My grandmother (only a 2nd or 3rd generation American from Czechoslovakia) used to make them all the time. She made a bad a$$ poppyseed kolache, as well as many others. I could see if she would give it to me. I'm a big fan of apricot as well. The real German/Czech kolaches are not that easy to make from what I hear. But I say go for it! Buck - the bakery in La Grange is good as well. I just love the REAL sausage that these bakeries put into their kolaches. It's not the "little smokies" that they use in mass chains. It's real, home smoked venison or pork. Best stuff on Earth!
The main thing is I'm kind of trying to sell this idea to some people that have never seen a Kolache before, much less made one. So the idea is that whatever recipe they use has to be relatively simple so they can't screw it up.
Isn't a Kolache also referred to as a "Pig in the Blanket"? I've used both terms interchangeably growing up. I haven't had one in quite a while, though. I want one now.
The way I've always looked at it, comparing a "Pig in a Blanket" to a Kolache is like comparing a hotdog to a Bratwurst. Technically there are some comparisons, but who would really pick the hotdog if you had a choice. Maybe I'm just an elitest.
I don't know, it depends what I'm in the mood for and the brand of the sausages. Like, Hebrew National hot dogs are good. You can also buy Boare's Head hot dogs. Damn, I'm getting hungry. The other day, me and my brother made some Johnsinville Brats the way they do in that commercial, 3 cans of beer, some onions, then grill em, damn, mmmmmmmmmmmm.
Heck yeah, I want it. I'll see if my grandma (we're good ol' fashioned Blanco County Germans) can track down her mom's recipe. And you're right on about the sausage quality, even the best in Houston just can't compare.
Get a rectangular throwaway tin tray with about 3" sides. Place brats in tray. Pour beer (good beer, Shiner works well) into tray, about halfway up the sides of the brats. Put on bbq pit & close lid. Turn brats & add beer as needed, cooking time varies depending on size of brats. Voila. Tasty brats.
I've got some good poppyseed Kolaches in my freezer right now, but my favorite are still the cream cheese ones. My wife, who is Czech, likes the poppy seed ones the best. I bet your grandmother never (or rarely) made sausage kolaches. Those seem to have really taken off with the public (I have to admit; I'm a sucker for a good one), but the real Czechs always seemed to make the fruit, poppyseed, and cream or cottage cheese varieties. Note to everyone here.....if you decide to start branching out into "real" kolaches, don't plan on taking a drug test immediately after eating some poppyseed kolaches. I've made them before with some of my Czech relatives, and I have the recipe at home. However, this is one of those things that you really need an expert along with you for the first couple of times that you make them. The consistency and how you work the dough is key to making a real kolache. As for Darkhorse....or anyone else....if you want to make sausage kolaches like you get in the donut shops, those things are easy (and good).....especially in a production environment like a donut shop. Simply buy some frozen bread dough such as Rhodes or Bridgeford. If you have the donut shop, you're probably getting stuff from a food service company like Sysco, and they'll have something comparable. You can make your own bread dough, but why bother? Get some decent sausage that you like, but aim for a "skinnier" size if possible. Hot dog size or smaller would be perfect. Simply let the dough thaw and rise one time, then puch down again and form into an oblong shape that is a bit longer and wider than the sausage piece that you want to wrap--make it about the thickness of a CD case or slightly thicker. Don't make them too big. Cut your saugage into lengths no longer than three or four inches, and shape the bread dough accordingly. Wrap the sausage with the dough and bring the ends together underneath and press into a seam. Place the dough covered sausages seam side down on a cookie sheet with enough room for them to rise, but close enough together so they'll rise upwards too (about an inch apart). Brush tops with melted butter for that shiny glow and extra sinfullness. If you want cheese in them, you can also cut a strip of cheddar. For those of you who want the jalepenos, thoroughly drain some canned ones, and gently arrange them of the kolaches after you set them out to rise. Of course, you can also find sausage that has cheese and/or jalepenos inside. Bake the kolaches according to the directions given for the bread. It may take a bit of trial and error, but they aren't difficult.
OK so what I have been doing wrong is placing them directly on the grill like you would do a hot dog or hamburger? Like when you said grill em ar you talking about putting the tin tray on the grill or placing the brats directly on the grill? Can you give me an average cooking time? Also nobody answered my oher question, what the hell are muffin tops. I live in Arkansas people, we still churn our own butter up here.
Yep, put the whole tray on the grill, beer & all. I'd say 15 mins cooking time for med/large brats, turn 'em about halfway through. Depends on how hot your fire is though. Even if they burst, the greasy/beery goodness in the tray will seep in & keep 'em moist. Mmmmmmm...makes me think about tailgating at Reliant.
Also, if you want some really good sausage, there is a company in Bellville, Texas (less than an hour from Houston) called Waak's. They make some seriously good sausage, and you can sometimes find it at Krogers. If you can find the links that are all pork with garlic, you have found REAL Polish sausage, my friends.
You speak the truth as well. The girl I'm dating has family in Poland, her mom's over there now visiting her folks & she's bringing back their traditional sausage recipe. Haven't made sausage in a couple of years, can't wait.
Hey, this is the wife. There was a Seinfeld episode where I think Kramer realized that the only good part of the muffin is the top of the muffin. So he started selling muffin tops (literally ripping them off the top and throwing away the bottoms) We make them on a pan and they are just flat, round, muffin pieces that look like we ripped the top off a large muffin and sold it. The chocolate ones are custard filled, yum. Thanks for all your help so far! I think I might make some kolaches today!
Actually, Elaine's old boss, Mr. Pitt, opens a shop called "Top of the Muffin to You!" (the exclaimation point is vital). He was making them the way you described and they weren't good. She told him you had to make the whole muffin and pop the top off. Kramer was the one who took the "stumps". They tried giving them to a soup kitchen and the people there got mad. So Kramer took them to the garbage dump when he went on his "Peterman Tour." The dump wouldn't take them either.
You know somethings wrong when my wife starts posting for me. I guess it's time to sign her up. Thanks for all the help so far.
