Austrian Vanille Kipferl

"This recipe is known in America as almond crescents. I converted the measurements and translated this recipe that has been in my family for generations. It's an Austrian Christmas cookie."



Original Recipe Yield 3 dozen

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup white sugar
3/4 cup ground almonds
1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 whole vanilla bean

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C).

2.Mix dry ingredients. Cut in butter with pastry blender, then quickly knead into a dough.

3.Shape dough into logs and cut off 1/2 inch pieces. Shape each piece into a crescent and place on a non-stick paper lined cookie sheet.

4.Bake approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Cool 1 minute and carefully roll in vanilla sugar. (To make vanilla sugar, blend 1/2 vanilla bean with 1 cup of sugar, sieve). Tip: vanilla sugar comes out like powered sugar, to make it stick to the cookie better, I mix it with regular sugar.

Sacher Torte

"This is pretty darn close to the original classic dessert produced by the Sacher Hotel in Vienna, Austria. It is a dense - not too sweet - apricot and chocolate concoction. It is a lot of work but WELL worth the effort!"





Prep Time:1 Hr
Cook Time:1 Hr
Ready In:5 Hrs

Original Recipe Yield 1 - 9 inch cake

Ingredients

Cake:
4 ounces semi sweet chocolate (chopped)
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar
6 eggs, separated
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 cup cake flour

Filling:
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons dark rum, divided
1 (12 ounce) jar apricot preserves
1 tablespoon water

Icing:
9 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 ounces heavy cream

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly butter a 9-inch springform pan; place a circle of parchment paper inside, and butter that as well.

2.Melt 4 ounces of chocolate in a metal bowl placed over gently simmering water. Stir frequently until melted, then remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

3.Beat the butter together with confectioners' sugar until creamy. Mix in the melted chocolate, then beat in the egg yolks, one at a time. In a clean bowl, beat egg whites with white sugar until stiff and glossy. Fold into chocolate mixture, then fold in cake flour, until incorporated. Pour into prepared springform pan, and smooth the top.

4.Bake in the preheated oven until the edges begin to pull away from the sides of the pan, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry, about 45 minutes. Cool pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then run a small knife around the edge and remove the sides of the pan. Allow cake to cool completely on the base of the pan. When cool, remove from pan, and remove parchment paper; slice cake in half horizontally.

5.Bring 1/4 cup water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan. When the sugar has dissolved and the syrup is clear, remove from heat and stir in 2 tablespoons rum. Brush 1/3 of the syrup onto the cut side of the cake bottom.

6.Puree the apricot preserves with 1 tablespoon of water until smooth. Bring to a simmer over medium heat in a small saucepan, and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in remaining rum, then spread 1/3 of the jam mixture onto the cut side of the cake bottom. Place the top of the cake onto the bottom. Brush the outside of the cake with the remaining syrup, then spread remaining apricot preserves over the top and sides; refrigerate until the icing is ready.

7.To make the icing, melt 9 ounces of chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave until smooth. Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan, then stir into melted chocolate. Cool slightly, stirring often, until the chocolate reaches a spreadable consistency.

8.Set the cake on a cooling rack set over a cookie sheet or waxed paper to catch any drips. Pour the icing on top of the cake, and spread around the edges; allow excess icing to drip through the rack. Cool cake to room temperature, then carefully remove from the cooling rack using a spatula. Transfer to a dessert plate and store in the refrigerator. Allow cake to come to room temperature before serving.

Austrian Germknödel - Steamed Sweet Austrian Dumplings Recipe

Austrian Germknödel are a "Mehlspeise" or flour-based meal served in German-speaking households for lunch. "Germ" is the Austrian word for yeast and these yeasted dumplings hide a surprise inside. A spoonful of "Powidl", plum butter, is placed on the dough, which is then formed into a ball.

