Matters of Taste

Magical Wolfgangsee

Think Austria…Think sausages, pork chops, venison and goulash loaded with meaty chunks. 

  But, all of a sudden, the spotlight is on vegetables. During our two weeks in Vienna and the last couple nights in the Salzburg countryside, we’ve been amazed at the creative vegetable-based dishes and the extraordinary flavor of the local produce.  Some menus have offered a separate section of vegetable entrees, others simply added them to the regular line-up of Wienerschnitzel, Tafelspitz and Backhuhn.

We hit the jackpot at Gasthof & Hotel Fürberg on the Wolfgangsee (Lake Wolfgang), south of Salzburg. The hotel, straight out of a fairytale, is tucked away in thick woods, smack on the banks of the lake and accessible only by a single lane, twisty road that ends at the inn.

After a 3-hour drive from Vienna, we stretched our legs on a two-hour Wanderung (hike/walk) along the edge of the lake to the nearby town of St. Gilgen. At dinnertime, we settled ourselves at a table on the outdoor terrace and watched as dusk gave way to a string of twinkly lights along the lake’s jagged coast.

Just when I figured life couldn’t get any better, along came the first course, a glossy Thai-inspired soup of coconut milk and pureed vegetables, ingeniously seasoned, and served in a pretty glass tumbler. Austrians are not known for their experimentation in the kitchen --- soup usually means Speckknödelsuppe (clear soup with big dumplings), Fritattensuppe (clear broth with pancake strips) or Griesnockerlsuppe (clear broth with little dumplings…you get the picture --- so we were particularly thrilled with our good luck.

Entrees were equally exciting.  Spinatknödeln (spinach dumplings) were light and airy, with more  spinach and less bread than the traditional rendition, and the bright green flavor of  fresh spinach. The two Knödeln sat in a shiny pool of melted parmesan cheese, surrounded by roasted cherry tomatoes that exploded upon first bite.

Gemüselaibchen, a mouthful that translates into vegetable patties, were fashioned from topfen (a cheesy wonder known as quark in the U.S.), minced veggies from local gardens, and fresh herbs. The discs were sauteed in plenty of butter and set afloat in a light cream sauce loaded with fresh local mushrooms. Deep-fried arugula leaves crowned the simple but stunning dish.

The next morning we worked off the calories with a hike along the wooded path that leads to the town of St. Wolfgang (where a ferry takes hikers back to Fürberg and other villages). The periodic peeks out to the lake were jaw-dropping, the path was steep but wide and fairly smooth, and the history lesson we got at Falkenstein, an ancient Celtic site midway on the path, was fascinating.

It seems this path was a popular pilgrimage route centuries ago and is today full of myth and legend. At the imposing church (formerly a monastery) that’s built into the side of the stony hillside, hikers can go inside and recite a popular prayer to St. Wolfgang and hear him respond (it’s all about the echo effect). At another tiny chapel, we discovered a spring gushing from a rock. Legend has it that blind voyagers could see after splashing the water in their eyes. Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, I gave it a try. I’m still waiting for the sign from St. Wolfgang that I can throw my Costco multi-pack of cheaters away.

Check out Hotel Fürberg on line. It’s one of the most captivating places we’re visited. And check back here in a week or so for the recipes for the spinach dumplings and veggie patties.

Caffe Affogato: The Hot New Way to Cool Off

As a longtime fan of this delicious coffee-and-ice-cream concoction, I was happy to see the recent Wall Street Journal blurb encouraging us to “embrace the affogato – the Italian version of a grownup soda-fountain drink.”

“The caffeinated wonder combines hot espresso with cold gelato to create a melty, spoonable (or gulpable) treat.”

The potion has been popping up on restaurant menus in New York where stratospheric temperatures have ensured it an enthusiastic reception. I’m hoping that the WSJ photo of pastry chef Sarah Cox’s single shot of espresso over “homemade double chocolate stout and milk chocolate ice cream” will rev up yet more interest in this Italian triumph of multi-tasking (dessert, coffee break, even breakfast, all in one).

I have fond memories of the first time I tasted an Eiskaffee, the German/Austrian cousin of Caffee Affogato. It was a layered production of cold brewed coffee (instead of espresso), vanilla ice cream and freshly whipped cream in a tall parfait glass. It was more than 30 years ago but I can still see the tiny café tucked away a cobblestoned alley in Innsbruck, Austria, and I can still taste the dark-roasted coffee, creamy ice cream and impossibly light whipped cream.

A more recent memory is of lunchtime last September at an outdoor café in Beame de Venise, France where my husband and I were biking with a Backroads bike tour group. The cranky waitress insisted she could not serve us caffe afogato or  eiskaffee, even though the restaurant featured a free-standing ice cream shop, and espresso, well, godssake, the French make an art of drinking espresso and smoking Gaulois. After listening to her emphatic “No, no, no, ce n’est pas possible,” I ordered a dish of vanilla ice cream and an espresso and, while she watched with an apoplectic stare, created my own affogato.

Here in Vienna I’ve found what is surely the most memorable take on this high-voltage brew.  At Pfarrwirt, a magical inn first established in the 14^th century (it’s said to be Vienna’s oldest restaurant), I was fascinated by the clever riff on Eiskaffee pictured here.

