Eating Our Way Through Vienna

Our long weekend in Vienna was filled lots of food and drink.  In addition to local Austrian beers we drank cup after cup of hot coffee in an attempt to chase away the winter chill.  This wasn't the coffee we have grown accustomed to here in Albania; in Vienna coffee is served with a flourish and is often topped with thick whipped cream with a liqueur being a delicious, but optional, addition.  I knew I would love the pastries, from chocolate to strudel and everything in between.  My surprise discovery, however, was shredded fresh horseradish.  While mild, it was still too strong for me to eat by itself.  As an accompaniment to meat, however, it was to die for.  (I am now on a quest to find fresh horseradish here in Albania.  Does anyone have suggestions as to where I can find some?)

Here are a few of my favorite foods from this weekend.  Enjoy!

Warm sweet rolls filled with berry jelly from Cafe Leopold Hawelka

Cappuccino -- always served on a silver tray with a small glass of water

Fried pig knuckle served with shredded fresh horseradish & Wiener Schnitzel at Alstadbrau

Viennese coffee--espresso topped with whipped cream

The traditional warm apple strudel with berries in vanilla sauce 

I love coffee served in glass stemware this coffee has whipped cream and orange liqueur

A warm chocolate cake served filled with a molten chocolate sauce

And of course, a traditional Viennese sausage served with more shredded horseradish

Nutella Buns

The picture doesn't do these justice but oh my are they good.  Fresh from the oven they just ooze warm and gooey chocolate goodness.  The recipe is from Saveur Magazine and following in my Albanian tradition swapped out the pecans for walnuts since that is what is available here.

I actually made them the night before, wrapped the pan tightly with saran wrap and kept them in the refrigerator, then let them come up to room temperature before baking them in the morning.  Yum!

NUTELLA BUNS

1 package active dry yeast

1/4 cup, plus 1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup milk

9 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened plus more for greasing

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 eggs

4 cups flour, plus more for dusting

3/4 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1 1/2 cups Nutella

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1)  Combine yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1/2 cup warm water in a bowl until foamy, about 10 minutes.  

2)  Meanwhile, bring milk to a simmer in a 1 quart saucepan over medium heat; set aside.  Stir in

      remaining sugar, 4 tablespoons butter, and salt and stir into yeast mixture with vanilla, 2 eggs, and

      flour just until combined.  

3)  Transfer dough to a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 3 minutes.  Place in a

      greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let sit until the dough doubles in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

4)  Heat oven to 375 degrees. Melt the remaining butter in a 1 quart saucepan over medium heat.  Add

     brown sugar, stir until smooth, and pour into a 9 x 13 inch baking dish; sprinkle with the pecans.

5)  Transfer the dough to a floured surface and roll dough into a 15 x 20 inch rectangle. Spread the

     Nutella evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch border on one long side.  

6)  Beat remaining egg in a bowl and brush onto the clean border of the dough.  Roll the dough into a

     log towards the end brushed with the egg.  Trim ends and cut log into 30 minutes.  Transfer rounds

     cut side up to the baking dish, sprinkle with cinnamon and bake until golden, about 30 minutes.  

7)  Let cool slightly before serving.  Serve inverted onto plates and drizzle with syrup and nuts from the

     bottom of the baking dish.

Artisan Gouda & Prosciutto Bread

One of my culinary goals for 2013 is to bake more bread.  I'm not talking quick breads; rather yeasted doughs that, while they take more time to put together, are worth the effort.  To kick off this year's effort, I tested a bacon-cheese bread from the Noblepig.com blog.  As the recipe promised, the dough came together quickly and didn't require any kneading. I didn't even get to break out my trusty Kitchen Aid dough hook!  As usual, I was not able to find any cheddar cheese, so I swapped it out with an aged Gouda, achieving what I deem are with tasty results.  I also used prosciutto instead of bacon.  I diced it up then fried it until crispy before adding it to the dough along with the cheese.

