America’s Test Kitchen’s newest cookbook, “Gatherings, Casual-Fancy Meals to Share,” lands on Sept. 19, just in time to inspire celebrations of every variety. The book opens with a chapter of practical tips on everything from party planning to menu management, before plunging into themed gathering ideas. You’ll find recipes and how-tos from ATK and Cook’s Country test kitchen chefs for everything from a Mexican Brunch to a Great British Picnic, a Bao Bar, a Vegetarian Dumpling Party and — this being the season — Oktoberfest.
The Oktoberfest at Home spread devised by Cook’s Country’s Mark Huxoll offers a full menu of German fare, complete with Schweinebraten, brown butter sauerkraut, beer and caraway pretzels, Gruyere and fontina-topped spaetzle and Black Forest Brownies.
Spätzle — or spaetzle, if your keyboard is umlaut challenged — is traditionally made with a spaetzle maker, which forms the eggy little noodles as the batter drips into your pot of boiling water. No spaetzle maker? No problem — Huxoll has created a clever hack using a perforated disposable foil pan.
“Käsespätzle is the German equivalent of macaroni and cheese — which means it’s always a hit,” he says.
And for dessert? “These incredible brownies have all the magic of the classic Black Forest layer cake of chocolate sponge cake, cherries and whipped cream, but they are much easier to make,” Huxoll says in the book. “When the pan comes out of the oven, on goes a layer of tart cherry jam mixed with additional Kirsch to soak into the brownies as they cool. I love serving them with small glasses of chilled Kirsch as a digestif to end the night.”
Käsespätzle
Serves 8
INGREDIENTS
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons table salt, plus salt for cooking spaetzle
1 teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup whole milk
4 large eggs
Späztle maker or a disposable 9-by-13-inch aluminum pan
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (1 cup), divided
4 ounces fontina cheese, shredded (1 cup), divided
DIRECTIONS
Whisk flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg together in large bowl. Whisk milk and eggs together in second bowl until smooth. Slowly whisk milk mixture into flour mixture until smooth. Cover and let rest for 15 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in Dutch oven. If you do not have a spätzle maker, use scissors to poke about 40 ¼-inch holes in bottom of disposable pan.
Add 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water and set spätzle maker or prepared disposable pan on top of pot. Transfer half of batter to spätzle maker or disposable pan. Use spatula to scrape batter across holes, letting batter fall into water. Boil until all the spätzle float, about 30 seconds. Using spider skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer spätzle to a colander set in a large bowl to drain. Repeat with remaining batter.
Discard any accumulated water in bowl and transfer spätzle to now-empty bowl. Add melted butter, ½ cup Gruyère, and ½ cup fontina and toss to combine. (Käsespätzle can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated in airtight container. Let come to room temperature before broiling.) Spread spaetzle into even layer in 2-quart broiler‑safe baking dish and sprinkle with remaining ½ cup Gruyère and ½ cup fontina. Broil until bubbling and browning in spots, about 5 minutes. Serve.
Black Forest Brownies
Makes 16 brownies
INGREDIENTS
2 cups (8 ounces) dried tart cherries
¾ cup Kirsch, divided
5 ounces semisweet chocolate or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into quarters
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 large eggs
1¼ cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon table salt
1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
½ cup sour cherry jam
Confectioners’ sugar
DIRECTIONS
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Make foil sling for 8-inch square baking pan by folding 2 long sheets of aluminum foil so each is 8 inches wide. Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra foil hanging over edges of pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing foil flush to pan. Grease foil.
Combine cherries and ½ cup Kirsch in microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set aside.
In medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of almost-simmering water, melt semisweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate and butter, stirring occasionally, until mixture is smooth. Whisk in cocoa until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
Whisk together eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt in medium bowl until combined. Whisk warm chocolate mixture into egg mixture, then stir in flour and cherries and their liquid with wooden spoon until just combined. Pour mixture into prepared pan, spread into corners and level surface with rubber spatula. Bake until slightly puffed and toothpick inserted in center comes out with small amount of sticky crumbs clinging to it, 35 to 40 minutes.
Whisk jam and remaining ¼ cup Kirsch. Spread glaze evenly over warm brownies and let cool to room temperature on wire rack, about 2 hours. Using foil overhang, lift brownies out of pan and transfer to cutting board; discard foil. (Brownies can be made up to 5 days ahead and stored in airtight container at room temperature.) Dust brownies with confectioners’ sugar and cut into 16 squares. Serve.
— America’s Test Kitchen’s “Gatherings, Casual-Fancy Meals to Share” (America’s Test Kitchen, $30, publishes Sept. 19)
