Accidental
Bavarian

Recipes from or Inspired by Leavenworth

KOHO radio sponsors a chili cook-off at the Ski Hill during the Bavarian Ice Festival. The 2010 and 2011 winner was Damien Browne, one of the owners of Schocolat.

Alpine Chocolate Cherry Bars

Makes 36 bars

We found a great Leavenworth recipe at Mountain Home Lodge

With Valentine’s Day celebrated this month, we thought you would enjoy the lodge’s easy version of a chewy brownie with an alpine twist to complement our location above the “Bavarian Village” here in the Cascades. A delicious treat for your special sweetheart!

• 1 pkg. chocolate fudge cake mix
• 1 – 21 oz. can cherry pie filling
• 1 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 c. granulated sugar
• 5 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/3 c half and half
• 2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 c sliced almonds, toasted lightly

Line a 13×9 baking pan with parchment paper or butter and dust it with flour.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl combine the dry cake mix, cherry pie filling, almond extract and eggs stirring by hand until well mixed.

Pour batter into the prepared pan. Shake gently to settle.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cooked through.
Remove from oven and cool pan on wire rack.

Cut into 36 bars.

Note: We like to cut on the diagonal to make diamonds for an attractive presentation.

Once cooled, prepare glazed topping:
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine sugar, butter and half & half.
Whisk constantly; bring to a gentle boil. Boil for 1 minute.
Remove pan from heat and stir in the chips until melted and smooth.

Pour glaze over the cut bars; garnish with toasted almonds.

Serve to your desired Valentine and enjoy Cupid’s magic!

And we found a couple recipes at www.SauerkrautRecipes.com.

German Chocolate Sauerkraut Cake

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup butter
• 1 1/3 cups white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 2/3 cup drained and chopped sauerkraut

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 8-inch pans, round or square.

Thoroughly cream together butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla.

Sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, soda, and salt, and add alternately with water to egg mixture. Stir in the sauerkraut. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick comes out clean. Frost with your favorite chocolate or white frosting.

Leavenworth-Inspired Potent Potables

Kraut Cocktail

Servings: 1

• Frank’s Kraut Juice
• V-8 Juice
• Worchestershire Sauce
• RealLime Juice
• Tobasco Sauce

Add 1 part Frank’s Kraut Juice to 4 parts V-8 Juice. Season to taste with Worchestershire, Tobasco and Lime juice. Serve over cracked ice. Refreshing Summertime non-alcoholic beverage, or Vodka can be added for a little extra kick.

More Recipes from Leavenworth

Silvara Vineyards gave us permission to use this recipe from a recent newsletter.

Holiday Spiced Cornish Game Hens

(Delightful With 2010 Silvara Riesling)

Ingredients

• 3 large carrots, roughly chopped
• 3 stalks celery, roughly chopped
• 3 large onions, roughly chopped
• 2 parsnips, rough chopped
• 2 oranges, cut into wedges
• 6 Cornish game hens (about 2 pounds each), rinsed and dried thoroughly
• Olive oil, to drizzle
• Holiday Dry Rub, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Spread the vegetables and orange out evenly in the roasting pans. Place the Cornish game hens over the vegetables. Drizzle with olive oil. Rub the oil into the hens and sprinkle with the seasoning mixture, remembering to season the cavity. Place some vegetables and an orange wedge in the cavity of the birds.

Place in the oven and roast for 45 minutes or until the juices run clear and they are browned. Let the hens rest 10 minutes before carving.

Cook’s Note: Line the baking sheet pan with foil under the wire rack for an easy clean-up. The veggies and orange stuffed in the cavities of the hens will impart flavor to the meat as it cooks. Be sure not to crowd the hens on the baking sheets or else the skin won’t crisp up properly and they will take much longer to cook.

Holiday Dry Rub

• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine.