My first trip to Europe was a ski trip to Innsbruck, Austria, in 1969 and I can still recall some of the delightful meals I had as a guest at the Goldener Rose Hotel on Herzog-Friedrich-Straße. I may have had a sweeter tooth then, although my wife might disagree, but I can still remember overdoing it on the pastries and of course Sachertorte.
The Viennese café remains one of the venerable institutions in Austria. Here, coffee has been served in style since the 17th century. Since October 2011 the "Viennese Coffee House Culture" has been listed as "Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Austrian inventory of the "National Agency for the Intangible Cultural Heritage", a part of UNESCO. The Viennese coffee house is described in this inventory as a place “where time and space are consumed, but only the coffee is found on the bill.” Although my preference is Italian espresso, a Viennese mokka will do anytime.
Some popular dishes in Austria include Gulasch, similar to the Hungarian version; speck, cured ham; apfelstrudel, apple strudel; dumplings; Linzer Torte.
No discussion of Austrian food can leave out the national dish, Wiener Schnitzel, the thin, breaded and deep fried veal cutlet that Josée has chosen for tonight's main. The dish is prepared from veal cut about 4 mm thin and hammer tenderized, slightly salted, and rolled in flour, eggs and bread crumbs. The bread crumbs must not be pressed into the meat, so that they stay dry and can be "souffléed". Finally the Schnitzel is fried in a good proportion of oil or clarified butter at a temperature of 160 to 170 °C until golden brown. The Schnitzel must swim in the fat otherwise it will not cook evenly. During the frying the Schnitzel is repeatedly moved around in the pan. After the underside has become golden brown, the Schnitzel is turned over for final cooking.
The menu for tonight:
Wiener Schnitzel
Sautéed green beans with onions, paprika and sour cream
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