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La Belle Cuisine

"Through his collection of outstanding recipes, evocative vignettes, splendid photographs, and a wealth of historical information and anecdotes, Rick
Rodgers brings to life the glories of the Austro-Hungarian Kaffeehaus and
it rich culture. At last, the legendary pastries of Vienna, Budapest and
Prague are given the attention they deserve."
~ Dorie Greenspan, author of Baking with Julia

KaffeeHaus:
Exquisite Desserts from the Classic
Cafes of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague
by Rick Rodgers, 2002, Clarkson Potter

As you can see, Mr. Rodgers's recipes are teaching recipes, and therefore lengthy. Our space is limited, so it becomes even more difficult than usual to decide upon a representative recipe. Then again, how could I possibly resist the world-renowned, legendary Sachertorte? As Mr. Rodgers reminds us in “The Story Behind Sachertorte”, “Sachertorte is the culinary symbol of Vienna, as recognizable
as ‘The Blue Danube’.”

A Piece of Sacher Torte with Physalis
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Wieder, Frank
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Sachertorte

Makes 12 to 16 servings

“In the past few years, bakers have been upping the ante with chocolate desserts (think of your local American bistro’s ‘warm chocolate cakes with gooey chocolate centers’). The Sachertorte is a refined, elegant combination of chocolate flavors, complemented by a compulsory mound of Schlag. The whipped cream is an im- portant part of the picture, as it moistens the frankly firm cake layers. Every bite
of Sachertorte is supposed to be dipped in the whipped cream. This version is based on the recipe in Das Grosse Sacher Backbuch (‘The Big Sacher Baking Book’), which should be a reliable source.
Don’t expect the cake layer to look perfect; sometimes the air bubbles are large
and make holes in the top of the cake. If that happens, take some cake trimmings
and mash them with a little of the apricot glaze to make a paste, and use a metal
icing spatula to ‘spackle’ the holes with the mixture.”

Torte

4 1/2 ounces high-quality bittersweet
chocolate, finely chopped
9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted
butter, at cool room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour (for this recipe,
spoon gently into cup and level top)

Assembly
1 cup apricot glaze (recipe follows), warm
Small batch Chocolate Glaze
(recipe follows)
Sweetened Whipped Cream (recipe
follows), for serving

1. To make the torte: Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 400 degrees F. Lightly butter a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment or wax paper. Dust the sides of the pan with
flour and tap out the excess.
2. In the top part of a double boiler over very hot, but not simmering, water, or in a microwave at medium power, melt the chocolate. Remove from the heat or the oven, and let stand, stirring often, until cool.
3. Beat the butter in the bowl of a heavy-duty standing mixer fitted with the paddle blade on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. On low speed, beat in the confectioners’ sugar. Return the speed to medium-high
and beat until light in color and texture, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the chocolate and vanilla.
4. Beat the egg whites and granulated sugar in a large bowl with a handheld mixer on high speed just until they form soft, shiny peaks. Do not over-
beat. Stir about one fourth of the beaten whites into the chocolate mixture
to lighten it, then fold in the remaining whites, leaving a few visible wisps
of white. Sift half of the flour over the chocolate mixture, and fold in with
a large balloon whisk or rubber spatula. Repeat with the remaining flour.
5. Spread evenly in the pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. (The cake will dome in the center.)
Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the sides of the pan, and
invert the cake onto the rack. Remove the paper and reinvert on another
rack on turn right side up. Cool completely.
6. To assemble: Using a long serrated knife, trim the top of the cake to make it level. Cut the cake horizontally into two equal layers. Place one cake
layer on an 8-inch cardboard round. Brush the top of the cake layer with
the apricot glaze. Place the second cake layer on top and brush again.
Brush the top and sides of the cake with the remaining glaze. Transfer
the cake to a wire rack place over a jelly-roll pan lined with wax paper.
Let cool until the glaze is set.
7. Make the chocolate glaze (it must be freshly made and warm). Pour all of the warm chocolate glaze on top of the cake. Using a small metal offset spatula, gently smooth the glaze over the cake, allowing it to run down the sides, being sure that the glaze completely coats the cake (patch any bare spots with the spatula and the icing that has dripped). Cool until the glaze
is barely set, then transfer the cake to a serving plate. Refrigerate until the
glaze is completely set, at least 1 hour. Remove the cake from the
refrigerator about 1 hour before serving.
8. To serve, slice with a sharp knife dipped into hot water. Serve with a
large dollop of whipped cream on the side.

Make Ahead
The cake can be prepared up to 2 days ahead and stored in an airtight
cake container at room temperature.

