Rachel's German Cabbage Rolls

Ingredients

FOR THE CABBAGE ROLLS:               

1 whole cabbage                                             

1kg minced beef                                                 

1 cup raw rice                                    

1 egg                                                 

1 onion chopped                                  

parsley                                               

salt & pepper

FOR THE SAUCE:  

3/4 bottle tomato puree

2 Tbs sugar

5 cups water

1 cup white vinegar

4 Tbs Vegeta

1 heaped Tbs cornflour mixed with a little water       
              

Method:

Cook rice.

Blanche the cabbage leaves until pliable (or if the cabbage is small blanche the whole cabbage) then drain and allow to cool..

Cut hard bottom rib from cabbage.

Combine the mince beef, cooked rice, egg, onion, parsley, salt and pepper.

Divide mixture into 12 portions, then roll each portion into a cabbage leaf or two if the leaves are small and place into a tray deep enough to hold them.

Keep spare cabbage leaves (cooked) to place under the cabbage rolls in the tray to prevent burning or sticking of cabbage rolls.

Make the sauce by mixing all the ingredients together and boiling to dissolve the sugar and thicken slightly.

Pour sauce over the cabbage rolls and bake covered in moderate oven (180 degrees) for 2 hours.

Serve with boiled potatoes or German noodles (Spatzle)

Makes approx 12 Cabbage Rolls

German Black Forrest Cake

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

3 cups self-raising flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1 cup milk

pinch salt

 

For the Mousse:

150g good quality dark eating chocolate

3 eggs, separated

1 Tbs brandy

2 Tbs sugar

 

425g can stoneless black cherries, drained & cherries halved

1/4 cup brandy

3 tsp cornflour

 

300ml cream, whipped

3 glace cherries, halved, to decorate

chocolate, to decorate

 

Method:

For the Cake:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Grease and line a deep 20cm round cake pan.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and creamy.

Add eggs, one at a time and beat until combined.

Add sifted cocoa and salt and mix until combined.

Add sifted flour and milk and mix alternately until combined.

Place mixture into prepared cake tin and bake for approx 1 hour or until skewer comes out clean.

When cool slice top off cake to level it.

Slice the cake into 3 layers.

 

For the Mousse:

Melt chocolate in microwave in short bursts and stir until melted, cool a little.

Beat the egg yolks and brandy with a fork.

Using an electric beater beat egg whites until firm peaks form then add the sugar and continue beating for a further min.

Stir in the egg yolk mixture into the cooled melted chocolate.

With a metal spoon stir in 1/3 of the egg white mixture into the chocolate/egg yolk mixture. (this will lighten the mixture to make it easier to fold in the rest of the egg white)

Fold in the remaining egg white and transfer into a bowl and refrigerate for 2 hours.

 

Drain the cherries, reserving liquid.

Mix the cornflour with a little of the cherry syrup to make a paste then add more of the cherry syrup to make up to 200ml.

Cook in microwave until thickened then cool.

Add any remaining cherry syrup with the brandy and brush all over the layers of the cake.

Place one layer of the cake on a plate and evenly spread the chocolate mousse.

Place another layer of the cake on the mousse and top with the drained, halved cherries.

Pour on the cooled cherry syrup mixture then top with final layer of cake.

Place in fridge for about 1 hour to allow all layers to set.

 

Finish decorating the cake by spreading whipped cream all over the top and sides, completely covering.

Decorate with chocolate (I used a bag of 'Cadbury' flake) all around the sides of the cake and pipe 6 small rosettes on top of cake and place halved glace cherries on top.