Kolacheese

In April of 2018 I got laid off from my job. It was, as layoffs will be, unexpected. I had no savings and no plan and only knew that I desperately wanted to work for myself, trying to make a living from the things that I was most passionate about... Texas Czech food, history, and culture. I started throwing the proverbial spaghetti at the wall. I created a website for my services to plan family reunions and help people publish family cookbooks. I started a side business baking kolaches. And I entered a recipe in the annual contest called the Wisconsin Grilled Cheese Recipe Showdown. I figured that if I won, the thousands of dollars in prize money would keep me going for a little while and one of Texas Czechs' beloved regional foods would gain more national attention in the process.

I am the very first person to correct someone calling what is actually a klobasnik, a kolach. So I'll admit that in financial desperation I ignored my own principles for the sake of marketing. A version of a grilled cheese sandwich is certainly not a kolach, but the name Kolacheese (copyrighted by yours truly) sounded clever, and I really wanted to win the contest. Below is the video I made for my entry, in which I describe the sandwich I created (served as two smaller “sliders”) and the name's justification.

I did not win the contest (or even place), but my Kolacheese are pretty yummy. They are a sweet-savory mash up of the things I love most in kolaches (apricots and yeasty dough) and klobasniky (jalapeño sausage and sauerkraut), all covered in melted cheese, for which I'm a sucker.  I used Kiolbassa Provision Company's Jalapeño Beef Sausage because they are the perfect size, use all natural casings, are delicious, and because I like to support my friend Wendy Stiles. I met Wendy in 2008 doing fieldwork for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, which featured Texas food, wine and music traditions that year. I was Curatorial Consultant for the food and wine program, looking for folks to cook and speak at the festival representing traditional foodways. Growing up in a Polish Texan family in a majority Mexican American Texas city, Wendy ate and cooked sausage a lot. Her grandfather started the Kiolbassa Provision Company in 1949, which also makes Polish-style sausage and Mexican chorizo. Wendy is well versed in recipes that draw on both traditions and works for the sausage company her family still owns. 

Below is the recipe for your summer cookouts, backyard barbecues, and late night snacking.

Texas-Czech Kolacheese
makes 4 sandwiches (2 per person), but enough kolach dough for many more

For the kolach rolls: 

½ cup of whole milk
1 packet of dry yeast
½ cup warm water
1/3 cup sugar plus 1 teaspoon
½ cup melted Crisco (or fat of choice, like butter or lard)
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg

1 egg yolk
3-4 cups of flour plus 2 teaspoons
¼ cup butter for brushing pan and kolach rolls 

Bring the milk just to the boil and then set it aside to cool. In a small bowl, sprinkle 1 packet of dry yeast over ½ cup of warm water and let proof. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the sugar, fat, and salt.

Beat the egg and add to the yeast mixture, then add that to the Crisco mixture. Then add the cooled milk to the mixer bowl. Add the flour a ½ cup at a time to the mixer. The dough should almost be too sticky to handle, but you shouldn’t need more than 4 cups. When it’s all combined, let the mixer knead the dough for 5 minutes. Turn the dough out into a large buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it double in size, roughly an hour.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. When risen, scoop out the dough using a spoon to make 2.5 oz. balls (a little bigger than a golf balls). You'll need to butter very well the spoon and your hands to keep the dough from sticking to you. Roll the dough ball in your hands to make sure the shape is even. Arrange the dough balls on a buttered, baking pan. Brush them with butter and let them rise again 20-30 minutes. Bake in a 350 degree oven until golden– about 20 minutes. Brush the kolach rolls with butter once more after taking them out of the oven.

For the sauerkraut:

1 14 oz. can of sauerkraut
½ large onion, chopped
6-8 Tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons flour
1 teaspoon sugar

Drain the sauerkraut. Put into a pot with enough water to cover and simmer it for 10 minutes. Drain the sauerkraut, reserving ¼ cup of the water. In a frying pan over medium heat, melt a Tablespoon of butter and sauté the onion in it until golden. Add 2 teaspoons of flour and a teaspoon of sugar and sauté until browned. Add the reserved liquid from draining the sauerkraut and stir until thickened and the sauerkraut is coated. It should not be liquidy. Set aside.

For the sausage:

2 small jalapeno sausages (beef or pork), roughly 3-4 ounces each

Heat a nonstick skillet on medium. Slice the sausages crosswise diagonally into 1/4” slices. When the pan is hot, lightly brown the slices about 2 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels, while you assemble the sandwiches.

To assemble the sandwiches:

4 slices of Havarti cheese
brown mustard
apricot preserves 

Slice rolls in half horizontally and arrange the bottoms on a baking sheet. On each of the four bottoms, spread 1 tablespoon apricot preserves. Top the preserves with 1 heaping tablespoon of sauerkraut. Evenly divide ¼ of the sausage slices on top of the sauerkraut on each roll. Cover the sausage on each sandwich with 1 slice of Havarti cheese.

Spread the four sandwich tops with a thin layer of mustard and place on top of the cheese. In large nonstick skillet, melt 2-3 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Place sandwiches in skillet and spread remaining butter over sandwich tops. Cook sandwiches until bottom of roll is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using a spatula, carefully flip sandwiches, pressing down gently. Continue cooking additional 3 minutes, or until both sides are golden brown and filling is warm and melted. Serve 2 sandwiches per person immediately.