The Galveston County Daily News

GALVESTON — Texas’ German heritage is evident all year, but never more so than in October, when Oktoberfest celebrations inspire thoughts of our forebears and also, sometimes, four beers.

Locally, the granddaddy of Oktoberfests is the two-day celebration at Galveston’s historic First Lutheran Church, scheduled this year for Oct. 23-24.

The festival, now in its 28th year, is back to its traditional menu after damage from Hurricane Ike curtailed some of its usual offerings last year. A full German dinner of pork loin with white wine gravy, red cabbage, sauerkraut and hot German potatoes will be served from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 24. A variety of sausage will be available both Friday night and all day Saturday.

“This year, for the first time, we’re expanding our Friday night food service beyond just beer and sausage, so we’ll also be selling snacks and sweets,” Tiffany Hanson, Oktoberfest sweets chairman, said.

The Friday night activities re-create a German beer garden atmosphere, with the Austin band Haywire playing for dancing.

The sweets booth is one of the biggest attractions at the celebration.

“Every family in the congregation will contribute something for the sweets booth,” Hanson said. “We’ll have cakes, cookies, pies, bread pudding, rum balls, pralines, divinity, sugared nuts, even biscotti.”

Hanson said she is making nine kinds of cookies for the sweets booth, many of them using authentic German recipes from her mother, Linda Hanson.

“Three of my grandparents came here from Germany, and so did their family recipes,” Linda Hanson said.

The Hansons estimate 150 local cooks and bakers, largely from the congregation but including others from the community, will contribute their specialties to the sweets booth.

In addition to buying single servings or whole pies and cakes at the sweets booth, Oktoberfest attendees will have the opportunity to win cakes at the cake wheel, a game of chance with delicious prizes. The cake wheel is one of the traditional carnival games that will take place at the Saturday celebration, along with an assortment of children’s activities ranging from pony rides and face painting to midway games.

New this year will be Saturday rides on the Railroad Museum’s miniature train. The Union Pacific replica will be circling the area between the church and the railroad museum.

While children are entertained on the rides, their parents can shop in the gifts market set up in the newly refurbished Lyceum building, the church’s 1915 structure. Vendors will set up shop beneath the beautifully stained glass windows of the Lyceum.

Shopping opportunities at Oktoberfest also include a range of silent auctions items, crowned by a handmade remembrance quilt crafted by prize-winning quilter and First Lutheran Church member Holly Marie Howard.

The quilt, dubbed the Ike Survivor Quilt, incorporates the signatures of 225 congregation members and supporters in a style popular in the United States from the 1850s through the 1920s to commemorate births, deaths, marriages and other special events.

The quilt auction will be held between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Oct. 24.

First Lutheran Church’s 28th annual Oktoberfest takes place on the church grounds and streets adjacent to 24th and Winnie in historic downtown Galveston.

Festival hours are 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Oct. 23 and from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 24. For information, call 409-762-8477 or visit www.firstlutheran

galveston.com. Admission is free. Attendees are encouraged to dress in German costume.

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German nut balls

1/2 cup Crisco 1/3 cup butter 1/4 cup powdered sugar 2 tablespoons thick cream 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 cups chopped nuts Additional powdered sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cream Crisco and butter. Add sugar, and stir in vanilla and cream.

Sift flour and soda into mixture. Add nuts

Shape into 1-inch balls and bake for 20-30 minutes. Makes 3-4 dozen.

— Recipe courtesy of Tiffany and Linda Hanson

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Kolatschen (Kolaches)

1/2 cup milk, scalded 1/2 cup sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon mace (optional) Grated rind of 1/2 lemon 2 packages dry yeast 1/2 cup warm water 2 eggs, beaten 1/2 cup margarine, melted 4 1/2 to 5 cups flour

Combine milk, sugar, salt, mace and lemon rind. Cool to lukewarm. Stir yeast into warm water; let stand 5 minutes. Add to milk mixture. Stir in eggs and margarine and enough flour to make a soft dough.

Knead on lightly floured board until smooth and elastic. Cover, let rise in warm place until double in bulk. Punch down, cover and let rise for 30 minutes.

Shape into 2-inch balls, flatten slightly and place on greased cookie sheets 2 inches apart. Cover and let rise 30 minutes.

Make a large depression in each one with fingertips, fill with cottage cheese filling. Bake at 375 degrees about 20 minutes or until golden. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen.

May be made with apricot preserves, cherry preserves or stewed fruit filling.

Cottage cheese filling

1 1/2 cups cottage cheese 2 egg yolks 1/2 teaspoon mace (optional) 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar 1/2 cup raisins

Process cheese in blender until smooth, add remaining ingredients and blend well. Stir in raisins. Makes about 1 3/4 cups.

— Recipe courtesy of Tiffany and Linda Hanson

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Butterkuchen (butter cake)

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, softened 2 1/4 cups sugar 4 eggs 3 cups flour 1/2 cup milk 2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Coat a 10-inch tube pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Cream butter and sugar, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat until mixture looks like thick whipped cream. Reduce mixer to low speed and add flour.

Continue beating while adding milk and vanilla. Beat at medium until well combined.

Pour into pan and bake for 1 hour and 40 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool in pan for 10-15 minutes, then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

— Recipe courtesy of Tiffany and Linda Hanson

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Schokolade kartoffelkuchen (German sweet chocolate potato cake)

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened 2 cups sugar 4 egg yolks, well beaten 1 cup mashed potatoes, cooled 4 ounces German sweet chocolate, melted and cooled 2 cups flour Pinch of salt 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 to 2 cups pecans, broken 4 egg whites, beaten stiff

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In large bowl, cream butter and sugar thoroughly. Add egg yolks, potatoes and chocolate, mixing well after each addition.

Sift dry ingredients. Add vanilla to milk.

Alternately add flour and milk mixture to creamed mixture, blending slowly after each addition.

Add pecans and gently fold in egg whites.

Bake in a greased and floured tube pan at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until done. Do not invert pan until cake is cool.

This cake needs no frosting; it keeps well and becomes moist with time.

— Recipe courtesy of Tiffany and Linda Hanson