe...) and it's incredibly kid-friendly.  Honestly, most home cooks probably have a similar recipe stowed away in their back pocket for fast, delicious family dinners.  If not, they should and this is the one to choose!  My only feedback on this recipe is that the quality of the cheese can make-or-break this dish.  I wished after I'd had the first bite that I'd invested in nicer cheese than the generic store brand...  Nicer cheese would have made this dish absolutely sing!  For the caravores out there, you can add bacon or very small diced ham for an extra little something and I bet it would taste fabulous.  Really, this serves as an excellent base for something more complex with meats and different cheeses, or it can be served as-is for a ridiculously hearty meal.

The great thing was this was an amazing reminder of both my time in Germany and the dinner

we had at Biergarten.  The fact it could be served in this huge, family-style casserole dish reminded me of lining up in front of the buffet at Biergarten and trying to restrain myself, but it also reminded me of the very traditional dining we enjoyed all through Germany.  So many of their meals are food-focused family time (we had meals that lasted for hours...  Most of them lasted hours, actually...) and it's not at all difficult to imagine that this easy-to-make dish that serves an army and tastes good warm or cold would be on the table.  Cheesy without being too cheesy, crunchy like chips on the top and sides from that delicious cheese and macaroni "crust," but soft and ooey gooey in the middle...  I'm excited for leftovers and for Biergarten all over again.

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Nudel Gratin

As is served at Biergarten, Germany Pavilion, EPCOT

 

°o°  1 1-pound box of elbow macaroni  
°o°  2 cups heavy cream  

°o°  2 eggs  

°o°  1/4-1/2 teaspoon of salt 

°o°  dash of white pepper  

°o°  dash of nutmeg  

°o°  4-6 ounces of Swiss cheese, shredded  

°o°  4-6 ounces of white cheddar cheese, shredded  

°o°  1/2 cup additional Swiss cheese, shredded  (for topping)
°o°  1/2 cup additional white cheddar, shredded  (for topping)

Preheat oven to 375.

Cook elbow macaroni according to package directions in heavily salted water in a large pot until the pasta is al dente.  Drain, return to the pot it was cooked in, and set aside.

While pasta is cooking, combine heavy cream, 3 eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and the two cheeses (not including the 1/2 cup of each cheese reserved for the topping).  Whisk together until egg is mixed and cheese is evenly distributed in the mixture.  Pour the mixture into the noodles resting in the pot, stirring and folding carefully so that the mixture is evenly distributed with the noodles.  


Pour the mixture into a greased 16x9 baking dish (cream will fall to the bottom of the mixture, this is OK).  Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes has passed, remove from the oven and top with the remaining cheese, spreading evenly.  Return the oven and bake an additional 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly browned.

Cool slightly before slicing into squares and serving.  

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If there was ever a recipe that I was surprised turned out well, it'd be this one.  I've made pancakes and I've made puff pancakes, so I knew kind of what to expect...  But the ingredients on this one looked so different than puffed pancake recipes I've known, I was convinced that this would turn out a big, apple-flavored, flour brick.  Lots of flour, no baking soda or powder...  There was no way this was turning out right.

I have to say, I'm amazed...  Not only did this come out darn near perfect, I can't imagine this could have come out tasting any better.  It was so delicious and soul-warming, I wish I'd made more.  A hit with all the kids, even the ones who hate eating cooked apples, I'm adding this to my regular "breakfast for dinner" recipe rotation.

This recipe is another recipe with a history, which I love.  Versions of this pancake have been featured everywhere from Biergarten's buffet as a dessert in the 80's and 90's, to the Carnation Cafe in Disneyland, as a breakfast treat at The Crystal Palace's massive buffet, even topped with ice cream at Liberty Tree Tavern.  While it's not found anywhere in Disney World as of right now, it does still occasionally appear in the oddest of places.

There is no special trick to this recipe, beyond just having faith that it'll work out beautifully.  A combination of eggy-fried dough and apple pie that's not too sweet, it's definitely worth the experimentation.  Just watch the baking times...  It's hard to nail down the exact time that this will be done as a lot of it depends on the size of the eggs used.  While 20-30 minutes seems like a fair estimate, this could be done in as little as 15 or as much as 35 or 40.  Key thing is, when it's done, you'll know it.  It'll be golden brown, puffed, and smell like an apple pie.

 

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Puffed Apple Pancake

As was served at Carnation Cafe, Disneyland, The Crystal Palace, Magic Kingdom, and Biergarten, Germany Pavilion, EPCOT 

For Apples:
°o°  1 tablespoon butter
°o°  1 cup chopped or sliced, peeled apples
°o°  1 tablespoon lemon juice

°o°  1 tablespoon brown sugar 

°o°  3 tablespoons granulated sugar
°o°  1 tablespoon cinnamon
°o°  1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
 
For Pancake:

°o°  3 tablespoons butter 
°o°  3 eggs

°o°  2/3 cup milk

°o°  1/4 cup flour

°o°  1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

°o°  1 cup chopped or sliced, peeled apples, cooked

°o°  3 tablespoons brown sugar

°o°  1 tablespoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Melt butter in a pie pan or cast iron skillet in the warming oven, being sure it does not burn.

