Karl Ratzsch’s Restaurant recipe for Kase Spaetzle

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Schnelle Käsespätzle | Chefkoch

Karl Ratzsch’s was always my favorite German restaurant in Milwaukee. It was off to the side from the busy streets, and oh so old world … delicious.

1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
Pinch white pepper, plus more for seasoning
Pinch of ground nutmeg
2 eggs
1/2 medium onion, diced
Pinch of sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter (divided)
1/2 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
3 ounces Swiss cheese, diced
Fried bread crumbs, for garnish

Bring pot of salted water to boil.

Meanwhile, sift flour into bowl. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg and eggs. Mix until batter is smooth. Press dough onto floured surface. With sharp knife, scrape small pieces of dough off and drop into boiling water, using caution as water may splash. Boil about 10 minutes. Remove from water with slotted spoon, drain and chill.

Sauté onion and sugar in 1 tablespoon of the butter until caramelized. Season with salt, pepper, and paprika, set aside and keep warm.

When ready to serve, sauté chilled spaetzle in remaining 3 tablespoons of butter until golden brown. Toss with the onion mixture and diced Swiss cheese and season with pepper and salt. Top with fried bread crumbs that have been lightly browned in butter.

Makes about 3 servings.

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Karl Ratzsch’s Mocha Torte

Menus are time capsules of fine dining in Milwaukee

Ingredients

Torte:
7 eggs (divided)
1 c. sugar (divided)
1 ½ c. ground walnuts
½ c. dry bread crumbs
3 T. light rum
3 T. dark rum
 
Chocolate Buttercream:
½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
1 egg yolk
½ c. powdered sugar
1 t. light rum

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Separate 6 eggs. Beat the remaining whole egg, separated egg yolks and ¾ cup sugar in a large mixing bowl until very creamy and light.

In another large bowl, beat egg whites with remaining ¼ cup sugar until whites hold stiff peaks. Do not over beat until they are dry. Fold the egg yolk mixture into the beaten whites, alternating with the walnuts and bread crumbs. Be gentle when folding the two mixtures so that the air in the whites is not eliminated during the folding process.

Divide batter among three buttered and floured 8-inch round cake pans. Bake in preheated oven 25 minutes. Remove pans from oven and cool on racks.

When cool, remove layers from pans and carefully cut each layer in half horizontally using a very sharp serrated knife, such as a bread knife. Mix rums together and sprinkle each layer with rum mixture.

Prepare chocolate buttercream: Cream butter in a large bowl until fluffy. Gradually beat in the chocolate. In another bowl, beat egg yolk and sugar until creamy. Beat egg-sugar mixture into chocolate mixture until very light and smooth. Add rum and mix well.

Place one layer on a serving plate and cover thinly with chocolate buttercream. Cover with another layer and frost, continuing until the torte is assembled. Frost entire outside of torte.

We will seek recipes including

Köenigsberger Klops with Caper Sauce (veal and pork meatballs) and Calf Sweetbreads on Toast served under a glass bell, Chicken Croquettes served “on a pool of tasty rich cream sauce and garnished with sherbet, U.S. prime porterhouse for two including all the requisite sides, broiled African lobster tail, sauerbraten, the beef rouladen, the schnitzels.

Karl Ratzsch’s Roast Duckling a la Ratzsch

Karl Ratzsch’s is an old world landmark in Milwaukee and has been the epicenter of fine German food and dining for more than 100 years at 320 E. Mason Street. Screen Shot 2015-01-26 at 7.11.03 PMThe history and lore of the restaurant is detailed on Karl Ratzsch’s site:http://karlratzsch.com/history.html.

Today’s posts include the cache of Karl Ratzsch’s recipes we’ve scored, starting with Duckling a la Ratzsch. This duck was prepared for President George W. Bush when he visited Milwaukee during his term. He told WTMJ radio, “I had a duck that looked like a goose. It was the biggest duck I ever saw in my life. But it was good.”

Karl Ratzsch’s Roast Duckling a la Ratzsch
1/2 c. vegetable oil or melted shortening
1 (4-5 lb.) whole duck, trimmed of excess fat, giblets removed Continue reading

Karl Ratzsch’s Roast Goose Shanks

Customers rave about this dish! The recipe was originally published in the Milwaukee Sentinel in 1979.

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Karl Ratzsch’s Roast Goose Shanks
4 goose shanks (1 to 1¼ lbs. each)
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
2 apples, cored and quartered
2 med. onions, quartered
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Stuffed Sole a la Ratzsch

Karl Ratzsch’s serves this fillet of sole stuffed with crabmeat and topped with a creamy wine sauce.  The recipe was published recently in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s reader’s request section, found here: http://www.jsonline.com/features/recipes/125922753.html.

Stuffed Sole a la Ratzsch Wine Sauce:

½ c. white wine

2 c. chicken stock

1 T. fresh lemon juice

1 shallot, diced

½ bay leaf

¼ tsp. garlic, chopped

Pinch of white pepper Continue reading

(Karl Ratzsch’s Chef) Dreazy’s Short Ribs in Baked Beans and Beer

Michael Dreazy was a chef at Karl Ratzsch’s and first provided his recipe to the Milwaukee Journal in 1981, simply naming it “Baked Beans au Schlitz.”  Schlitz, “the Beer that Made Milwaukee Famous,” is now being brewed by Pabst.  At the time, Chef Dreazy advised, “Any beer will work, but why not Schlitz?”

