Ben's German Zwiebelkuchen My World Kitchen

Whose kitchen are we going to today?

Hi, I'm Ben.

This is my house. Come in.

-This is my dad.

-Hello.

-Hi, Dad!

Today, we are making my favourite dish, Zwiebelkuchen.

Ben has learned to make his own special Zwiebelkuchen,

which is delicious.

Ben's family originally come from Germany.

Germany is a very large country in the middle of Europe.

Many people live in Germany.

It also has lots of forests, rivers and beautiful mountains.

German people often have their main meal of the day at lunchtime

and a smaller meal in the evenings.

Germany is famous for cheese and sausages.

In fact, it is said that there are over 1,000 types of German sausage.

Ben's washed his hands, put on his apron and he's ready to cook.

I am making a special German Zwiebelkuchen for my friends.

And he's invited Eliza, Harry and Charlie

to taste a special ingredient before they come round

for a delicious German meal later.

What's that?

I don't know what it is.

They're caraway seeds.

It smells a bit...spicy...?

-Only taste a small amount for this special taste test.

-I don't like it.

-They're not sure about the taste of the caraway seeds.

-I don't like it.

Can Ben's cooking change their minds?

If I had this in my meal or my dinner, I wouldn't try it.

Because caraway seeds are an important ingredient

in his German Zwiebelkuchen.

As well as caraway seeds, you will need vegetable oil,

eggs,

water,

double cream,

German ham,

grated Emmental cheese,

chives,

onion,

quark

and puff pastry.

-A Zwiebelkuchen is an onion tart.

-Yummy!

So, now, I'm going to put some onions into this bowl.

Add some vegetable oil

and water.

Now, mix it around a bit.

Then ask a grown-up to put it in the oven for you.

-Dad!

-That's it!

I'm going to get some quark.

Quark is just like a yoghurt.

We need 100g.

That's it.

Now, we need 50g of cream.

Mm, that's just right.

We have to mix the cream and the quark together.

This whisk is called a balloon whisk.

Whisk it! Whisk it!

I'm going to get an egg and crack it into this pot.

Check no shell has got in there

and add it to your bowl then do the same with another egg.

-So, now, I'm going to wipe my hands with the tissue.

-Good idea.

I'm going to get these green chives,

then I'm going to cut them in small pieces.

Careful with those scissors!

Now, add half the chives to your bowl.

Mix the chives and the eggs together.

It's time for my special ingredient.

That's right. Caraway seeds.

Caraway is a plant that grows in warm countries

and has feathery green leaves and flowers.

The fruit of the caraway plant is known as a caraway seed

and people use it as a spice.

It has a strong taste and has been used in cooking since ancient times.

Caraway seeds have even been used

as an ingredient in mouthwash and toothpaste.

Now, back to Ben, who's adding caraway seeds to his mixture.

Now, I'm going to get the ham and cut it into little pieces.

-Careful, now.

-This ham is called German speck.

But you can use any ham that you want.

Next, sprinkle flour on your worktop ready for rolling the pastry.

And then, I'm going to get the rolling pin

and roll it everywhere.

That's right, Ben, and make sure you roll it nice and thin.

The flour stops it sticking to the rolling pin.

And check it's big enough to cover the baking tray.

So, now it's the right size

and the hard part,

trying to fold it in.

Oh, well done.

Like putting the things inside here.

That's brilliant. Just unfold it and press in the edges.

Next, tidy up the edges using the rolling pin.

I think this is good enough now.

It certainly is, and now, make some holes in the pastry with a fork.

When the cooked onion has cooled,

tip it onto the pastry.

And then spread the onions out everywhere.

Add the chopped up ham.

I'm going to pour the sauce

over the ham and the onions.

Like this.

Mm, make sure everything's covered, Ben.

Now, I'm going to sprinkle cheese all over the top.

Add a little more of the caraway seeds

and the rest of the chives.

Then ask a grown-up to put it in the oven for you.

Dad!

To make Ben's German Zwiebelkuchen at home,

put chopped onions into an ovenproof dish.

Add vegetable oil and water.

Give it a good mix.

Pop the lid on and ask a grown-up to cook it in the oven for you.

Put quark and double cream into a bowl.

Crack an egg...

..and whisk it.

Add it to the bowl

and do the same again.

Carefully cut up chives...

..and add half to the creamy mixture.

Mix it again.

Add caraway seeds

and give it another mix.

Carefully cut the German ham or any ham into small pieces.

Now, roll out the puff pastry

onto a floured surface.

Make sure to roll it quite thin

so that it's big enough to cover your baking tray.

Fold the pastry and then unfold it inside the tray

just like this.

Push it into the corners...

..and tidy up the edges with a rolling pin.

Prick the pastry base with a fork.

Then spoon across the cooled cooked onions onto the pastry base.

Add the German ham

and tip over the creamy mixture.

Sprinkle grated Emmental cheese all over the top.

Add more caraway seeds...

..and the rest of the chives.

Then ask a grown-up to put it in the oven for you.

Now, there's just enough time for Ben to get the table ready

for his special German meal.

DOORBELL RINGS

-That's my friends.

-Wow, look at that. The colours on the table

are the colours of the German flag. Well done, Ben.

-ALL:

-Hi, Ben.

-Come in.

-Wow!

-Wow!

-This is brilliant!

Now everyone's washed their hands, they're ready to eat.

It's like the colour of the Germany flag.

I made a special German meal for you to try.

I've never tried Germany food before.

I've only tried German sausages.

Here's Dad with the cooked food.

It's Zwiebelkuchen that Ben has made and some German sausages, as well.

The Zwiebelkuchen has been cut into slices.

Wow, just look at that wonderful colour!

And you can see those chives and caraway seeds just popping out.

Here we go.

-This is delicious.

-Ben, what is the dish called?

Um, Zwiebelkuchen.

It's a German dish. I made it myself.

No-one liked the caraway seeds when they first tasted them.

Do you think they'll like them now in Ben's Zwiebelkuchen?

Do you know what the special ingredient is?

-Is it caraway seeds, Ben?

-Yeah, is it caraway seeds?

-It is caraway seeds, you all got it right.

-I got it right!

Do you like my caraway seeds in my tart?

-They bring out all the good flavours in your tart.

-Thank you.

Your tart made them taste very nice.

-Do you like my Zwiebelkuchen?

-ALL:

-Yes!

Impressive or what, Ben?

It looks as if they do like the taste of caraway seeds

in your tasty Zwiebelkuchen.

Thank you for coming to my world kitchen.