Test Kitchen #11: Schnitzel & Strudel

This week was Dad's birthday. Always one of the hardest people to buy a gift for, I had been keeping my ear to the ground listening for ideas for the past few months. When Dad mentioned a new All-Clad saute pan that caught his eye I filed it away in my memory banks. Conspiring with Mom, Christine and Matt, we all chipped for the gift. It was well-received when we presented it to him Monday, with Christine video-conferencing in live from Arizona.

The next day was test day and Dad had been wanting to try his hand at a schnitzel. The pounded-thin cutlet is traditionally made with veal, but we made it with pork to save our pennies. (A trick, Dad says, that many restaurants use since most people can't tell the difference between the two meats once they're breaded and fried.) Always trying to find ways to prepare meals healthier ways, we debated at length whether to fry or bake the cutlets. In the end, it was hard to resist not giving the new pan it's debut, so we fried them.

I'm not quite sure why schnitzel tastes so good, since it's basically a breaded cutlet. Maybe it's the crispy edges around the thin slices or the seasoning in the breading, but it was a real treat. Mom, in particular, seemed to enjoy it and she split the last of the cutlets with me and Matt. Honoring our German heritage, we served them with red cabbage and mashed potato. You barely need a recipe for this, but if you'd like a few guidelines, this is want we did.

Cutlets Trip To The Beach?

• Place the cutlets, one at a time, between two sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap. Pound each one until they are about an 1/8" thick.

• Dip each one in an egg wash, coat with breading, and lay on a baking sheet covered with a paper towel to rest for about ten minutes. (We added a little grated Parmesan to our breading mixture, but that's up to you. Be creative!)

• Heat a little butter or canola oil in a large pan. Cook each cutlet until brown on each side, approximately 2-3 per side, but may vary.

The new pan gets christened!

For dessert, we made two apple and raisin strudels. We've actually made strudel before, but Dad had heard about a technique for adding raisins he wanted to try. In a small bowl he combined about 3/4 cup of raisins with a splash of Grand Marnier and set it aside. After a while, the liquid reconstituted the raisins a little and plumped them back up. The raisins, combined with the apples, some brown sugar and cinnamon was then rolled into a puffed pastry dough and baked.

We were a little over zealous with our apple chopping and made more apple mixture than could fit in the pastry dough. Dad put the rest in a small sauce pan and cooked it slow on the stove to create a hot apple sauce to serve with the schnitzel for dinner.