Tour of Fifty States: Wisconsin's Meal

Following last week’s South Dakota meal (kind of in honor of Laura Ingalls Wilder) here is another state that is linked to her.  She was born in Wisconsin, so many years ago.

Today Wisconsin is a state that is very, very proud of its heritage and is known as “America’s Dairyland.”  I got the recipe idea for the soup that I made from the Wisconsin Cheese Board.  Their website is www.eatwisconsincheese.com/recipes.  The one they have is called “Wisconsin Cheese Soup” but as usual, I doctored it up a bit and made my own version.

When you get to the recipe for the brats, be sure to read the “guidelines” that were given at www.bratwurstpages.com. J

Menu :  Bratwurst and Sauerkraut on buns, Wisconsin Beer Cheese Soup, Schaum Torte

Outcome:  We all really liked the brats with the grilled onions.  I think I’m the only one who had sauerkraut though, LOL!  I found some “brat rolls” made by the same National Brand of brat manufacturer…but they were much longer than the brats made famous by the National Brand. Most of us ended up dipping our extra brat buns pieces into the beer cheese soup.  Speaking of the soup, it was pretty good!  I found some “Pretzel” bread sticks at Wal-Mart in a pack of 6 --these tasted just like soft baked pretzels and they were excellent dipped in the soup. 

As for the dessert – I don’t know what happened, but I followed the directions for the meringues to the letter and yet, they were sticky on the inside.  The outside parts of the meringue were super light and crispy, but when I cut into them with a serrated knife, they were the consistency of marshmallow fluff.  Not too appealing, being so gooey, but pretty good tasting with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and frozen (thawed) mixed berries.  I left the meringues in the oven all night to hopefully dry out more, but the next day they were still sticky on the inside.  Note:  The recipe ended up with 12 large meringues, so if I prepare this again I will half the recipe and make the meringues a little smaller. 

Next up:  My turn to choose!  (This round, we are going by middle names in ABC order.) I picked Idaho!  With the holidays quickly approaching, with birthday dinners for 3 of the kids and other mandatory dinners/occasions, our state meal may be pushed back to January.  I will keep writing up the recipes I make for us, however, and post them on here! 

Wisconsin!  YES I used ketchup!

Bratwurst and Sauerkraut 

 Wisconsin cuisine draws heavily on its German and other ethnic heritages.  Bratwurst “rules” are paraphrased here from the www.bratwurstpages.com website: 

“Rule #1: Do not serve bratwurst on a hot dog bun!  Brats are eaten on a brat bun…brat buns resemble hot dog buns, but are larger and more substantial and chewy, and are designed to hold a single brat. 

Rule #2: Do not put yellow mustard on a brat!  It is an abomination.  The classic mustard for brats is a brown Wisconsin German-style Düsseldorf, medium to dark in color and pungency, slightly sweet-sour and sometimes flavored with herbs. Dijon is also nice.

Beyond those two rules, which are widely accepted in Wisconsin, there are differences of opinion, especially between Sheboygan (self-proclaimed Bratwurst Capital of the World), and the rest of the state.

Typical condiments include any combination of chopped onion, sauerkraut, ketchup, and mustard.  It should be noted that some folks consider ketchup on a brat to be an abomination; similar to how connoisseurs of hot dogs feel.”

One important point - don't ever boil bratwurst!  Simmering means bringing the liquid to the temperature at which steam rises from the surface, but not so hot that it bubbles.  Boiling will cause the casings to burst.

Authentic bratwurst is a fresh sausage which must be cooked thoroughly before eating.  You may see pre-cooked bratwurst for sale - they do not look, feel, or taste like fresh bratwurst.

Prep time:  5 min.  Cook time:  15 min.

Ingredients

• 6 Bratwurst, uncooked
• 6 Potato, Italian, or French rolls (not hot dog buns) Note:  these can be found at Wal-mart and are made by the same company as the brats. 
• 2 onions, thinly sliced
• 1 bottle amber beer
• 1 jar sauerkraut
• Brown mustard

Directions

1.   Simmer the bratwurst in beer in a saucepan for about 10 minutes, until cooked through.  

2.  Sauté sliced onions in butter over medium low heat until light golden brown. Keep warm.

3.  Warm sauerkraut in a saucepan until heated through.

4.  Place the bratwurst on a hot grill and cook over medium-high until charred. 

5.  Assemble in buns with onions, sauerkraut, and brown mustard.

Serves 6.

Wisconsin Beer Cheese Soup

 Wisconsin is the dairy and cheese state.  There are dozens of small cheese factories throughout the state.  Cheese appears everywhere in the Wisconsin culinary repertoire - soups, salads, main dishes, appetizers, and desserts.

Prep time:  10 min.  Cook time:  40 min.

Ingredients

• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 2/3 cup chopped green onion, green tops and white base.
• 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
• 1/2 cup finely chopped cabbage
• ½ cup flour
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup good Wisconsin beer
• 3 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 4 cups half and half, heated
• 5 cups shredded aged Wisconsin Cheddar cheese (use aged cheese for better flavor) 

Directions

1. Melt butter in large, heavy pan.  Add onion, carrot and cabbage.
2. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until onions and vegetables become translucent.
3. Stir in flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Add broth, beer and mustard. Stir well until mixture reaches a boil.
4. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 30 minutes.
5. Add hot half and half and cheese. Stir and warm gently until heated through and cheese is melted.
6. Serve soup with crusty dark rolls, like pretzel bread or pumpernickel.

Serves 8.  

Schaum Torte

 Excepting Austrians and Germans, who know everything about Schaum Torte, Wisconsinites are probably the only Americans who have heard of this foam cake. German immigrant families have brought the original recipe of this dessert to their new homes, where some call it simply "meringue", "Pavlova" or even "Bizet".

Prep time:  10 min.  Cook time:  35-40 minutes.  

Ingredients

1. 6 egg whites, at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar (divided)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. vinegar
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. salt
• Ice cream
• Sliced fresh berries
• Whipped cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 275º.  Grease and lightly flour 2 large cookie sheets.
2. Beat egg whites in glass bowl until they form soft peaks when beater is lifted from whites. 
3. Beat in 6 Tbsp. sugar, 2 Tbsp. at a time, until thoroughly incorporated.
4. Add vanilla, vinegar, baking powder, salt and remaining sugar, beating constantly.
5. Drop 12 spoonfuls of mixture on prepared sheets, 3" apart and forming each into a mound 3" in diameter.

6.  Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until dry to the touch.  Turn off oven, keeping door closed, and let cool completely.

7.  When cool, remove tops by slicing horizontally with a serrated knife.

8.  Fill bottoms with ice cream, cover with fruit and top with whipped cream. Replace tops.

Makes 12.