by Joe Ritter

The latest interchanges about favorite remembered foods brought to mind a sauce which my grandmother Klara (originally from Sekeschut) always used to greatly improve the texture and flavor of many canned vegetables. She called it either einbrenn sauce or simply, “einbrenn.” Einbrenn is basically the same as a French roux.

• 2 tablespoons of fat (e.g. bacon drippings, Crisco, butter, or originally probably lard) 
• 2 tablespoons of flour for every cup of liquid to be thickened

The fat is melted and then the flour is added to it, lightly cooking until bubbly.  This mixture is added to the liquid to be thickened.

Einbrenn spinach was a favorite in our family using bacon drippings as the fat.  The einbrenn was combined with chopped, cooked spinach and crumbled bits of crisply-fried bacon were added. 

[Edited by Rose Mary Keller Hughes]

Last updated: 12/10/2025