The tiny demitasse cup contained a shot of espresso crowned with freshly whipped cream; the silky panna cotta was flecked with vanilla beans;  crushed pistachios garnished the sphere of  soft vanilla ice cream; and, on the side, homemade cookies. Dark-roasted coffee beans dotted a decorative squiggle of buttery caramel sauce. It was a yummy surprise in a country where traditional usually trumps trendy.

We’re heading today to the Südtirol, Italy’s northernmost region and home of the imposing Dolomite mountains where we’ll trek for the next 8 days. Caffé Affogato will be our mid-afternoon coffee break each day.

If you’ve found a great version of this “energy” drink anyplace in the world, or concocted a great one at home, please do let this coffee-crazed writer know about it.

 

Having It My Way...In Vienna

Don’t you just hate it when you’re served a dish in a restaurant that you KNOW could be a lot better with a little effort? Last night we dined at Witwe Bolte (The Widow Bolte), a charming restaurant in the equally charming neighborhood of cobblestone lanes and Biedermeier houses called Spittelberg.

The setting was magical – candlelit tables under three graceful linden trees behind the centuries-old inn, a starry sky above, and a quiet buzz of contented conversation from the nearly-full house.

The food was good, too. Especially the paper-thin wisps of cooked beets dressed in a perfectly seasoned vinaigrette, and my husband’s Faschiertes Kalbsbutterschnitzel (yes, that’s one word!) which translates into a handsome sauteed patty of coarsely ground veal…one of the most elegant “hamburgers” you’ll ever see.

But my entree was disappointing, even though I was drooling over the name: Red Onion Risotto with Gorgonzola Cheese.

Served as a picture-perfect “puck” in the center of a white plate dressed up with ribbons of shiny  balsamic reduction, it was topped with shavings of a spunky gorgonzola. (Sorry about the photo's lighting...candlelit gardens are the best studio.)

Unfortunately, the key to the picture-perfect puck was undercooked rice that I found overly chewy and unpleasantly chalky.

In some settings I might have sent it back, but, trust me, that’s not an option in a traditional Austrian gasthaus with a cranky head waiter. At home, I would have simply dumped the risotto in a shallow bowl and added a bit of boiling water and stirred ‘til the rice absorbed it.

Determined to make the best of the dining experience, I ordered a bowl of rindsuppe  (beef broth) and attempted to “cook” the rice further myself. It was a valiant effort and pretty tasty. But I can’t wait to get home and try doing a red onion and gorgonzola risotto “my way.”

 

 

Aaaaaaah, Aperol!

In contrast to the Wall Street Journal’s burger story last weekend, which made me crave an all-American treat that I probably can’t get my hands on for several weeks, the paper's recent article about “sophisticated summer cocktails” told the story of the European-style aperitifs that I am happily sipping here in Vienna, Austria.

Readers of this blog already know all about Aperol, the Italian aperitif that’s made from rhubarb, gentian flowers, bitter orange and tree bark. I’m crazy about the stuff which I discovered years ago while hiking in Italy’s Dolomite mountains.  The Aperol Spritz -- club soda and Prosecco with a splash of rosy Aperol -- is popular with Italians and Austrians who even sip it mid-morning at the cafes surrounding the open-air markets here.

The WSJ article also raves about St-Germain, a trendy French liqueur made from Alpine elderflower blossoms that “tastes somewhere between pear, lemon, grapefruit, passion fruit…and heaven.”

Both aperitifs pack a lot of flavor into a few precious drops, which means the resulting “cocktails” are light, refreshing and low in alcohol, which means, in turn, you can drink more of them! (For even lower alcohol, skip the Prosecco and use just sparkling water or a flavored San Pellegrino water.)

Just grab a bottle of either, pour about a teaspoon into a stemmed glass, add a splash of Prosecco or other sparkling wine, plenty of sparkling water, and, as the Journal says,  “…presto, you've fixed yourself one of the easiest, continentally suave summer drinks one can whip up in less time than it takes to remember Berlusconi's first name. (It's Silvio.)"

Don’t miss the WSJ story. You’ll love the recipes.

Flipping (Over) Burgers

Now that’s what I call Bad Timing

I’m on an airplane, heading for Vienna, Austria and drooling over today’s Wall Street Journal article, “Flavor-Bomb Burgers.”

Sure, I’m excited to be going back in the land of Wienerschnitzel, fried chicken and pastries drenched in schlagsahne (whipped cream). But, right this minute, I am craving chef Michael Schlow’s chuck-brisket-hangersteak burger (pictured here), topped with crispy fried onions and horseradish-lemon mayo.  (I’ve long been a fan of Schlow’s Radius restaurant in Boston.)

The story has me reminiscing about the great burgers I’ve eaten recently, most notably at Nine-Ten in La Jolla (where it’s topped with aioli and soft chunks of Pt. Reyes blue cheese, and at Whisknladle (also La Jolla) where a top-notch patty is crowned with a fried egg. Frankly, I’d kill for either one of those right now.

Check out the fun Wall Street Journal story. It includes some mouth-watering recipes (such as char-grilled lamb burger with feta and cumin mayo) that YOU can make at home while I can only dream about the ultimate all-American feast for the next few weeks