Recipes from Great Austrian Chefs and from Austrian family lores...
A LIGHT MENU -
FROM THE VIENNESE CULINARY INSTITUTE:
Pike-Perch-
Serbian style served with parsley potatoes and Green & White Asparagus-
(can be replaced with fresh green beans -
in the markets now) Strawberry/Rhubarb Compote-
served over vanilla ice cream.
Pair the fish with an Austrian wine- Grüner Veltliner - now available locally in better wine stores.
And the dessert with an Austrian Spät-Auslese (a sweet wine).
Watch Susanne Servin prepare Marillenknödel von Topfenteig (apricot dumplings) as shown below on YouTube.
Absolutely delicious!
APRICOT DUMPLINGS (Marillenknödel von Topfenteig)*
• 250 gram cottage cheese
• 500 gram flour
• 2 eggs (milk if needed)
• a pinch of salt
• 750 gram Marillen (apricots), small if available
• 30 pcs sm. Cube sugar
• 100 gram plain bread crumbs
• 80 gram butter
• powder sugar
Mix cottage cheese until completely smooth, add the eggs, salt and then gradually mix in the flour; stir mixture (dough) until completely smooth and thick enough to form a roll (if not add more flour, if too thick add a little milk).
Wash fruit; then pit the apricots by keeping the fruit intact (trick – use wooden spoon and push pit out); you can the insert a cube of sugar if you wish
Bring a large pot of water to a roiling boil, ad a pinch of salt to the water.
Meanwhile divide dough into equal portions, cover fruit with dough completely by wrapping firmly around the apricot; make sure the Knödel (dumpling) is well sealed.
Toast the bread crumbs in a frying pan in butter until golden brown.
Meanwhile drop the Knödel (dumplings) into the boiling water and stil gently from time to time so they won’t stick to the bottom. Knödel will float to the surface after five minutes; cook another five minutes then do a test Knödel and if done, remove the dumplings with a strainer from the water and carefully dip themn into the bread crumbs, coat evenly and dust with powder sugar, then eat – yumm!!
*These dumplings can also be made with small, tart peaches and Italian plums.
The Turks occupied Vienna in the 17 th centuries for years. With the help of the Polish king John Sobieski they were driven out of Vienna. One of the things Vienna got from the Turks was coffee ( more at another time) and the crescents ( a pastry shaped after the symbol on the Turkish flag). The crescent "Kipferl "became a favorite of the Viennese for breakfast. The shape was used by bakers for crescent shaped cookies.
Ingredients:
360 g unsalted Butter
140 g ground almonds 100 g sugar
4 egg yolks
420 g baking flour
1 cup of confectioners sugar
1 vanilla bean ( if you have German shop close by buy packaged Vanillezucker)
Combine all ingredients (except powder sugar and vanilla bean) quickly to a smooth dough Turn the mixture unto a pastry board and quickly knead into a smooth ball. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Now roll out the dough 1/2", form into tubes and cut these into 3/4" rpieces. Roll pieces in your hands to form crescent shapes. Arrange Kipferl on an ungreased baking sheet, 1 " apart. Bake the Kipferl for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. Let cool slightly. Meanwhile split the vanilla bean and scrape out tiny seeds and mix with confectioners sugar. Dredge the warm cookies in the sugar mixture and let cool completely. These cookies will keep very well in a cool place in an airtight container.
NOTE: to make vanilla sugar place the vanilla bean in a canister of confectioners sugar for approx. one week.
Kipferl go good with white wine, Prosecco or Cafe latte
stir all ingredients together and put the dough into the fridge for a while to get hard.
When it is hard enough to form balls start making 1inch large balls and roll them in ground coconut or crystal sugar.
Store cold
Rumored to be called after the Duke of Malakoff (a French Marshall) who was involved in the battle of Malakov in the Crimea – 1855 - and then after he won the battle he was named after it. The chef at his palace in France knowing the duke had a sweet tooth, created the Malkoff Torte for him.
Ingredients:
Approx 50 ladyfingers
150 g butter
150 g sugar
100 g peeled, finely ground almonds or hazelnuts (as you like it)
4 egg yolks
1/8 l sweet cream – 4.3 fluid oz or almost 1 cup
1 tbsp rum or cognac
1 tbsp made coffee (when I made this cake the first time I used ground coffee – what a mess!!!)
1 spring form cake pan
Whipped cream (double the amount from above)
Stir butter and beat until foamy. Add sugar and egg yolks, then stir in almonds (or hazel nuts) and mix well, last gently spoon in sweet cream, rum (or cognac) and coffee (optional) and mix again.
Now lay one layer of lady fingers close together on the bottom of the cake form, sprinkle with a little rum; spread part of your butter crème over them, then again a layer of lady fingers (sprinkled with rum), spread crème and so on – the last layer should be lady fingers. Now cover the cake form with a piece of parchment paper, lay a heavy item (I usually use a rock) on it and stand it overnight in the refrigerator.
The next day take the cake out of the spring form, cover with the meanwhile whipped cream, and then decorate for the occasion. Grated dark chocolate looks good and is simple to do.
Watch Herzerl Tours host and proprietor Susanne Servin share her Apfel strudel family recipe with you. As shown below on YouTube. A taste treat you won't want to miss!
This classic recipe is usually made with home made or frozen strudel dough, but phyllo dough works well too and is quicker.
1 pkg. frozen philo dough – take out of freezer and defrost for 2 hrs. – one roll of dough will give you approx eight small strudels
For the filling:
• 2 1/2 lb. apples (McIntosh or Golden Delicious work well)
• 6 oz granulated sugar
• 1 tea spoon vanilla sugar
• 1 tea spoon dark rum or Weinbrand
• 6 oz dry raisins
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 lemon
• 8 oz bread crumbs (unseasoned)
• 12 oz unsalted butter
• Powdered sugar and sweet cream
Preheat oven to 375 º
Peel, core & slice apples thin; as you slice them put peeled apples in a bowl of water & one small squirt of lemon juice to avoid browning.
Mix sliced apples with sugar, vanilla sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest, juice from one lemon, and rum in a bowl -blend together well.
While doing this roast bread crumbs with a little butter in a pan.
When brown take off flame and mix with raisins; then add to apple mix.
Melt butter over low flame.
Put five layers of Philo on white flour-dusted sheet.
Coat each layer well with melted butter.
Cover 1/3 of the buttered top dough sheet with the apple mixture (not too close to edges), fold edges in.
Use pastry brush and melted butter like glue to tape edges.
By picking up the two ends lift the white sheet (tablecloth) to gingerly roll the dough into a big "sausage".
Brush entire strudel well with melted butter.
Pick-up strudel carefully and place strudel on a well-oiled cookie sheet and bake in oven for about 30 to 40 minutes at 375º F.
While baking whip cream to “SCHLAG” –whipped cream.
Place finished strudel to cool before dusting with powdered sugar.
Enjoy your homemade Austrian Apfel Strudel
Published by Herzerl Tours/courtesy of the Culinary Institute Of Vienna-Am Judenplatz