Served either with melted butter or vanilla sauce and poppy seeds crushed with sugar, Germknödel are popular at Austrian ski resorts. Try these dumplings on a cold day, after a bowl of vegetable soup for a delightful meal.

Makes 16 medium dumplings, or 8 servings.

Prep Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

***Dumplings***

•1 package instant yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)
•3 3/4 c. all-purpose flour (500 grams)
•1/2 c. sugar
•1 tsp. lemon zest
•2 T. vanilla sugar or sugar plus 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
•1/2 tsp. salt
•1 egg
•5 T. butter, softened
•1 c. lukewarm milk

***Filling***

•3/4 c. Powidl or plum jam
•1 T. rum (optional)
•1/4 tsp. cinnamon (optional)

***Topping***

•1/3 c. poppy seeds
•1/3 c. sugar

Preparation:

Start the dough: Mix the instant yeast with the flour, sugar, vanilla sugar, lemon zest and salt. Add the softened butter, egg and milk and mix, using a dough hook or with a spoon by hand, until a medium-soft dough forms.

If you are using a mixer with a dough hook, you can continue kneading in the bowl with the hook until the dough is smooth and elastic. Adjust flour or milk as needed to make a pliable, but not sticky dough.

If you are making the dough by hand, turn it out on a lightly floured board and knead for several minutes, until smooth and elastic. If dough is too stiff, knead with wet hands until it becomes softer.

Form the dough into a ball, flour lightly and place in a bowl to double in a warm place. Cover with a clean towel. Let it rise about 1 hour, or until doubled in size. The dough made with instant yeast might rise faster.

Make filling: If you are adding rum and / or cinnamon to the jam, stir it together now. You may use any jam flavor or cherries or Nutella, too.

Form dumplings: Remove your dough from the bowl to a lightly floured board. Pinch off 2 ounce pieces (50-60 grams) You may make them larger, but they will take longer to steam.

Roll the pieces into a ball and then flatten them with your palm to form 4 inch circles (10 cm).

Add 2 teaspoons of jam to the center and then pull up opposite sides and pinch closed. Pinch the other two sides closed and make sure the jam is well-sealed inside the dough. Roll the dumplings bit in your hands to round up the dumpling.

Set dumplings on the floured board, sprinkle with flour if you wish, and cover with a cloth. Let sit 10 - 20 minutes.

Prepare your steamer: My "Silit" pressure cooker came with a steamer insert which I greased and used for 3 dumplings at a time. You could also use a bamboo steamer set up that they have for woks (to make dim sum) or the metal vegetable steamer covered with a cotton cloth cut to fit.

Place 1 to 2 inches in the pan, hang the steamer over the water and bring the whole thing to a boil (you will need a lid, too).

Steam: Place dumplings on steamer over boiling water, leaving about 1 inch of room to rise in all directions. Cover pan and steam 20 minutes.

Make topping: Grind equal amounts of poppy seeds and sugar in a poppy seed grinder or a blade coffee grinder. Set aside.

Serve: Place 1 or 2 dumplings on a plate and pour melted butter over the top. Sprinkle poppy mixture over top, as much as you wish.

You may also make vanilla sauce while you are waiting for the dough to rise. Pour vanilla sauce and poppy mixture over the top when you are ready.

Notes:

•You may substitute cake yeast or regular dried yeast for the instant. Proof both types in the milk before adding to the flour and other ingredients.

•Also, you can also use the poppy seeds whole, as I did in the images shown, to save a step.

•If this makes too many, or you don't want to steam them right away, you can place them in the refrigerator for later. This is what restaurants do, so they can steam one serving at a time.

•You can also bake these into sweet buns: Melt 1-2 tablespoons butter in a 9 x 13 inch dish, arrange the buns seam side down with a little space between them. Let them rise a few minutes, then bake at 350°F for 25 - 30 minutes. Drizzle a little icing on top and you have a wonderful breakfast bun.

