Labor Day Weekend: the end and the beginning

Labor Day Weekend: the end and the beginning. Summer will hold out for a little while, we will still have some more hot days and I suppose even humidity. But summer is failing and autumn is taking hold; school starts and the cabin seems even more miles away than it is. Let summer dominate the weekend--time for one last gala barbeque before we are too busy.


A Dream of Autumn

Mellow hazes, lowly trailing
Over wood and meadow, veiling
Somber skies, with wild fowl sailing
Sailor-like to foreign lands;
And the north wind overleaping
Summer’s brink, and flood-like sweeping
Wrecks of roses where the weeping-
Willows wring their helpless hands.—James Whitcomb Riley

This holiday is for celebrating our laboring masses—actually that is most of us—but in particular those who work at a physical trade. It doesn’t seem appropriate to me to serve fancy foods and wines on this holiday; instead I think of robust and down-to-earth foods. And the perfect menu is just that; robust and down-to-earth—also delicious! Oh, and also very easy on the cook, who happens to be a laborer, too.

Chips and dip
Sheboygan-style Brats
Rye buns
Kraut relish
German hot potato salad
Baked beans
Sliced tomatoes
Chocolate Brownie Cobbler

Sheboygan-style Brats (10-12 servings)

This recipe for brats was given, actually demonstrated, to me by a fellow from Sheboygan who said there was no other authentic brat recipe. I have never come across it exactly the way this is done, but I’ve made it many times and everyone always raves—so give it a try.

2 pounds raw brats (Johnsonville brand is really good)
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1 stick butter
Beer to cover brats (about 4 12-oz cans)

Start charcoals or preheat gas grill. Put beer, butter and sliced onions into a deep kettle or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil. Drop brats into boiling liquid and immediately lower heat until mixture simmers. Cover kettle and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. When grill is ready, and using tongs, transfer brats to grill. (Be careful not to pierce sausages). Grill until brown all over, sizzling, but not burned. Take brats off grill and drop them back into the simmering kettle mixture. Keep them on grill or stove on low heat, covered, until ready to serve. Serve in warmed rye brat buns with kraut relish, catsup and mustard.

Kraut Relish (10-12 servings)

2 cups sauerkraut, drained and cut in short lengths
One-half cup chopped green pepper
One-fourth cup canned pimientos, cut in strips
One-half cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp prepared horseradish
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
One-half tsp. salt
One-eighth tsp. pepper

Combine all ingredients; mix well. Chill. Serve with brats.

German Hot Potato Salad (in slow cooker) 10-12 servings

8 medium potatoes
1 pound bacon
4 Tbsp. flour
½ cup sugar
1 Tbsp. salt
1 tsp. celery seed
One-fourth tsp. pepper.
2 cups water
1 cup white or apple cider vinegar

Cook potatoes in boiling water until tender. Cool slightly and peel. Slice into one-eighth inch slices. Put into crock of slow cooker.

Cut bacon into small 1-inch pieces and fry in large skillet until crisp. Drain on paper towel, reserving bacon drippings. Stir flour, sugar, salt, celery seed and pepper into drippings. Stir and cook until mixture is smooth. Add water and vinegar, stirring and cooking until smooth and thick. Add to potatoes in slow cooker. Add bacon and cover. Keep salad on low setting until ready to serve.

Chocolate Brownie Cobbler (10-12 servings)

2 cups (4 sticks) butter
1 12-oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 cups sugar
8 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 and two-thirds cups flour
1 tsp. salt
2 and one-half cups coarsely chopped walnuts (about 10 ounces), toasted
Cocoa powder
Vanilla ice cream.

Preheat oven to 350. Butter 15x10x2-inch baking dish. Stir butter and chocolate in heavy large saucepan over medium-low heat until melted and smooth. Remove pan from heat. Whisk sugar into chocolate mixture. Whisk in eggs 2 at a time. Whisk in vanilla, then flour and salt. Stir in walnuts. Transfer batter to prepared baking dish. Bake until top is crisp and tester inserted into center comes out with wet crumbs attached, about 50 minutes. Cool 15 minutes. Dust with cocoa powder, if desired. Spoon warm cobbler into bowls. Serve with vanilla ice cream. (Adapted from Bon Appetit September 1998).