Delicious Roast Duck with Gravy and Bread Dumplings

On May 19, 2021May 19, 2021 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Germany, RecipesLeave a comment

Roast Duck with Gravy and Bread Dumplings

We enjoyed having different styles of duck in many different locations throughout Europe. Although we often will pan-sear duck to render off the fat, roasting it with the skin pricked is another way to cook that provides a crispy skin. Whether you use the pan drippings or happen to have duck stock as we did, serving it with a gravy enhances the flavor. Another side dish that we had in several places was bread dumplings, which is a cross between a savory bread pudding and stuffing.

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Prep Time 45

Cook Time 1 30

Course Main Course

Cuisine German

Servings 2 people

Equipment

Oven
Bundt Pan
Skillet
Small Sauce Pan

Ingredients

1/2 Duck
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp Fresh Sage chopped
2 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tbsp Vegetable Oil
1/4 cup Onion finely chopped
1/4 cup Carrots finely chopped
1/4 cup Celery finely chopped
4 Eggs room temperature
3 1/2 cups Milk room temperature
2 tbsp Fresh Parsley chopped
1 pinch Fresh Nutmeg grated
4 tbsp Melted Unsalted Butter
14 oz Stale Bread (about 1 loaf) cut into 1 – 2 inch pieces
1 cup Duck Stock
1 cup Chicken Stock
2 tbsp Flour
4 tbsp Unsalted Butter
1 tsp Dried Sage
Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

Prick the skin of the duck with a fork and brush it with a the olive oil. Season the duck with the fresh sage, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, salt and pepper. Place the duck on a lined baking sheet and let the duck come up to room temperature.
Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onions, and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Set them aside to cool.
Mix the milk and eggs in a large bowl with the nutmeg and add half of the bread pieces. Let this sit for 30 minutes to fully let the bread soak up the custard mixture.
Heat an oven to 350 degrees. Coat the remaining bread with melted butter and place in the oven for about 8 minutes or until the bread has toasted lightly.
Coat the Bundt pan with 2 tablespoons of softened butter, even if it is a non-stick pan.
Add the toasted bread, sautéed onion, carrots, celery, parsley, salt and pepper, and thoroughly fold everything together. Poor into the Bundt pan.
Put the bread dumpling mixture into an oven heated to 325 degrees and cook for 90 minutes. When done, remove and set aside.
Heat the oven to 375 degrees and then add the duck and let roast for about 30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees, turning the duck every 10 minutes so that it cooks evenly and the skin gets crispy. When done, let the duck rest for about 10 minutes.
In a small sauce pan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and stir in the flour to make a roux. Stirring constantly, slowly whisk in the duck and chicken stock. Add the remaining teaspoon of garlic, dried sage, salt and pepper. Simmer until the gravy has thickened.
Cut the duck and serve with gravy and slices of bread dumplings.

Hearty Salisbury Steak with a Mushroom and Onion Gravy

On May 12, 2021May 12, 2021 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Germany, RecipesLeave a comment

Salisbury Steak with Mushroom and Onion Gravy

Like many recipes that are considered to be traditional American dishes, this recipe is actually a variation of Hamburg Steak that comes from Germany. Although it could be served with something else, mashed potatoes are the natural accompaniment, especially with the rich brown gravy. It s an inexpensive way to feed a crowd, but that doesn't mean that it isn't packed with flavor and something that people will truly enjoy.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 40

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, German

Servings 4 people

Equipment

Skillet

Ingredients

1 lb Ground Beef
2 tbsp Bread Crumbs or Panko
1 large Egg
2 cloves Garlic minced
10 oz Mushrooms sliced into quarter-inch slices
1/2 Onion sliced thin
2 cups Beef Stock or Broth
1/2 tsp Ground Mustard
1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
3 tbsp Unsalted Butter
1 tbsp Fresh Thyme
3 tbsp All-Purpose Flour
2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste
Parsley for garnish

Instructions

Combine the bread crumbs, ground mustard, paprika, and 1 minced clove of garlic in a large bowl
Add the egg and hamburger to the bowl and mix by hand until thoroughly combined
Make four oval patties, about one-inch thick, with the meat mixture
Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and then brown the hamburger patties, cooking them about 3 to 4 minutes per side
Transfer the patties to a plate, they will finish cooking in the gravy
Turn the heat down to medium, add the thyme and mushrooms, and cook until the mushrooms are browned, about 8 minutes
Add the butter, onions, and remaining minced clove of garlic and cook until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes
Whisk the flour into a 1/4 cup of the beef stock to make a slurry
Add the beef stock, flour slurry, and Worcestershire sauce to the skillet and turn the heat up to medium-high in order to bring it up to a slow boil to allow the sauce to thicken
Nestle the patties into the mushroom and onion sauce and cook until the hamburger is fully cooked, about 10 minutes
Plate the individual patties and spoon the mushroom and onion gravy over the top, serve with mashed potatoes

Keyword gravy, hamburger, mushrooms, onions

Chicken Schnitzel with Mushroom Gravy

On March 7, 2018 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Germany, Recipes8 Comments

We definitely had a variety of schnitzels while we were living in Germany. One of the first ones that we had was considered a Hunter’s Schnitzel, so we decided to do a version of that for ourselves. Generally speaking, schnitzel is very easy to make and can be done with pork, chicken, or veal. The most important thing for making a good schnitzel is to pound the meat out to be about one-quarter inches thick and ensuring that the entire meat cutlet is the same thickness. Although you can buy a mallet to pound out the meat, we have found that if you wrap the meat in plastic wrap and the hit it with the flat side of a heavy skillet, it works even better to get it to a consistent thickness. The real flavor comes from the sauce, so we decided to make a hearty gravy to accompany the schnitzel. Although we used button mushrooms, you could certainly do a variety of your favorite mushrooms.

INGREDIENTS

4 Chicken Breasts
2 eggs
1/4 cup Whole Milk
1 cup + 4 tbsp All-Purpose Flour
1 cup Breadcrumbs
8 tbsp Unsalted Butter
1 tsp Paprika
4 cups Beef Stock
1 lb Mushrooms – sliced
1 small Shallot – chopped
1 tbsp Garlic Powder
4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and then add the mushrooms and shallot. Cook until the mushrooms are slightly browned and the onion is soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and remove the mushrooms and onions to drain on a paper towel. Leave any remaining butter in the skillet. In a large sauce pan, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat and whisk in 4 tablespoons of flour in order to create a roux. Do not let the flour start to brown. Heat the beef stock in another pan or in a microwave until luke warm. Slowly add the beef stock to the sauce pan stirring constantly. Heat over medium-high heat, continuing to stir. Add the mushrooms, onion, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Once the gravy has thickened, reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. In three separate bowls or shallow plates you will place the ingredients for dredging the chicken, which has already been pounded to about a 1/4 inch thickness. In the first bowl, mix the cup of flour with salt, pepper, and paprika. In the second bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. In the third bowl, add the breadcrumbs. Add the olive oil to the large skillet and heat to medium-high. Using one hand, dredge both sides of the chicken through the flour and then dredge through the eggs, and finally place in the breadcrumbs. Using your other hand, dredge the chicken until well-coated with breadcrumbs and place in the skillet. Using separate hands will keep the breadcrumbs from getting too messy from the eggs and flour. Cook the chicken in the skillet for about 5 minutes per side until evenly browned. Since the chicken is so thin, it doesn’t take long to cook and over-cooking will make the chicken dry and tough. Place the chicken on a plate to serve and then cover with the mushroom gravy.