At Christmastime we often think of the many traditions we have that originated in Germany. Look into the snowglobe of the tiny German village.

The streets are decked with Christmas greens and ribbons. There is the toymaker’s and clockmaker’s shop. The windows are aglow and if we peer very closely in the baker’s window, we can see Silvia Kuhn, pastry chef, busy at work. There is a flurry of snow, no, it’s not snow, it’s Silvia, wither her shaker of powdered sugar dusting some of her Christmas delights. Smell the ginger, taste the chocolate. You can do both at Silvi’s European Café located in Port Royal where Silvia is the owner with her husband Chef Lutz. She is also the pastry chef and has a few recipes to share for this holiday season.
    Just for fun this first recipe is presented in both German and English!

APFELOMELETT – APPLE OMELET
The assortment of nuts available from the forests of Germany – walnuts,
hazelnuts, pecans – is unmatched.
2 Eier
2 Eßlöffel Mehl
2 Eßlöffel Milch
¼ Teelöffel Salz
1 Eßlöffel Zucker
1 Eßlöffel Butter
1 saurer Apfel, geschält und in Scheiben
geschnitten
Zimtzucker zum Abschmecken
Die Eier in Einer Schüssel schlagen.
Mehl, Milch, Salz und Zucker dazugeben
und ut verrühren. Pfanne gut vorwärmen.
Butter hineineben und zum
Schmelzen bringen. Geschlagene Eiermasse
hineingießen und kichen, bis
alles fest ist (die Seiten vorsichtig anheben,
um ungekochte Eiermasse unter
das Omelett vorsichtig umdrehen. Apfelscheiben
drauflegen. 2 Minuten
backen lassen, dann auf einen Teller
geben. Mit Zumtzucker bestreuen. Heiß
mit saurer Sahne oder Eis servieren.
Ergibt 2 Portionen.

APPLE OMELET
2 eggs
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons milk
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 tart apple, peeled, sliced
Cinnamon-sugar to taste

Beat eggs in bowl. Add flour, milk, salt and sugar; mix well. Preheat skillet
or omelet pan. Add butter. Heat until  butter melts and bubbles. Pour egg mixture
into pan. Cook until set, lifting sides gently to allow uncooked egg to flow under.
Turn omelet carefully. Top with apple slices. cook for 2 minutes. Slip omelet
onto serving plate. Sprinkle with cinnamon- sugar. Serve hot with sour cream or
ice cream. Yield: 2 servings.

NUTCRACKER PECAN PIE
4 eggs
1 1/4 c. cane syrup (or dark Karo)
1 1/2 c. broken or whole pecans
1 c. sugar
4 tbs. Butter
1 tsp. Vanilla
Boil sugar and syrup together 2 or 3 minutes. Beat eggs, not too stiff. Pour hot
syrup in slowly, stirring. Add butter and vanilla. Put pecans in 9” pie shell, pour
syrup over top. Bake in moderate oven 350º about 45 to 55 minutes or until set.
Chef Silvia Kuhn works her holiday magic 27

HASELNUSSCREME –
HAZELNUT CREAM
1/2 cup hazelnuts, shelled
1 cup milk
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1/2 envelope unflavored gelatin
1 tablespoon cold water
1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Heat hazelnuts on baking sheet in oven until brown skins peel. Rub in towel to remove skins. Grate hazelnuts in food processor. Combine with milk, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla in saucepan. Bring almost to the boiling point. Remove from heat. Soften gelatin in cold water. Stir into hot mixture until gelatin dissolves. Let stand until cold and thick, stirring occasionally. Fold in whipped cream gently. Spoon into glass serving dish. Chill in refrigerator. Garnish with additional whipped cream. Yield: 4 servings

We must have something from the Black Forest.

BLACK FOREST CHEESE CAKE
1 cup chocolate wafer crumbs
2 tablespoons melted butter
32 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon cherry Brandy or maraschino
cherry syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
6 eggs
1 10-ounce jar maraschino cherries,
drained, chopped
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips,
melted
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cookie crumbs and butter in bowl;mix well. Press over bottom of lightly greased 9-inch springform pan. Combine cream cheese, 1 1/3 cups sugar, flour, Brandy and vanilla in bowl. Beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold cherries into 2/3 of the batter. Stir Chocolate into remaining 1/3 of the batter. Layer half the cherry batter, all the chocolate batter and remaining cherry batter in prepared pan. Cut through gently with knife to marbleize, Bake for 1 hour and 2 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Spread mixture of sour cream, 2 tablespoons sugar and cherry juice over cheesecake. Bake for 5 minutes longer. Place on serving plate; remove side of pan. Garnish with chocolate curls. Yield: 12 servings.

Pudding! Yum!
BAKED RICE PUDDING
1 cup rice
2 cups water
3 cups milk, scalded
salt to taste
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
Grated rind of 1/4 lemon
3 egg yolks, beaten
2 tablespoons raisins
3 egg whites, stiffly beaten
2 tablespoons butter, chopped
Bring rice and water to a boil in saucepan. Cook for 10 minutes; drain. Add hot milk and salt. Cook, covered,over low heat for 15 minutes or until  rice is tender. Let stand until cool. Preheat
oven to 425 degrees. Combine softened butter, sugar, lemon rind and  egg yolks in bowl; mix well. Stir egg yolk mixture and raisins into rice mixture. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites gently. Spoon into greased baking dish. Dot with chopped butter. Bake for 30 minutes or until set. Serve warm with stewed dried fruit, fresh fruit or favorite sweetened fruit juice. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.
Come in to dine at the restaurant or give Silvia a call to create a special dessert to take home. Her shaker of powered sugar is waiting!

Guten Appetit! And Merry Christmas.
Silvia Kuhn owns Silvi’s European Café located at 1430 Ribaut Rd., Port Royal, SC 843.379.2823
www.silviseuropeancafe.com