Suzanne Corbett, STLSportsPage.com Food / Travel Editor

Several years ago, I took a culinary trip to Germany and  learned about their holiday cooking. and saw the Holiday Markets. I enjoyed finding out about the German culture and their holiday recipes, which we shared here. I thought it would be fun to re-visit it.

For me, Christmas has always had a German accent. After all, many of the Christmas traditions from gingerbread to decorated trees to the concept of Christmas markets have German origins. All elements that have come to define an American Christmas.

To experience these traditions a visit to Germany’s historic Christmas markets where each market has its own unique character and recipe for Gluewein (mulled wine).

Most villages, towns and cities have their own market. While it’s easy to target large city Christmas markets as Nuremberg I recommend visiting the smaller medieval towns Koblenz and Trier and storybook village of Rüdesheim.

Each have a collection of holiday huts filled with seasonal wares from ornaments, nutcrackers and jewelry – to savory to sweet delicacies as gingerbread, lebkuchen, sausages, potato pancakes and hot cups of gluewien.  To plan your trip click on www.historicgermany.travel Historic Highlights of Germany  to discover the historic places and traditions Germany offers throughout the year.  The Trier Christmas Markets run from November 21 – December 22

While it’s probably too late to take a trip to Germany this year to explore the joys of the Christmas Market tradition consider it for the future.  To wet your appetite for a real German-style Christmas try one of these recipes that are staples found throughout the country during the holidays.

Remember Clarence the angel from “It’s A Wonderful Life?” One of his drinks or choice was “mulled wine.”

Yes, Clarence Odbody, “angel second class,  ordered a “Mulled Wine – heavy on the cinnamon and light on the clove.” Here’s a Mulled Wine recipe our readers  might enjoy.  The other is Gluwein, the German hot mulled wine sold at Christmas Markets, and the recipe for that is below

Mulled Wine

1-gallon  red dry wine

1 quart apple cider

1 lemon, sliced

1 orange, sliced

1 tablespoon whole cloves

1 3-inch stick cinnamon

Pour wine and cider into a large stockpot. Stud the lemon and orange slices with cloves. Add lemon and orange slices and cinnamon stick to wine. Simmer over a medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and serve warm.

• Recipe can be made with apple cider alone for a non-alcoholic drink.

(Equipment: large stockpot and ladle)

Merry Christmas – Frohes Weihnachten.

Gluewien 

10 sugar cubes

2 bottles red wine

1 3-inch stick cinnamon

1 whole nutmeg

1 whole star anise

1 1/2 cups canned sour cherries, drained, juice reserved

1 orange thinly sliced

3 ounces Kirschwasser (cherry brandy)

Combine sugar cubes, wine and spices in a large saucepan set over a medium heat. Heat until mixture begins to show small bubbles of a simmer. Remove form heat and transfer into a slow cooker to keep warm. Stir in cherries and juice, kirschwasser and the orange slices.

Makes 12-14 servings.

Cinnamon Stars

5 egg whites

2 1/4 cups finely ground almonds

2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 tablespoons kirshwasser

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in confectioners sugar and set aside one cup of the egg/sugar mixture. Fold I almonds, cinnamon and the kirshwasser. Let the dough rest, covered, for an hour in the refrigerator. Cover work surface with sugar and roll out the chilled dough to a 1/4-inck thickness. Cut into stars. Cover each star evenly with reserved egg/sugar mixture.. Pace on an ungreased or parchment lined cookie sheet and let unbaked cookies dry overnight (6 – 8  hours). Bakes at 425 degrees for 5 minutes. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen small  cookies.

German Tradition brought to Americaq

Many homes will feature a Stollen on Christmas Morning. While a stollen is a type of “coffee cake” the shape is symbolic to Christmas. Some say the log shape symbolizes baby Jesus in swaddling clothes and the round ones (made in a Gugelhupf pan or Bunt cake pan) symbolizes a wreath and is called a Stolenkrnz. Any way you shape it, a German Christmas Stollen would be a great additio to your meal on Christmas morning.

German Christmas Stollen

1 cup raisins

1 1/2 cups mixed fruit & peels

1/2 cup dark rum or brandy

2 pkgs. Yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1 cup warm milk

3/4 cup sugar

5 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cardamon

2 lightly beaten eggs

1 teaspoon lemon rind

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 1/2 sticks butter, room temp

1 cup chopped almonds

2 tablespoons flour

powdered sugar

Soak fruits in rum for an hour. Dissolve yeast in water with 1/2 teaspoon sugar. Let stand in warm place 3 or 5 minutes.  In a large mixing bowl pour milk, and then add 3/4- cup sugar, flour, salt and cardamom. Stir in yeast mixture, Add eggs, rind and extract. Break off small pieces of butter and beat into dough. Knead dough for 10 minutes. Drain fruit and pat dry. Place in a bowl with almonds and toss with the 2 tablespoons flour. Knead into dough. Let dough rise, punch down and divine in half. Roll each piece into a rectangle about 10×16 inches. Brush with melted butter, and then fold into thirds. Tuck ends under and place on a greased or parchment lined baking sheet. Let rise until doubled. Brush with egg wash and bake at 350 for 45 – 55 minutes.

Makes two large or four small stollens.

These are German Honey Cakes, known as Lebkuchen, found in the markets in Germany. These are so old they are from the 13th century with roots in the European monasteries. It is believed they were made by German Monks at that time. They are a form of gingerbread-type cookies with nuts, spices and molasses.   

(Photos by Suzanne Corbett)