The other advice he gave, “Don’t hurry, give it full cooking time.  Don’t blast away at 400° F. Let the flavor develop slowly, like a good wine, it takes time.”

Finally, he added, “like any good stew or soup, the leftovers may taste even better than the initial serving.” Dreazy’s advice was to “leave it in the crockpot (a note:~in Milwaukee, we use a Nesco) and place it in a refrigerator rack, where the air can get to it from underneath. Keep the cover off until it’s completely cool, then place the cover back on and keep it airtight.”

Dreazy was also sous-chef for the Milwaukee Athletic Club and the University of Milwaukee Club, and in 1998 was named executive chef for the Golden Hills Golf and Turf Club in Ocala, Florida.

This recipe was reprinted in the Milwaukee Journal sentinel, by request, in 2010.

Baked Beans au Schlitz
2 c. navy beans, soaked overnight
1 med. onion, chopped
1 lb. short ribs, cut in 1″ cubes (the bone adds a lot of flavor)
Continue reading

Karl Ratzsch’s Crackling Pork Shank

John Poulos, executive chef and co-owner, recently sent the recipe for this famous dish to a answer a reader request in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel at http://www.jsonline.com/features/recipes/56808522.html.

Karl Ratzsch’s Crackling Pork Shank
1 fresh pork shank (about 2 lbs.)
1 gal. cold water
2 tsp. salt (divided)
1½ gal. vegetable oil (must cover shank)
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
½ lemon rind (left whole or in large pieces)
½ orange rind, (left whole or in large pieces)
Continue reading

Karl Ratzsch’s Liver Dumpling Soup

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A traditional and amazing soup. The recipe was originally published in 1980 by the Milwaukee Sentinel.

Karl Ratzsch’s Liver Dumpling Soup
1 qt. consumme, beef broth or beef bouillon
2 tbsp. bread crumbs
4 tbsp. butter

Liver Dumplings
1 lb. calves liver, coursely ground
Continue reading

Karl Ratzsch’s Sauerbraten

One of the most celebrated Sauerbraten in Milwaukee, the recipe was published in 1983 in the Milwaukee Sentinel.

Karl Ratzsch’s Sauerbraten
4 lbs. beef (rump, chuck or sirloin)
1 tbsp. salt
1 c. red wine vinegar
1 c. white wine vinegar
2 c. cold water
1 onion, sliced
Continue reading

Karl Ratzsch’s Bavarian Kirsch Cream with Cherries

Karl Ratzch’s is famous for this dessert and provided the recipe to the Milwaukee Sentinel in 1981.

Karl Ratzsch’s Bavarian Kirsch Cream with Cherries
1 lb. cherries, stoned
3/4 c. Kirsch liqueur
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. cream
Continue reading

Karl Ratzsch’s Baked Potatoes Stuffed with Mushrooms

This recipe comes from Chef Mike Weyer.

Karl Ratzsch’s Baked Potatoes Stuffed with Mushrooms
6 lg. baking potatoes
1 tbsp. bacon grease
1 leek. white part only, chopped
3 tbsp. melted butter
4 c. fresh mushrooms, finely chopped
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
1 tbsp. heavy cream
White Pepper, Salt, grated Nutmeg, to taste

1. Rub potatoes with bacon grease and bake until done at 425° F. for about an hour.  Remove from oven and cool slightly.

2. While potatoes are baking, in a larger frying pan, sauté’ leek in half of the butter for 1 min.  Add mushrooms, then cover and continue cooking until all of the liquid disappears.  Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Remove from heat, add beaten egg yolk.

3. Cut the top off the potato, scoop out pulp.  Mash pulp and mix with the mushroom mixture, thin with cream, as desired.

4.  Stuff potato shells with mixture and sprinkle with melted butter. Bake at 425° F. for 15 min.

Karl Ratzch’s German Apple Pancake

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An amazing, showy puffed-up confection. This recipe was clipped from a Milwaukee newspaper more than 40 years ago, but the name of the paper, or the date was not kept.

Karl Ratzch’s German Apple Pancake
1 c. milk
2 tbsp. melted butter
4 tbsp. flour
4 eggs, beaten
1 apple, sliced
Continue reading

Karl Ratzsch’s Chicken Okra Soup

The restaurant revealed this recipe to the Milwaukee Sentinel in 1980.

Karl Ratzsch’s Chicken Okra Soup
1 (4 lb.) chicken
2 qts. water
2 lg. carrots, peeled, diced
1 lg. onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1/3 c. flour
2 oz. butter
1 sm. can whole tomatoes, diced
1 sm. can cut okra
Continue reading

Karl Ratzsch’s Hungarian Beef Goulash

See the source imageKarl Ratzsch’s restaurant provided the recipe to the Milwaukee Sentinel in 1978. (Note:

Karl Ratzsch’s Hungarian Beef Goulash
2 lbs. lean beef (bottom sirloin, butt or round), cut in 1½” squares
2 lbs. onions, sliced
4 tbsp. butter
4 tbsp. flour
Continue reading