Thread: Cooking -International Recipe Exchange- Come on Take a look!

When I was growing up I had the great pleasure of eating some of the most scrumptious desserts (and real food) one could ever imagine. My dad’s mom (Nana, as we call her) was born in Vienna, Austria, in 1903 and her mom was a seamstress for the nobility there. With her mom’s connections, she obtained recipes from some of the great European chefs and in turn, she passed them on to my Nana. Nana would make cream puffs from scratch with real custard filling and chocolate icing, mondel brot cookies, zucchini bread … and well, just all sorts of things. I am very pleased to say that my Nana is still alive and doing fairly well at 105 (for her 101st birthday she went to Disney World for the first time and actually rode the Haunted Mansion ride!).

At one point in her life, she wrote down many of these recipes in a little book for a charity fundraiser ("Taste a Bit of Europe: Continental Pastries for the American Sweet Tooth"). I rediscovered my photocopy of this book recently and realized that she had noted the nationality of each of the recipes and it started me thinking about a thread for this forum. What if people posted one (or more) of their favorite recipes from their native areas? And… if they were also willing, give a little history about why the dish is important to them, what memories it brings back or what traditions it might hold for that area of the world. This would be a great way to learn about other areas of the world, customs, traditions, food and let people try new foods all at the same time. You could even include a photo of the food, so we know what the final product “should” look like.

Now, I know that the U.S. uses different measurements than the rest of the world, so I have uploaded some cooking conversion tables to help out and here's that link http://www.mediafire.com/?yzyidyz5jiy

To get things started, I have uploaded a copy of my Nana’s cook book http://www.mediafire.com/?ow1mewmntom

If you already are familiar with any of these dishes, please let us know!

Also, if you try one of the recipes posted on this thread, give your feedback or "review"!
Did you like the dish? Was it easy to make? Too hard too make? Were the directions confusing? Was the food too spicy? Was it much better than it sounded? Did you have trouble finding ingredients? Were you familiar with all of the ingredients? Would you make it again? Blah, Blah, Blah...

Here are the recipes in her book:

From Austria:

• Sacher Torte
  Rumplatzchen (Rum Cookies)
  Schaumtotre (a meringue base to use for ice cream, fruit or melon balls for a low calorie dessert)
  Nuss Torte (Nut Cake)
  Continental Frosting (Semi-sweet chocolate)

From Belgium:

• Pain D’ Amandes (Almond Cookies)
  Bohemian Wafers
  Angelique (Delicate Cake Roll)

From Denmark:

• Royal Crowns (Cookies)
  Danish Puff

From England:

• English Savouries (Hors D’oeuvres)
  London Mushroom Muffins

From France:

• Mayonnaise Canapé Pastry
  Gateau Bonbons
  Parisian Breakfast Puffs

From Germany:

• Linzer Kranze (Wreath Cookies)

From Holland:

• Apfel Kuchen (Apple Cake)
  Kletskoppen (Gossip Heads, lacy cookies)

From Italy:

• Calcioni (Filled Holliday Cookies)

From Ireland:

• Dublin Fruit Cake

From Mexico:

• Polvoroner (Cookies)

From Norway & Sweden:

• Norwegian Almond Bars

From Poland:

• Paderewskis (Party Cookies)
  Baba Un Rhum (Rum Cake with Whipped Cream, yet her recipe does not tell you how much Jamaican rum or how to make the whip cream!)
  Mazurek (Polish Breakfast Cake)

From Portugal:

• Pasteis de Belem (Puff Pastry, mini egg-custard pies)

From Spain:

• Cuernitos (Little Horns also known as Mexican Wedding Cookies)
  Castilian Layered Rum Cookies

From Switzerland:

• Schweitzer Shocoladen Torte (Chocolate Cake)

Ahh... weather here is finally turning colder and younger daughter is asking for hot chocolate. I happened upon this recipe from the Le Cordon Bleu Cooking School. Interesting that they suggest cinnamon and a peppercorn AND that you can make it, refrigerate it and reheat it later for a more deep chocolate flavor!!!

