AI-generated
Königsberger Klopse — Poached Meatballs in Pale Caper Sauce
Log in or create a free account to save recipes.
Source: https://recipheon.com/en/recipes/main-dishes/konigsberger-klopse-poached-meatballs-in-pale-caper-sauce
About this recipe
Königsberger Klopse are tender poached meatballs in a pale sauce with capers and lemon. Soaked bread roll and brief mixing keep them soft, while finely chopped anchovies add a distinctive flavor. The meatballs are not browned first: once shaped, they cook gently in broth, without vigorous boiling that could break them apart. Some of the cooking liquid then goes into a sauce made with a pale roux. Heat the butter and flour only until foamy to keep the creamy color, and add the capers and lemon juice toward the end. Cream softens the acidity without needing egg yolk to thicken the sauce. The recipe makes sixteen meatballs, four with sauce for each person.
Ingredients
Meatballs and caper sauce
300 g raw ground beef with about 10% fat
300 g raw ground pork with about 20% fat
60 g plain white wheat bread roll from the previous day, weight without crust
80 ml cow's milk with 3.2% fat; all goes into the meatball mixture with the roll
50 g raw whole chicken egg without shell, about 1 size M egg
80 g raw yellow onion, peeled weight
12 g prepared anchovy fillets preserved in oil, drained weight
10 g smooth medium-hot mustard
1200 ml ready-to-use clear unsalted liquid beef broth; after cooking, 600 ml of the cooking liquid goes into the sauce and the remainder is discarded
30 g unsalted butter with 82% fat
30 g dry white wheat flour, type 450 or 500
120 ml liquid unsweetened whipping cream (30% fat), made from cow's milk
50 g small capers in vinegar brine, drained weight; no brine
20 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice, without seeds or peel
5 g white sugar
4 g fine salt; 3 g for the meatballs and 1 g for the sauce
1 g ground black pepper; half for the meatballs and half for the sauce
100 ml water for moistening your hands when shaping; water left in the bowl is discarded
Steps
Tear the roll without its crust into small pieces, pour over the milk, and leave for about 10 minutes, stirring halfway through. Meanwhile, very finely chop the onion and drained anchovies. Mash the softened roll with a fork into a uniform mixture together with all the milk, without squeezing it out.
Combine both meats with the soaked roll, egg, onion, anchovies, mustard, 3 g of salt, and half the pepper. Mix briefly by hand, just until evenly combined into a mixture that can be shaped. Pour the water into a small bowl and lightly moisten your hands to shape sixteen similar meatballs about 4–5 cm across, without squeezing firmly. Discard the remaining water, and wash your hands and utensils after handling raw meat.
Bring the broth to a boil in a wide pot about 26 cm across, then lower the heat. Carefully add the meatballs in as close to a single layer as possible and bring the liquid back to a very gentle simmer. Cook with the lid ajar for about 25–30 minutes from the return to a simmer, so the liquid trembles gently without vigorous bubbling; if the tops stick out, turn the meatballs gently with a spoon halfway through. Cut open the largest meatball: the center should be hot and evenly set, with no soft raw mixture; if needed, cook for about 5 minutes more.
Lift the meatballs into a bowl with a slotted spoon and cover so they do not dry out while you make the sauce. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve and measure 600 ml for the sauce. Discard the rest; keep the measured portion warm.
Melt the butter in a wide saucepan over medium-low heat, add the flour, and whisk for about 1–2 minutes until foamy but not brown. Gradually pour in the warm 600 ml of cooking liquid, whisking the roux smooth after each addition. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for about 5–8 minutes, stirring often, until the raw flour taste is gone and the sauce lightly coats a spoon. It should not be as thick as pudding.
AI-generated Stir in the cream and simmer gently for about 2 minutes. Add the drained capers, lemon juice, sugar, remaining 1 g of salt, and the rest of the pepper, then stir. The sauce should remain pale and creamy with a clear caper flavor and a mildly tangy note.
Add the meatballs and the juices from the bowl to the hot sauce and warm over low heat for about 3–5 minutes, gently moving the pan rather than stirring vigorously. Put four meatballs and an equal share of sauce on each of four deep plates. Serve immediately, when the meat and sauce are hot.
Estimated nutrition
Rate this recipe
0 ratings
Comments