Who's Making Spaetzle Now?

[weinoo]

Since Chris A. may be thinking about making spaetlze (click here) for one of his meals during his Foodblog week, it got me hungry. And I started looking at spaetzle recipes here in the forums as well as various other places, including some cook books!

It appears that (other than how many eggs to use for how much flour) the main difference in most recipes is the use of water vs. milk for the liquid portion of the recipe.

Does it make that much of a difference? Why?

And, please show us your favorite spaetzle recipe.

[Fat Guy]

Dorie Greenspan's herb spaetzle, sauteed with mushrooms.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Fresh-Herb-Spaetzle-234152

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

[Okanagancook]

We use the recipe from the Time Life Foods of the World series: 3 c APF; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg; 4 eggs; 1 cup milk

We like it because it produces a fairly firm noodle.

[Fat Guy]

Mitch, I think milk is part of what defines the spaetzle flavor and texture for me. Is anybody out there using water with good results?

[weinoo]

I would think that too. So, since I was doing scientific research, we decided to go to Cafe Katja last night. Katja is the tiny little Austrian/German - ish place on lower Orchard Street. They even got written up in Bon Appetit a while ago.

We've always loved their spaetzle...whether served as a plain side, or sauteed with vegetables and served as a main dish or cooked classically with cheese, it's pretty darn good stuff. Guess what? Water only and I think it may be time for a side by side...

[weinoo]

Keeping it real, I decided to make a batch of spaetzle yesterday. I used milk for the liquid in the recipe.

Turned out great - but I had no idea how sticky and messy the batter/dough would be. And I think an inexpensive spaetzle maker might make for less of a mess than my potato ricer did.

My wife commented that it was as good (almost) as Cafe Katja's...dunno if that's true, but considering how easy spaetzle is to make, why not?

[ScottyBoy]

One onther way to do it that I find easy is to fill one 4 inch hotel pan with water, bring it to a boil on two burners. Stack a second perforated hotel pan on top. Using a bench scraper just push the batter through the holes into the water, scoop out with a strainer into ice water and save for service later.

My recipe

2C AP flour

5 eggs

1/2C cream

1/2C bacon dust (VERY crispy bacon ground in a coffee grinder)

3T finely minced strong herbs of your choice (thyme, marjoram, oregano, rosemary)

Add everything to a large bowl. Using your hand mix everything together and then begin to stretch and slap the dough adding cream or flour to adjust into a sticky batter/dough. Then cook as above.

Produces a firm smaller spaetzle great for searing in brown butter.

[MRE]

I've always made mine with water, but I may need to try milk to see what a difference it may make. I go with 2 cups AP flour, 2 eggs, 2/3 cup water, nutmeg, salt, and 1 tbsn melted butter. I often vary the flavor by soaking saffron threads in the recipe water, strain out the threads and toss them in the cooking water. I've also used paprika, cumin, carraway seeds, ground pepper, and curry powder. The saffron is definitely my favorite though. I have a feeling that I'm going to be trying bacon dust sometime very soon.

I have one of those spaetlze makers. I couldn't stand the top part that you had to fill and them slide back and forth. It was a pain to use, so I threw away the top part and just push the batter through the perforated part and am much happier for it.

[Chris Amirault]

Can we get some images here? I'm not sure exactly what I should be doing with this dough, what sticky means, etc.

[ScottyBoy]

I haven't made it in so long I don't have any pictures. If I make it soon I'll document.

[weinoo]

Just the other day I picked one of these up. Soon...

[weinoo]

That Time Life recipe which Okanagancook mentions above is almost exactly the same recipe as appears in The Dumpling Cookbook, by Maria Polushkin, which happens to be on my shelf as well. Well, the proportions of liquid to flour are the same, though her recipe calls for water. Tonight I made a 1/2 batch (only me for dinner), using milk on the verge of going down the drain, along with some chopped chives.

The batter/dough is definitely thick and sticky in this version....

I sprayed my new spaetzle maker with cooking spray and loaded it up...

The first batch boiling away...

Around 2.5 minutes, I shocked and drained it...

Here's what my spaetzle looks like close up...

Sautéed in some duck fat, it was pretty good...

[Chris Amirault]

Does the dough just kinda glop down through the holes bc it can?

[weinoo]

Does the dough just kinda glop down through the holes bc it can?

Not really. If you notice, I loaded the spaetzle maker with dough before I put it over the pot of boiling water. It just sits there. Then, once it get over the boiling water, it softens a little and you're able to push it through sorta like grating a potato.

[ScottyBoy]

Perfect, thanks for showing chef Amirault the proper consistency, that is just like my batter. They look perfect cooked as well, I'd say you're spot on but I prefer a sear in brown butter with my color on them. Though it does make them a little more chewy but I love that texture.

[Chris Amirault]

Okay, now that I bought the gizmo shown above, I'm finally ready to make the spaetzle, and there's a very good batch of beef stew ready for it. Them. Whatever. Will report back shortly, probably on Dorie's recipe.

[Paul Bacino]

Weinoo,

What company makes that Spaetzle maker..I cant tell by the pic?

Paul

[Kerry Beal]

Weinoo,

What company makes that Spaetzle maker..I cant tell by the pic?

Paul

That's a Danesco.

[weinoo]

Weinoo,

What company makes that Spaetzle maker..I cant tell by the pic?

Paul

That's a Danesco.

Indeed. And I'm pretty sure it was around $20.

[Rover]

An interesting Spaetzle post this week on Smitten Kitchen - lots of detail and information, including the struggle to get it just right. Somebody must have declared Spaetzle Week.

[suzilightning]

i have john's grandmother's recipe that i had to transcribe while she showed me how to do it. she came to america in the early 1920's from Schweisheim, Germany and had a diploma from a cooking school there.

she only used water and would quickly shave the dough off of her cutting board into the water by dipping her knife in the boiling water. the only other person i have seen do this is a german chef from philadelphia who cooks at one of the historical taverns there - sorry can't remember his name.

[Chris Amirault]

I got one at some kitchen supply store for $5 that worked like a charm. Dorie's recipe was the bee's knees; here's a version converted to weights.

[qrn]

Those makers are great...Now all I need is to get the better half to try to get to like spatzel,and I can dig it out of the pileof stuff ,where its been for the last 20 years or so....and, make some, thanks for reminding me....

Bud

[Chris Amirault]

Try sautéing it in a ton of butter so that it browns and crisps up. That'll get him/her.

[qrn]

Good thought,may change her mind(sez he,hopefully}only 20 years since I last made it...

Bud