Here it is...

Ingredients
1 litre / 1 quart whole milk
250 ml / 1 cup heavy cream
120 g / 4 oz. dark chocolate (70%)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1 peppercorn
2 tablespoons sugar

Method
Place the milk and cream in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and slowly bring to a boil.
Chop up the dark chocolate, and add to the hot liquid along with the cinnamon, peppercorn and sugar. Allow to gently heat for 10 minutes while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.
Strain the hot chocolate through a fine sieve, and divide among six warmed cups. Serve immediately with a marshmallow, if desired.

Chef's tip: for a deep chocolate flavor, make the mixture ahead a time, allow to cool and refrigerate for 2-3 hours. Gently reheat before serving.

It's been a long time since I've posted in this thread. Two things made me think about posting in her again, the recent post for help about what to cook for a guest and my dad has moved in with me and in doing so while packing him up we found a box containing all of his mother's recipes. My dad has also, after a number of years of not, started to cook again.

A couple of weekends ago he made an apple pie with my girls. My younger daughter was so cute, she posted on her Facebook page that "making apple pie with my grandpa, weird because I hate pie." This week he made chicken soup by taking a whole chicken and cutting it up and putting it in a pressure cooker with all the vegetables, spices and some water and a few sort minutes later... poof an amazing chicken soup. He plans on making an onion soup soon too. However the next thing he is going to make is one of MY childhood favorites and something that when I was growing up he would never let us watch him make. We thought this dessert was sooooo hard to make and it is just the opposite. It is probably the easiest thing in the world, which is why he never wanted us to see. The hardest part is the waiting overnight for it to be ready to eat.

Ice Box Cake
FAMOUS_Chocolate_Refrigerator_Roll.jpg chocolate.wafers.jpg

Ingredients:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
1pkg. (9 oz.) Nabisco FAMOUS Chocolate Wafers (comes in a Yellow Box and they are usually in the ICE CREAM section not the cookie section)


How to make Whipped Cream Topping
Sometimes, cooks complain that their cream doesn’t whip. An older cream (check the date on the container) whips better than newer cream, and the bowl and beater should be well chilled before using.

2 cup very cold heavy whipping cream
¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Speak of salt

In a cold mixer bowl, combine all the ingredients and whip until the cream is stiff and forms well-defined peaks. Don’t walk away and leave this while it is beating, though, for the mixture can turn into butter in a matter of seconds.

Directions:

1. Whip the cream (see above instructions)
2. SPREAD 1-1/2 tsp. whipped cream onto each wafer; stack, then stand on edge on serving platter. Frost with remaining whipped cream.
3. COVER the plate (while trying not to touch the whipped cream) with plastic wrap.
4. REFRIGERATE 4 hours.
5. CUT into diagonal slices to serve.

This is a VERY rich dessert so you don't need to cut large pieces. Everyone wants to have a large piece, but once you try it, you'll understand a small bite goes a long way. On these HOT, HOT, HOT summer days, this is a great treat.

Here is a full proof Challah recipe.

Source: Jennie Grossinger's "The Art of Jewish Cooking"

Yield: 1 very large or 2 large challahs

Prep time is 3 hours of rising
Cooking time is about 40-50 minutes

1 package yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup lukewarm water
1 cup lukewarm water
4-1/2 cups sifted flour (you can sift a little extra and set it aside to have to work with)
2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs
2 tablespoons salad oil
1 egg yolk (possibly 2)
4 tablespoons poppy seeds (optional)

Combine the yeast, sugar and 1/4 cup lukewarm water. Let stand 5 minutes to proof (until the liquid-yeast mixture gets a nice layer of foam on top)

Sift the flour and salt into a bowl.

Make a well in the center and drop the eggs, oil, 1 cup lukewarm water, and the yeast mixture into it. Work into the flour. Knead on a floured surface until smooth and elastic.

Optional method to hand kneading: Place the ingredients into KitchenAid bowl, attach the dough hook and let it go until the dough has a spongy texture.