The recipe produces two good sized loafs.  Because the dough can be refrigerated I baked one over the weekend then the other one later in the week.  It turns out that there is nothing better than a fresh baked loaf of bread on a weeknight (or weekday morning).

ARTISAN GOUDA & PROSCIUTTO BREAD

10 slices thick cut bacon or prosciutto, diced

8 ounces shredded aged Gouda cheese

2 tablespoons granulated yeast

3 cups lukewarm water

5 1/2 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting

1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal

1)  Cook the bacon or prosciutto over medium heat until brown and crunchy. Place on a paper towel-
      lined plate to drain.  Set aside.

2)  Add the yeast to a large ceramic bowl.  Pour in the warm water and stir to combine with a wooden 

      spoon.  Add the flour and salt.  

3)  Mix with the wooden spoon until the flour and salt are fully wet.  Add the cheese and
      bacon/prosciutto to the dough and stir until fully combined.

4)  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place to rise for at least 3 hours.  After 3

     hours place the dough in the refrigerator overnight.

5)  When ready to bake, place a metal baking pan on the bottom rack of the oven.  Fill it with water. 

      Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  

6)  Meanwhile, butter the bottom of an 11 x 17 inch baking tray and sprinkle the cornmeal over the 

     butter to prevent the break from sticking.

7)  Divide the dough into two even loaves, shaping each into a ball.  Place on the baking tray, several

     inches apart.  Sprinkle the dough generously with flour.  (You can also bake one at a time, saving

     the dough in the refrigerator for another day).

8)  Let rest on the baking tray for 30 minutes.  Right before placing in the oven, score the top of the

      bread with an "x" or other decorative mark, cutting right through the dough.

9)  Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let cool 15 minutes before slicing.

Crispy Smashed Roasted Potatoes

I've been trying to make more interesting side dishes to accompany my entrees.  While I will spend hours perfecting the perfect main course, by the time I get to the side dishes, I seem to run out of momentum.  This recipe for a ridiculously easy potato dish is courtesy of Fine Cooking Magazine.  With only three ingredients and a little prior planning this dish comes together quickly.  (Plus smashing the potatoes is a lot of fun!). I served the potatoes with sour cream and chives to go along with grilled chicken.  I'm now thinking that I could easily dress the potatoes up for a more formal dinner or even serve them with a dipping sauce as a part of a buffet table.  Regardless of how I make them in the future, this dish is a keeper.

CRISPY SMASHED ROASTED POTATOES

12 to 15 baby red potatoes

2 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 cup olive oil

Boil the potatoes:

1)  Put the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with at least one inch of water.  Add 2 teaspoons of

     salt to the water.  Bring the water to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, and cook the potatoes

     until they are completely tender and can easily be pierced with a skewer.  Make sure they are

     cooked through but don't over cook.  The total cooking time will be 30-35 minutes.

2)  While the potatoes are cooking, set up a double layer of clean dish towels on the counter top.  As
      the potatoes finish cooking, remove them individually from the water, and let them drain and sit for
      just a minute or two on the dishtowels.

Flatten and cool the potatoes:

3)  Fold another dishtowel into quarters, and using it as a cover, gently press down on one potato with

    the palm of your hand to flatten it a thickness of about 1/2 inch.  Repeat with all of the potatoes.

    Don't worry if some break apart a bit; you can still use them.

4)  Cover a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; place a piece of parchment on top of the 

     foil.  Transfer the flattened potatoes to the baking sheet and let them cool completely to room

     temperature.

Roast the potatoes:

5)  Heat the oven to 450 degrees.  Sprinkle the potatoes with about 3/4 teaspoon of salt and pour the

     olive oil over them.  Lift the potatoes gently to make sure some of the oil goes underneath them and

     they are well coated on both sides.  Roast the potatoes until they are crispy and deep brown around

     the edges, about 30 to 40 minutes, turning over once gently with a spatula half way through

     cooking.

6)  Serve hot.