Austrian Kaiserschmarrn

"Kaiserschmarrn is a traditional Austrian dessert. It is a caramelized pancake made with rum-soaked raisins, eggs, flour, sugar, and butter. The pancake is split into pieces while frying, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and served hot with plum sauce on the side or on top."

Prep Time:45 Min
Cook Time:15 Min
Ready In:1 Hr

Original Recipe Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup rum
1 cup whole milk
5 eggs
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
plum preserves for serving

Directions

1.In a small bowl, combine raisins with rum and let soak 30 minutes then drain.

2.In a medium mixing bowl, beat together the milk, eggs, white sugar, vanilla, and salt. Gradually whisk in the flour to make a smooth batter. Stir in the drained raisins.

3.In a large skillet melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Pour the batter into the skillet and cook 5 to 6 minutes, or until the pancake has set and the bottom is golden brown. Turn over the pancake and cook 3 minutes, or until this side is also golden brown. Using a spatula or two forks, tear the pancake into bite-size pieces. Drizzle in the melted butter and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Turn up the heat to medium high and use a spatula to gently toss the pieces for 5 minutes, or until the sugar has caramelized. Sprinkle with additional confectioners' sugar and serve with plum preserves.

Austrian Potato Plum Dumplings

"Sweet dark plums are wrapped in a potato dough, and boiled before rolling in sweetened toasted bread crumbs. As a seasonal dish these delicious dessert dumplings are perfect for us every fall. These take some time to make, but to me, they're well worth the effort."

Prep Time:35 Min
Cook Time:20 Min
Ready In:2 Hrs 55 Min


Original Recipe Yield 12 dumplings

Ingredients

4 large russet potatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter, softened
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup farina
1 cup all-purpose flour, or as needed

12 Italian prune plums
12 cubes white sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup white sugar
1 cup dry bread crumbs

additional melted butter and sugar for garnish (optional)

Directions

1.Scrub potatoes, and place them into a large pot with enough water to cover. bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 40 minutes. Drain, and cool. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel, and press through a ricer into a large bowl. Set aside to cool. This part of the process can be done as much as one day in advance.

2.In a large bowl, mix together the prepared potatoes, salt, egg, and 1 tablespoon of butter until well blended. Gradually stir in the farina, and then the flour. If dough is still wet, more flour can be mixed in. Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and knead until smooth, about 5 to 10 minutes.

3.Split open each plum where it cracks, and remove the pit. Replace each pit with a sugar cube, and close.

4.On a floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into twelve 3
inch squares. Place one plum into each square, and bring the corners around to the top. Pinch together all of the seams to seal.

5.Bring a large pot of water to a slow boil. Place about 4 dumplings into the water at a time. Once they float to the surface, continue to cook them for about 5 more minutes. Transfer cooked dumplings to a covered bowl, and keep warm.

6.Melt the remaining 1/2 cup of butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Stir in bread crumbs, and 1/4 cup of sugar. Continue to cook and stir until browned. Remove the bread crumbs to a plate, and roll warm dumplings in the mixture until entirely coated. To serve, place a dumpling or two on a plate, sprinkle with a little sugar and a little extra melted butter, if desired.

Austrian Wiener Schnitzel

"Translation of the name: 'Wiener' this word comes from the word 'Wien', which is the Austrian city called Vienna. 'Schnitzel' means basically meat in a crust. I'm German and hope you can understand my English description. Serve the schnitzels with salad, ketchup and French fries."




What to Drink? Riesling or Beer

Prep Time: 20 Min

Cook Time: 15 Min

Ready In: 35 Min

Original Recipe Yield 8 servings

Ingredients
2 pounds veal
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups bread crumbs
1/8 cup oil for frying

Directions

1. Cut the veal into steaks, about as thick as your finger. Dredge in flour. In a shallow dish, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon oil, salt and pepper. Coat the veal with egg mixture, then with bread crumbs.

2. Heat 1/4 cup oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Fry veal until golden brown, about 5 minutes on each side.