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Apple Strudel

Strudel, štrudl, štrudla and štrukli – these are the names given by our neighbors in Italy, Slovenia, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to this sweet dream of light pastry and its juicy filling. But in English, the only word which has made it into common use is the German “Strudel”. That is a powerful signal of just how famous the Viennese Apfelstrudel has now become internationally. But it’s all too easily forgotten that this fine pastry once traveled an extensive route from Arabia via the Ottoman Empire and Turkey, before becoming resident in Vienna. However, the long journey was worth it!

Instructions
  1. Prepare the dough yourself, or have the shop-bought dough to hand. Steep the raisins in the rum and leave to soak.
  2. To prepare the nutty breadcrumbs, heat the butter in a pan until it bubbles up. Add the breadcrumbs and fry slowly over a moderate heat until golden brown. Towards the end, stir in the grated nuts, cook through quickly and remove from the heat.
  3. Peel the apples, cut into slices and quickly sprinkle with lemon juice. Then, depending on the acidity of the apples, add a suitable amount of sugar and powdered cloves, and mix in a generous pinch of cinnamon. Pre-heat the oven to 180 °C, and grease a suitable baking tin with butter.
  4. Ideally, prepare the strudel dough in such a way that the strudel ends up laid onto a sheet of baking paper. Distribute the nutty breadcrumbs over around half of the dough. Scatter the apples and raisins over it. Coat the remaining surface of the dough generously with melted butter, fold in the edges at the sides and roll up the strudel. Seal the ends well and lift the strudel into the baking tin using the baking paper (if using puff pastry, apply the apple filling in the centre, fold up the sides and edges towards the middle and press the sealing edges together firmly).
  5. Depending on the dough, coat with melted butter (for strudel dough) or egg (puff pastry) and bake for 40 – 50 minutes until golden brown (bake puff pastry for slightly less time). Remove the finished strudel, leave to cool down and sprinkle with icing sugar. Serve cool or cold.

Baking time: 40–50 minutes (slightly less for puff pastry)

Source: Austrian National Tourist Office

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Linz Tart

Anyone engaging in a serious search for the true origin of the Linzer Torte soon finds him or herself travelling between Egypt, Verona and Milwaukee in the American state of Wisconsin. The oldest recorded tart recipe in the world which was written down by a countess in Verona is to be found today in the monastery library in Admont and even became popular in America during the mid-19th century. A cake-maker who moved to Linz in 1822 used the recipe to create the “Linzer Masse”, which was the basis for the grandiose Linz tart. Today it is the culinary emblem of the capital city of Upper Austria.

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Potato Dumplings with Sheep Cheese

The most typical Slovak national food is Bryndzové Halušky with bacon. This is made from potato dough mixed with a special kind of sheep cheese – „bryndza“ that tastes best in the so called cottages of shepherds or mountain chalets. The dish is topped by fried bacon lardons and some of the fat. Bryndzové halušky is best eaten with buttermilk or acidified milk. Slovakia can boast a remarkable world curiosity. Every year, in the mountain village of Turecká at the foot of the Veľká Fatra mountains, lovers of bryndzové halušky meet at the European championship for cooking and consuming of this dish.

Strudel dough or puff pastry

  • Approx. 1.5 kg apples
  • 80 – 100 g sugar, as required
  • 4 tbsp raisins
  • Rum
  • Lemon juice
  • Cinnamon
  • Powdered cloves
  • Icing sugar for dusting
  • Plenty of melted butter or possibly
  • 1 egg for coating

For the nutty breadcrumbs

  • 100 g breadcrumbs
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 3 tbsp grated hazelnuts

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