Choucroute Au Champagne Recipes

Steps:

• Place ham hocks in large saucepan. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until meat is very tender, about 2 hours. Transfer hocks to medium bowl. Boil broth until reduced to 2 cups, about 15 minutes. Remove meat from bones; discard bones. Place hock meat in medium bowl. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover hock meat and broth separately; chill.)
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add bratwurst and bacon. Sauté until bacon is crisp and bratwurst is brown, about 10 minutes. Place in bowl with hock meat.
• Add onions, spices and bay leaves to same pot. Sauté until onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Add apples; sauté 2 minutes. Mix in sauerkraut. Add all meats; press to submerge. Add reserved broth and wine. Boil 10 minutes. Cover choucroute and bake 1 1/2 hours.
• Meanwhile, cook potatoes in pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 18 minutes. Drain; cool slightly. Cut potatoes in half. Dip cut sides into parsley. Arrange sauerkraut and meats on platter. Surround with potatoes. Serve with mustards and horseradish.

Steps:

• Line a deep kettle with slices of salt pork, add the sliced onions and chopped garlic. Put the sauerkraut on top with a large piece of salt pork and grind plenty of pepper over it. Add just enough champagne or white wine to cover the sauerkraut. Simmer on top of the stove or in a 300°F oven for 4 to 6 hours. The longer it cooks, the better it will be.
• Smoked pork loin is a natural accompaniment for choucroute. Roast it for 10 to 15 minutes per pound or until thoroughly heated through. Bratwurst, vaurenwurst, knockwurst, and good well seasoned frankfurters are also tasty additions. Use any or all these meats. To serve, heap the choucroute in the middle of a platter and arrange slices of meat around it.
• If the sauerkraut was cooked in white wine, place half a bottle or two splits of champagne in the center of the sauerkraut. At the table, give the bottle a good shake and remove corks so the champagne gushes out over the sauerkraut. Serve with plain boiled potatoes. With this, drink champagne or Riesling.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large Dutch oven or oven-proof pot with lid, saute the bacon until browned. Remove the bacon and all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease. Brown the bratwurst and the pork chops on all sides, then set them aside. Add the onion and saute until translucent. Add the sauerkraut and saute 5 minutes. Add the potato, caraway seeds, juniper berries and the brown sugar and stir to combine. Place the browned bratwurst and pork chops on top of the sauerkraut mixture. Add the chicken stock, Riesling and water. Place lid on top and bake for 45 minutes.

Steps:

• Wash sauerkraut thoroughly, put aside. In a rondeau melt the duck fat and saute the onion until tender, add garlic bay leaves, juniper berries and thyme. Saute until golden brown, deglaze with Reisling wine. Add 1/2 of the sauerkraut, place bacon slab and ham shanks in the middle and then top with remaining sauerkraut. Pour chicken stock over making sure it covers the sauerkraut (if not enough, add water). Cover the pan with foil and place in a preheated 350 degrees oven for 1 1/2 hours. Wash red bliss potatoes and steam whole for 30 to 40 minutes. Peel potatoes and set aside. Cut sausages in half and warm in boiling water. Place pork chops in oven to warm. Take sauerkraut out of the oven and remove bacon and ham shanks. Slice the bacon in half. Remove pork chops out of oven. Place sauerkraut in the center of a large oval tray, place all meats around sauerkraut, place bacon and ham shanks, on top of sauerkraut. Place warm potatoes around with the meat, Serve Dijon mustard on the side.

Steps:

• Immerse the sauerkraut in a large bowl filled with cold water, and soak for 15 minutes.
• While sauerkraut is soaking, place the chopped bacon and the optional bacon rind in a heavy, oven proof pot over high heat. Saute for 1 minute. Turn heat to medium-low, add the garlic and saute for another minute.
• Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
• Squeeze the sauerkraut dry, reserving 1 cup of the soaking water and add the sauerkraut to the pot. Stir well to blend with bacon. Add the reserved cup of soaking water, the white wine, the juniper berries, the peppercorns and the cloves. Bring to boil on top of stove and boil until the liquid has almost evaporated (about 20-30 minutes).
• Imbed the meats in the sauerkraut, cover the pot and cook in the oven until the meats are hot, about 30 minutes. Serve on a large platter.

Steps:

• Boil ham hocks in unsalted water until tender, at least 1 1/2 hours. Meanwhile, wash sauerkraut in cold water; drain. Wash again, in hot water; drain and squeeze dry.
• In a heavy, ovenproof pot, melt 3 tablespoons of the fat over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook it until soft and tender; do not brown. Add wine and 1 cup water, then bacon. Cover,and cook 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
• Season sauerkraut with pepper and a tiny bit of salt; add to pot,covering bacon. Combine garlic, juniper berries, caraway and bay leaf in cheesecloth and tie into a sachet. Bury this in the sauerkraut. Lay a circle of parchment paper directly over sauerkraut, cover, bring to a boil, transfer to oven and bake 1 hour.
• Add pork loin, top with potatoes, and return to oven for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
• About 15 minutes before potatoes are done,add bratwursts and frankfurters to the pot with hocks. Reduce heat to simmer, and heat through. Heat remaining fat in a skillet, and carefully brown blood sausages (they burst if overcooked).
• Add kirsch to sauerkraut; taste and add salt if necessary. Discard herb sachet.
• To serve, slice bacon and pork loin.Cut sausages and hocks into pieces. Put sauerkraut on large platter with meats and potatoes on top and around it. Serve with hot mustard and beer or white Alsatian wine.