Zwetschgenkuchen (German Plum Cake)
It’s an interesting thing when you realize that your kid might just be even stranger than you are. When I made this discovery, I was filled with a mixture of terror and pride. Figure that one out, Freud.
This latest realization came on the last trip to the store. I spotted these beautiful little plums and got all excited. My little guy, sitting in the cart, looked confused. So I said, “Joe, look… Zwetschgen!”
Now, I kid you not, he repeated back to me (with better German pronunciation than mine, at that!), “Zwetschgen?”
“Yeah! They’re adorable teeeeeeny plums,” I said. (Ok, sometimes I act a little silly for his benefit. )
“Yeah! Zwetschgen…. awwww!”
I know what you’re thinking. Adorable! Nothing strange at all! Yeah, but that’s not the end of the story. He proceeded to talk to the plums the entire time we finished our shopping, cooing at them, playing peekaboo, and explaining to them the intricacies of free samples. This is where I started getting concerned about what would happen when it was time to eat his adorable little friends. Then, in the moment immediately following, I realized my bigger concern should be that my kid just made friends with 5 lbs of stone fruit. But it was my fault. I called them adorable and teeny, and who doesn’t want to be friends with something adorable and teeny?!
Anyway, eat them we did, mostly baked up into this Kuchen. This is my Oma’s recipe, my great grandma. My mom’s mom’s mom. That’s some authentic German cake, folks! It also just happens to be one of my favorite desserts of all time. It’s comfort food at it’s finest… bubbly, jammy plums, crumbly streusel, and a tender, golden crust. The small little plums that are called Zwetschgen in German are more commonly known as prune plums or Italian plums in the U.S. Really, any plums, or really any fruit, would work well in this, but something about these little guys are the just the best. They’re not overly juicy or sweet, which doesn’t seem like the best thing for a tart, but it is. Once baked, the sugars concentrate and they release plenty of juiciness without melting into a soggy puddle. If you can find some of these little plums, I recommend snatching them up.
Oh, and the good news is that a blossoming friendship with produce didn’t keep my little guy from eating a big old slice of this. Let this be a lesson to any of you who may be seduced by this adorable cheeky smile… he knows no loyalty when faced with Kuchen.
Southfork Chili
This chili freezes and reheats beautifully, and is even better made a day or two ahead of time.
Ingredients
- 2 lb lean ground beef
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 large bell pepper, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 3 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 3 cups (or 2 cans, drained and rinsed) kidney beans
- 2 28 oz cans whole tomatoes
- 1 can tomato sauce
- 1 1/2 cups corn
Instructions
- In a large pot, brown the ground beef. Once cooked through and browned, add in the onion, bell pepper, garlic, spices, and salt and continue to cook over medium heat until the vegetables soften. Then, add in the beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and corn.
- Simmer for at least 2 hours, but the longer the better, up to several hours.