From The Berghoff Café Cookbook: Berghoff Family Recipes for Simple, Satisfying Food by Carlyn Berghoff and Nancy Ross Ryan
Serves 8
Berghoff spaetzle are special because we use so many eggs and we cook our spaetzle in chicken broth for additional flavor. The traditional Old World recipe for spaetzle was to use one egg for every person to be served, plus one egg for good measure. Spaetzle dough is pushed through holes in a spaetzle maker into simmering broth below and cooked just until tender. You can also push the dough through a large colander set over the broth. You can mix spaetzle the quick way in a food processor, or the traditional way by mixing by hand in a large bowl. Either way, it’s important to let the dough rest for 30 minutes before cooking. You can save any of the leftover cooking broth, refrigerate it, and add it to soups and stews. Spaetzle can also be cooked in water. A cooked spaetzle looks like a tiny, short dumpling about the size of the top joint of your little finger.
9 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon powdered chicken soup base, or 1 chicken bouillon cube, pulverized
¹⁄8 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 quarts chicken broth or water
1 tablespoon canola oil
To mix in the food processor: In the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, place the eggs, chicken soup base, baking powder, salt, pepper, and flour. Process for 15 seconds. Remove the lid, scrape down the sides with a spatula, replace the lid, and process just until a smooth batter forms, about 15 additional seconds. Transfer the batter to a 1-quart pitcher with a lip. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.
To mix in a bowl: In a 3-quart bowl, combine the eggs, chicken soup base, baking powder, salt, pepper, and 1 cup of the flour. Stir or whisk until the flour is absorbed and the batter is smooth. Add the second cup of flour in small batches and stir or whisk until the batter is smooth and thick. Repeat with the third cup of flour. Transfer to a 1-quart pitcher with a lip. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.
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