German Recipes

By Food & Wine
Updated March 05, 2018
Eva Kolenko
From bacon and apple sauerkraut to herring and beet salad, here are some terrific German recipes.
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German-Style Pretzels

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These chewy pretzels from chef Hans Röckenwagner develop a shiny, professional-looking crust as they bake.

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Panko-Coated Chicken Schnitzel

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Thomas Keller of the French Laundry in Yountville, California uses panko bread crumbs to give chicken a crunchy crust. "Pounding chicken breasts to a uniform thickness cuts down on cooking time," he says.

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Sautéed German Sausages with Bacon and Apple Sauerkraut

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In Germany's Pfalz region, cooks braise sauerkraut with onions, apples, seasonings, a touch of sugar and a little of the region's Riesling wine, creating an addictive accompaniment for juicy weisswurst or bratwurst.

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Linzer Torte

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Frankies co-owner Frank Castronovo's wife, Heike, a talented home baker, created Prime Meats's outstanding jam tart with cocoa-flavored pastry. "If she entered it in a country fair in her hometown in Germany, she'd win a blue ribbon," says Frank Falcinelli. "But she has an unfair advantage, since her father is a professional baker in Freiburg, Germany."

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Spaetzle with Gruyère and Caramelized Onions

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The spaetzle can be refrigerated for up to 1 day.

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Warm Potato Salad with Pancetta and Brown Butter Dressing

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Grace Parisi whisks brown butter into a tangy, mustardy dressing for creamy fingerling potatoes.

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Red-Wine-Braised Beef Brisket

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Both Frank Falcinelli and Frank Castronovo had early experiences with sauerbraten, the German braised brisket. Castronovo sampled it on trips to Germany; Falcinelli had it at the German deli where he worked as a teenager. The terrific recipe they ultimately perfected is both very sweet and very sour, made with raisins, apples, red wine vinegar and red wine.

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German Soft Pretzel Sticks

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"I've always been a fan of any food high in salt and starch," Grant Achatz says,"and soft pretzels right out of the oven are awesome." You can eat these slightly sweet, chewy, dark pretzel sticks plain or with mustard; Achatz goes for ranch dressing.

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Sweet-and-Sour Braised Cabbage

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To punch up the flavor of braised cabbage, a classic accompaniment to sauerbraten, Frank Castronovo adds dried sour cherries, apples and a pinch of ground cloves.

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Fried Semolina Dumplings with Apricots and Apricot Preserves

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These griesschnitte (fried semolina dumplings) are moist and not too sweet, a perfect end to a meal. This recipe, from chef Roman Albrecht of The Kosher Classroom in Berlin, is made with margarine and soy milk.

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Grandma Zerr's Apricot Kuchen

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Kuchen is a traditional German fruit- or cheese-filled yeast cake that's common in North Dakota (Nancy Olson says it's in countless church cookbooks) and served at any time of day. This is Olson's adaptation of her grandmother's version. "I love that this is a hearty, rustic, belly-filling pastry; nothing dainty about it," she says.

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Spicy Beer Mustard

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Chef Jeremy Nolen updates German classics, including this intense mustard for sausages.

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Herring and Beet Salad

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A fairly simple and refreshing appetizer, this recipe gets its kick from mayo and wasabi.

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Crispy Wiener Schnitzel with Lingonberry Preserves

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"Schnitzel and Grüner Veltliner isn't a very creative pairing, but I think it's a beautiful one," says Wolfgang Ban. He loves how rich styles of the Austrian white wine still have bright acidity, which is delicious with crispy veal cutlets.

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Candy Cookies

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These truffle-like cookies have an unexpected piece of candy in the centers. They're adapted from a traditional holiday cookie that Renato Poliafito discovered during his travels in Germany.

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Country Potato-and-Cabbage Soup

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For a low-cost version of this meal, use bacon, which costs less than guanciale.

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Pork Schnitzel with Warm Potato Salad

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Wolfgang Puck of Los Angeles's Spago makes his schnitzel by deep-frying cutlets of Kurobuta pork, a deeply marbled heritage meat imported from Japan. At home, opt for boneless pork chops from the supermarket, pounding them tender. Pan-fry the schnitzel in a shallow pool of oil instead of deep-frying it.

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Mixed-Berry Dutch Baby

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A Dutch Baby, also known as a German pancake, is a mixture of eggs, flour and whole milk that gets baked in a heavy skillet until it becomes puffy and golden. In the terrific version here, Grace Parisi folds in fresh berries to create a wonderful summer dessert that's also great for breakfast.

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Lamb Schnitzel with Aioli

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This quintessential German recipe goes well with a pinot noir from New Zealand's North Island with ripe cherry flavors.

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Pretzel Dumplings

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Prime Meats is beloved for its handmade pretzel appetizer served with homemade mustard. Frank Castronovo's dumplings, a twist on traditional bread dumplings, are a clever way to use up leftover pretzels. The dumplings are good right after they're boiled but even better when sautéed in butter, too.

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Baked Spaetzle with Green Pea Pesto

Credit: Eva Kolenko
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While spaetzle is traditionally boiled like pasta, here the mini dumplings are tossed in olive oil and baked with leeks until crisp and browned, then blanketed with a creamy fonduta. The herb-and-pea pesto takes the dish from comfort fare to a vibrant spring side. The colder the ingredients for the pesto, the more brilliant green it will be; chill them before blending, and use frozen peas.

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