German

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

My grandmother Marie "Nanney" Spivey (I am her namesake) always doubles this family favorite and uses two pie shells. She says, "Everybody loves it. You can stir it up in five minutes."

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.

A spice cake that's great with coffee.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

An appealing dish from Matt's in the Market in Seattle, Washington.

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.