Prepare apples first by melting butter in 10-inch pan over medium heat.  Add apples tossed in the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Cook until tender, about 4 minutes.  Remove from heat and pour into a bowl to cool.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk eggs and milk, then sift in flour, whisking until very well combined.  Add vanilla extract.

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon.  Set aside.

Pour mixture into pie pan or cast iron skillet with melted butter.  Top with apples. 
Remove the pie pan from the oven and pour in mixture. Top evenly with the apples, trying to keep them towards the middle of the pan.  Evenly sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon mix over the pancake.

Return pan to the warmed oven and cook 20-30 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown.  Serve immediately by slicing as you would a pie, topping with maple syrup or vanilla ice cream. 

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I was going to try so hard to save this recipe (Kaze Spatzle from Biergarten) for later in the week, but I was so excited to share it, I ended up doing it first.  Isn't that always the way?  I'm so bad at waiting!  And this recipe, like all really great recipes, has a story associated with it.  But first, a little background on the dish.

Spatzle is a distinctively German dish, translated quite literally to "little sparrow," and it's like a cross between an egg noodle and a dumpling with a texture that ranges from fluffy like scrambled eggs, to more al dente.  In Germany, you find it served almost like one would find mashed potatoes in the US, and they're served with everything from butter to gravy, even with cherries for a sweeter dish.  Finding them as a side dish for all meals, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, isn't that uncommon at all.  They are very much a staple of German cuisine.  

Now, my family is German, my mother is actually first generation as both her mother and father (my grandparents) came to the US from Germany just before World War II.  Pair that with spending two summers in Germany, it goes without saying that I've had a lot of spatzle in my time.  When I went to Germany I had the fresh stuff daily, and since you can actually find it like dried pasta in the international section of most grocery stores, I had a pretty steady amount of it stateside as well.  I'm sure everybody has a food that, just the sight of it, triggers 100 happy memories...  Spatzle is mine.

When I turned 18 I got my very first cookbook as a birthday present and it actually had a recipe to make fresh spatzle.  I was so happy to see that not only was it super simple, that it had none of the steps that makes it tedious to make from-scratch pasta at home, and the ingredients were all very basic and easy to find.  I made a batch on the spot and I was hooked on doing it myself ever since.  I'm actually a little proud to say that my spatzle is something of a family tradition.  I make it for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and various special family events through the year.

 
I will freely admit that the way I make spatzle would make a German housewife proud, and a chef cry.  Most of the time when you order a dish that has spatzle, it's made using a spatzle press.  What it makes are pea-like little dumplings called Knöpfle or "tiny buttons."  It makes very uniform noodles that, on a whole, are considered more attractive and presentable.  Occasionally you'll see one that works a lot like the noodle attachment on a Play-Doh and it'll make ribbon or thick, spaghetti-like noodles.  However, the traditional method of making spatzle is to scoop small amounts of batter using a fork or a spoon with numerous large holes, dropping large ribbons or globs of the batter into boiling water.  The noodles were all of various sizes and textures, but despite this, it was nearly impossible to over or undercook them.  When the dough was dropped in boiling water, it sank to the bottom, and when it was fully cooked, it'd rise to the surface.  In fact, that's where the name came from...  The whispy noodles floating to the top of the boiling water amidst the froth created during the cooking process looked like a flock of little sparrows in the clouds.


Spatzle dough itself is a wonderful medium for adding all sorts of little flavor boosters.  I've put herbs and finely minced garlic in the dough and, while not traditional, it sure tastes good.  I also love to boil the noodles in chicken broth or very heavily salted water, though never add oil or butter to the boiling water.  It doesn't do much to prevent sticking, and it messes with the texture of the noodle.  Instead, add the butter after it's come out of the water.  Speaking of butter...  Use a lot of it, even if you plan on putting another sauce with it.  It keeps the noodles from sticking and buttered spatzle is the best thing in the world.  


It goes without saying that this dish is amazing...  I love how it tastes exactly like German kase spatzle, and I love that they actually cook it using the traditional method of just chucking the cheese and butter in, as opposed to making a sauce from flour, butter, and milk and melting the cheese into that.  All that's missing from this dish to make it authentic German, and exactly like dining at Biergarten, is the German band.  

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Kase Spatzle 

As is served at Biergarten Restaurant, Germany Pavilion, EPCOT

°o°  1.5 lbs all-purpose flour
°o°  4 oz semolina flour

°o°  1.3 oz salt

°o°  3 cups eggs
°o°  1/4 c butter

°o°  salt, to taste
°o°  ground white pepper, to taste
°o°  ground nutmeg, to taste
°o°  1 cup diced onion 

°o°  1 c grated Swiss cheese
°o°  1/4 cup chives, chopped

Mix the flour and salt until combined.  Mix in eggs until the texture is firm, but still wet, like a dumpling dough.  If the batter is too stiff, add a very small amount of milk.

Fill a large stock pot with salted water and bring to a rolling boil.  Using a spatzle press, a slotted spoon, or a fork, press the dough through the holes using your fingers.  The dough will sink to the bottom, but rise to the top once it has cooked entirely.  Remove from the water using a slotted spoon, pasta spoon, or spider.  Allow to stand for a moment to dry out.  

Saute the cooked spatzle with onion in a skillet with butter until golden. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add the grated Swiss cheese and mix well.

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