Apricot Glaze
(Marillenglasur)
Makes about 1 cup

“Fruit glazes – especially prepared from preserves – add flavor, protect crisp crusts from getting soft in contact with moist fillings, and provide a slick undercoat that adds an extra sheen when another glaze is poured over the dessert. Apricot and red currant are the most versatile, as their acidity balances the sweetness of the dessert, but you can use another favorite flavor, if you wish. Just be sure to use preserves, and not jam or jelly, which have different fruit-sugar ratios. The preserves must be simmered for a few minutes to evaporate excess liquid and give a firm, slick finish
to the glazed desserts. It’s best to turn an entire 12-ounce jar of preserves into
glaze, storing the glaze in the empty preserves jar, so you have small amounts
ready when needed.”

1 1/4 cups apricot preserves
2 tablespoons golden rum or water

Bring the preserves and rum to a boil in a small saucepan over medium
heat, stirring often. Cook, stirring often, until the last drops that cling to
the spoon are very sticky and reluctant to leave the spoon, 2 to 3 minutes.
Strain through a wire sieve into a small bowl, pressing hard on the solids.
Use warm.

Chocolate Glaze (Small Batch)
Schokoladeglasur

“This ebony-dark, shiny, intensely sweet chocolate glaze was originally invented
to coat Sachertorte, but it’s a great icing to use for many other baked goods. The authentic icing must be cooked into syrup that hardens to a fudge-like consistency (some bakers also temper the syrup, a difficult optional step). Schokoladeglasur stays glossy at any temperature, as long as the cake has an undercoat of preserves. Be sure to allow the undercoat to cool and set before applying the chocolate glaze, and use the chocolate glaze immediately after making it, while it is still warm
and fluid.
What to do with the leftover glaze that inevitably dips off the pastries and ends up underneath the cooling rack? [If you have children, or a chocoholic husband, this will not be a problem!] It makes great hot chocolate! Scrape it up and store it in a covered container in the refrigerator. When you want a cup of hot chocolate, place milk and a few tablespoons of the chocolate glaze to taste in a small saucepan.
Heat over low heat, whisking often, to warm the milk and melt the glaze.”

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
4 ounces high-quality bittersweet chocolate,
coarsely chopped

1. In a heavy-bottomed small saucepan (do not use a larger pan or the
mixture will reduce too rapidly and burn before it reaches the correct
temperature), bring the sugar, water, and chocolate to a boil over
medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Attach a candy thermometer
to the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring,
until the mixture reaches 234 degrees F., about 5 minutes.
2. Remove from the heat and stir to cool and thicken slightly, about 1
minute. Use immediately. When pouring, do not scrape the pan.

Sweetened Whipped Cream
Schlagobers
Makes 2 cups

“Throughout the rest of the German-speaking world, whipped cream is called Schlagsahne, but the Viennese call it Schlagobers, which translates into some-
thing like ‘very-well whipped’. Whipped cream is a very important ingredient
in the daily life of a Viennese; a dab goes on top of coffee or tea, or alongside
the afternoon snack, or, unsweetened, as a garnish for soup.
First, use high-quality cream (pasteurized, rather than ultra-pasteurized) with
a high butterfat content (36 to 40 percent), which whips up thick and fluffy and
has better flavor. Your natural food stores might carry such a cream, or look at
old-fashioned dairies.
Room-temperature cream won’t incorporate air, so use well-chilled cream
straight from the refrigerator. Use a chilled metal bowl or place the bowl
in a larger bowl of iced water.
For sweetening, confectioners’ sugar is preferred to granulated sugar because
the small amount of cornstarch in the former discourages the weeping that
occurs when whipped cream stands for longer than a few hours. A hint of
vanilla is imperative.
Learn to distinguish between the stages of whipped cream; it doesn’t always
have to be stiff. As a garnish for a dessert, the goal is softly beaten Schlagobers
that barely mounds. When used for piping, cream should be whipped to the stiff
stage. Of course there is an in-between stage, too, used for when cream is the
base for a torte filling. Take care not to overwhip the cream, at which point it
has a coarse, grainy texture and is well on its way to becoming butter.
A balloon whisk will give you the most control over the whipping process, but
most people prefer an electric mixer. A hand mixer is best, because the strong
motor of a standing mixer makes it difficult to gauge the whipping progress
and can quickly overwhip the cream.”

1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pour the cream into a well-chilled bowl and add the sugar and vanilla.
Using an electric hand mixer or balloon whisk, beat the cream to the desired consistency. For soft peaks, the cream will be just thick enough to hold its shape in soft billows. For stiffly beaten cream, the beaters or whisk wires will leave distinct traces in the cream and stand in firm peaks when the beaters are lifted.
Make ahead:
The cream can be whipped up to 1 day ahead, covered tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerated. If liquid separated from the cream, whip it again to incorporate the liquid.
 

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