Hexenschnee

HEXENSCHNEE
Witches' Snow

While paging through The German & Viennese Cookbook, my husband expressed interest in this recipe, if only for the name of the dish.

It seems like an incredibly simple dish, so we decided to have it for “Nachtisch.” (As a point of hilarity, “nach” means “after” and “Tisch” is a table, so “Nachtisch” is the German word for dessert. However, be careful not to confuse it with a “Nachttisch,” a combination of the words “Nacht” and “Tisch,” meaning bedside table!)

Hexenschnee/Witches’ Snow

¼ C cold water

1 tbsp/1 pkt unflavored gelatin

2 C thick sweetened applesauce

¾ C sugar (I used brown sugar)

½ C apricot preserves

2 tbsp rum (I used white rum)

1 tsp lemon juice

2 egg whites

Sprinkle gelatin over water and allow to soften. Mix the remaining ingredients (except for egg whites) in a large bowl.

Dissolve gelatin completely by placing over very hot water. Stir gelatin into mixture until sugar is completely dissolved. Chill in refrigerator until mixture begins to gel, stirring occasionally. I left mine in the fridge for over an hour without any noticeable gelling, at which point I decided to continue the steps for the sake of time.

Lightly oil mold with cooking oil. Set aside to drain. I used seven small ramekins I happen to have, and I set them upside-down on a paper towel after oiling them.

Add egg whites to refrigerated mixture. Beat with electric mixer until mixture is very thick and piles softly (about 14 minutes). After 14 minutes of electric mixing, my Hexenschnee looked fairly frothy, although I wouldn’t say it was piling on its own much. Fill the mold. Chill in refrigerator until firm (about 4 ½ hours).

When ready to serve, unmold onto chilled serving plate. Garnish with fresh fruit if desired.

The resulting pretty little custard-like dessert was INCREDIBLY sweet, and of a slightly strange texture. The darker coloration on the top seemed to be some of the preserves or something that settled out to the bottom of the mold during chilling. The applesauce gave this a weirdly grainy texture, and it was sorely missing any sort of spicing like cinnamon or nutmeg or allspice.

I have some ideas about what I can do to improve this recipe in the future, but the original recipe result is by no means a disaster.

Have a question or a request? Put it in the comments below and I’ll be sure to respond. Fröhe essen!