Oktoberfest 2014 Appetizers

Here's a picture of the Oktoberfest Appetizer table.   We started out with Bavarian Blue and Butterkäse Cheese with assorted crackers, Bavarian sauerkraut, freshly baked soft pretzels with choice of German mustards, grilled Nuremberg Bratwursts and Cherry Glazed Brats.

Butterkäse is a semi-soft cheese with a golden natural rind, very popular in Germany and Austria for its creamy texture, buttery like taste. Its name, when literally translated means "butter cheese," but the cheese is butter free. However, the appealing flavor and appearance makes it a great hit on a cheeseboard. Produced in Landhaus with original cultures and traditional German production methods, it is aged for a very brief period resulting in a mild taste and flavor.

This cheese ripens in one month and has a fat content of 50 per cent. Since Butterkase can be sliced, spread or melted it is a perfect table cheese. It is very good with a glass of beer.

• Made from cow's milk
• Country of origin: Germany and Austria
• Type: Semi-soft
• Fat content: 50%
• Texture:  Creamy, smooth and spreadable
• Rind: natural
• Color: pale yellow

Bavarian Blue is a recently-invented hybrid cheese, made from pasteurized cows' milk with additional cream. It has a pale, creamy interior, with splotches of blue mould, rather than veins. It has a white rind similar to that of Camembert. So high in butterfat (40%) that it is almost a triple cream, it is very spreadable, and is excellent with fresh fruit, or on French bread or neutral crackers.

A tangy Bavarian Sauerkraut is the perfect accompaniment to grilled brats and mustard.

Imported from Germany, these authentic Nuremberg Bratwurst follow a 500 year old recipe and are packed in thin casings, not the large diameter casing you find in today's ballpark brats. The legend behind Nuremberg Bratwurst is that a medieval judge was imprisoned in Nuremberg, so his family made him bratwurst skinny enough to fit through the prison door's key hole. These sausages just need a few minutes in the pan or on the grill to heat through, then serve with your favorite mustard and beer.

I adapted this recipe from Southern Living October 2012.  I used cherry instead of plum preserves and sliced them before browning instead of serving them whole.  They were a hit.

3/4 cup cherry preserves

2 T. balsamic vinegar

2 t. chopped fresh thyme

1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper

2 lb. assorted fresh sausages 

Cook first four ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring often, about 5 minutes.  Reserve half of the mixture.

You can either grill the sausages or do as I did, slice them and brown them in a large skillet over high heat until they are nicely browned.

If you're grilling the sausages, after 10 - 12 minutes brush with half the glaze during the last 5 minutes of cooking.  

If pan browning, pour half of the glaze into the skillet with the sausages.

Remove from heat, let stand 5 minutes and serve with remaining glaze on the side.