Strudel, Noodles and Dumplings: The New Taste of German Cooking. Anja Dunk

      HUNG BUTTERMILK (QUARK) WITH BROWN SUGAR AND SPICE

HUNG BUTTERMILK (QUARK)

      WITH BROWN SUGAR AND SPICE

      Like strained yogurt, this has a wonderful dense texture to it. A bulging, dripping muslin full of buttermilk was a permanent fixture hanging off our kitchen tap when we were growing up. It needs to hang undisturbed for around 24 hours, and sometimes the urge to poke it was all too strong for me. I cannot count the number of times I was reprimanded for doing so and now, almost like an unspoken payback, my children do the same, pushing their little fingers into the milky bulge.

      Hung buttermilk (quark) is delicious mixed with herbs or with garlic and freshly cracked black pepper – perfect for spreading and spooning onto things – but as a treat we like to eat it as a sweet.

      SERVES 4

      You will need a muslin or a cheesecloth

      800ml buttermilk *

      ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

      ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

      tip of a teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

      25g light brown sugar (or more if you like it sweeter)

      zest of ½ an orange

      FOR THE TOASTED NUTS

      40g walnut pieces

      2 tablespoons runny honey, plus extra for drizzling

      Place a colander over a large bowl, then lay a clean muslin in the colander and pour the buttermilk into it. Bring all four corners of the cloth up and tie them in a knot – now hang this muslin bundle on the kitchen tap or on a hook with the bowl underneath to catch the drips. Hang undisturbed for at least 24 hours.

      Turn the hung buttermilk out into a bowl, add the rest of the ingredients and beat with a wooden spoon until evenly mixed.

      Put the walnuts and honey into a small frying pan and cook over a medium heat for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.

      Serve with the toasted walnuts and honey.

      ALSO TRY:

      The zest of ½ a lemon, ½ tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, 25g light brown sugar.

      ¾ tablespoon cocoa powder, 40g dark brown sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon.

      Hung buttermilk (quark) mixed with fruit is always a quick dessert option, and a dish from the German Schnellküche, meaning from the speedy kitchen – if you choose to use ready-made quark this really does fit the Schnellküche bill. Oranges and strawberries are the best fruits to use, with a little golden caster sugar added to bring out the sweetness.

      * Instead of hanging the buttermilk for 24 hours you can hang 500g of shop-bought quark for just a couple of hours to strain off some of the liquid.

QUARK FRITTERS

      WITH HONEY AND THYME SALT

      These fritters are like light, savoury doughnuts – a real treat. As with all things fried, they should be served hot, just cool enough to handle, pretty much straight from the stove. Mostly, as the cook, I eat them standing.

      This recipe makes enough for about 2 people, but is easily multiplied should you be catering for a crowd – although if this is the case make sure you have a glass of wine to hand, because you won’t be leaving the cooker for some time.

      MAKES 15–20 (SERVES 2)

      sunflower oil, for frying

      runny honey, to serve

      FOR THE BATTER

      100g quark

      25ml buttermilk

      1 egg, beaten

      40g plain flour

      ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

      FOR THE THYME SALT *

      1 teaspoon Himalayan salt, crushed (or any flaky sea salt)

      ½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped

      Heat about 2cm of oil over a medium-high heat in a large, heavy-based saucepan until it is hot enough to fry in. It should take about 5 minutes to come up to temperature. I test whether it is hot enough by putting a cube of bread in – if it sizzles on contact and starts to turn golden brown, the oil is ready.

      While the oil is heating, put all the ingredients for the batter into a bowl and mix together until a smooth batter is formed. Let the batter stand for 2 minutes undisturbed, to allow the bicarbonate of soda to work its magic – the volume of batter should visibly expand and become much more aerated.

      Drop the batter a teaspoonful at a time into the oil (this sounds a small amount but they puff up when fried), taking care not to splash or over-crowd the pan; I find 6 at a time is just right. Turn the fritters occasionally to prevent them burning. They should be ready after 3 or 4 minutes.

      Take the fritters out of the oil with a slotted spoon and place on a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain. Repeat the process with the remaining batter.

      Mix the salt and thyme together in a little dish and drizzle some honey on to a plate. To eat the fritters, dip them first into the honey, then into the salt.

      * If you aren’t going to dip the fritters into the thyme salt, you’ll need to add ¼ teaspoon of salt to the batter.