German

Buttered potatoes accompany this simple, sophisticated dish at Gugelhof restaurant.

A spice cake that's great with coffee.

This vinegary dressing reflects the tastes and traditions of the sizable German population in the Midwest.

Chef Ian Algerø‸en of Skadi restaurant serves this side dish with duck. It's also terrific with roast pork or Cornish game hens.

Transforming cabbage into sauerkraut was one way the Germans preserved summer's crop for the hard winter ahead. A combination of rinsing the kraut of its salty brine and baking it with dried fruit mellows its bite. Smoked pork chops can be substituted; just omit the browning step. Offer some dark and light German beers to drink.

At The Amana Barn Restaurant, in Amana, Iowa this dish is called Rouladen; it's accompanied by potato dumplings.

Baked in individual ring molds, these little desserts feature caramelized pears, streusel topping and sweetened cream.

Choucroute — the pickled cabbage that is a cornerstone of Alsatian cuisine — is similar to sauerkraut. One key difference is that choucroute is always cooked in wine. Here, sauerkraut is combined with smoked ham hocks, sausages and potatoes.

These really do taste like pretzels, but they're shaped like regular dinner rolls. Quick-rising yeast makes them a cinch to prepare, and boiling them before baking is the secret to their superb texture.

What to drink: Georg Breuer 1999 Riesling Auslese Goldkapsel Rüdesheim Berg Rottland.

Extra juicy and very crunchy, these thick-cut breaded pork chops are an impressive dinner option served with a crisp pickled-fennel salad.

You can create a variety of shapes and colors with a cookie press. We love OXO’s cookie press for this recipe since it has sturdy metal plates and all the parts unscrew easily for cleaning.