A wonderful Austrian pastry, allthough not as famous as it’s cousin, the Apple Strudel. To make the dough used to be a difficult process; it needed to be rolled out so thin that you could read a newspaper through it! Luckily, today we have puff pastry available; to make a strudel is easy as pie. Use pecans or hazelnuts instead of walnuts and whatever jam you like. Serve at room temperature, dusted with confectioners sugar and whipping cream on the side.
A versatile Pie and Strudel filling that can be canned or frozen. Ideal for apple and quark filled pastry pockets, known in Austria as Apfel Topfen Taschen. Adapted from the wonderful Ball Blue Book.
These delicious treats are found in bakery shops throughout Austria and Bavaria and are enjoyed as part of a continental breakfast or brunch with a cup of coffee. They are best made with authentic german quark “Recipe #476124”, but ricotta or even cream cheese can be substituted. Use canned apple pie filling or check out “Recipe #481442” for a homemade pie filling. This pastry can also be made without the apple pie filling, just increase the amount of cheese and sugar to taste.
Caraway seeds are very popular in Austria and feature in many recipes, mostly in root vegetables, cabbage and bread. The fragrant seeds blend wonderfully with the sweetness of the carrots and make an excellent side dish to roasts, turkey and game birds. Turnips, parsnips and rutabagas can be prepared and glazed in the same way, adjusting the cooking time as necessary.
In Austria, every Cafe and Ice Cream Parlor serves Peach Melba during the sommer months. I worked in an Ice Cream shop in Salzburg in the 1960’s, this is how we used to make it. Amarena cherries are available in Italian markets, they are dark red and have a slight almond aroma. Use real, only lightly sweetened whipping cream to garnish, serve with vanilla wafers.