Place in a bowl and brush the top with a little oil. Cover with a towel, set in a warm place, cover and let rise 1 hour. Punch down, cover again and let rise until double in bulk, (one more hour).

Divide the dough into three equal parts. Between lightly floured hands roll the dough into three strips of even length. On a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil (you can dust it with cornmeal if you like) braid them together. Cover with a towel and let rise until double in bulk (one hour).

Preheat oven to 375°F

The egg yolk is to paint the challah. Brush the braided challah and if you made one large one, you may need two egg yolks and then sprinkle with the poppy seeds (optional).

Bake in a 375°F oven 50 minutes or until browned. To see if it is done, turn it over and thump it, it should sound hallow.

Makes 1 very large challah. If you wish, divide the dough into 6 parts and make two large loaves, or make one loaf and many small rolls.

Let it rest for a few minutes before slicing.

Make certain you wrap up any uneaten challah as it will go bad as there are no preservatives in it.

L'shanah tovah tikatev v'taihatem

Not a big fan of broth soups and yet, my daughter's boyfriend (yes, can you believe my daughter has a boyfriend!! how can they be getting that old??) made this soup for our family yesterday and it was rather good. He added more lemon juice than what is called for and I think that might be why I enjoyed it. He actually used real fresh lemon and then thinly sliced up the lemon and tossed that into the soup as well. The vegetables turned out very crispy and not soggy at all. He also did not include the leeks or garlic as he does not like leeks.



Garden Vegetable Soup
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2004

Ingredients
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped leeks, white part only (from approximately 3 medium leeks)
2 tablespoons finely minced garlic
Kosher salt
2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped into rounds (approximately 2 medium)
2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
2 cups fresh green beans, broken or cut into 3/4-inch pieces
2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth
4 cups peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes
2 ears corn, kernels removed
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup packed, chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 to 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions
Heat the olive oil in large, heavy-bottomed stockpot over medium-low heat. Once hot, add the leeks, garlic, and a pinch of salt and sweat until they begin to soften, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Add the carrots, potatoes, and green beans and continue to cook for 4 to 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.


Add the stock, increase the heat to high, and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add the tomatoes, corn kernels, and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the vegetables are fork tender, approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and add the parsley and lemon juice. Season, to taste, with kosher salt. Serve immediately.

SERVES 6
Calories: 255
Total Fat: 12 grams
Saturated Fat: 1 grams
Protein: 6 grams
Total carbohydrates: 33 grams
Sugar: 8 grams
Fiber :6 grams
Cholesterol: 0 milligrams
Sodium: 1385 milligrams

We finally have snow here in the Washington, D.C. area. It has taken almost two years to get a good amount of snow. So today was a good day to make a big pot of soup. I made a Mushroom Barley and thought it went nicely with Lampada's thread about Mediterranean Diet. It is very simple to make:

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound sliced mushrooms (your favorite kind or mixed)
4 chopped carrots
2 sliced cloves garlic
2 sprigs thyme
3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoons black pepper
6 cups either low-sodium or no-sodium vegetable broth
3/4 cup pearl barley
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add the mushrooms, carrots, garlic, thyme salt and pepper and cook stirring occasionally until carrots are tender about 8 to 10 minutes (I don't like my carrot too mushy so I cooked them a little less).
3. Add the vegetable broth and barley.
4. Simmer, partially covered, until barley is tender, about 30 to 35 minutes.
5. Top with parsley and enjoy!

The best mushrooms for us would be dry porcini.

Hello,
i was so glad to find this thread about international cooking!
I love to cook, and today I cooked... Beef, barley and mushroom soup, too! t has been pretty cold this week in Florida, and I have been cooking soups every day this week.

I cook This soup with a slight twist, by adding: 1) 1 pound lean ground beef, browned, 2) a cup or more of frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, green peas, green beans and corn) and 3) a can of petite diced tomatoes. By adding meat, you pack this soup with protein, and you will stay full for a long time!

I am so glad to participate in this thread!

As soon as I find extra time, I will post some of my favorite Ukrainian and American recipes, including Panera Bread Cheese'n'Broccoli Soup recipe.