Recipe Eel in Green Herb Sauce

Speculoos is a type of shortcrust biscuit, traditionally baked for consumption on or just before St Nicholas’ feast (December 6th) in the Belgium, the Netherlands and Northern France. In recent decades it has become available all year round. Speculoos are thin, very crunchy, slightly browned and, most significantly, have some image or figure (often from the traditional stories about St. Nicholas) stamped on the front side before baking; the back is flat. The Lotus brand is one of the most popular. You can also find them covered in chocolate…a real Belgian treat!

This goulash owes its name to the ever-hungry coachmen who drive the famous carriages (or ‘fiacres’) around Vienna. The beef ragout is topped with a garnish of sausage and fried egg – while its rich juice is permeated with sweet paprika powder. For this latter ingredient, as well as the numerous other variations of goulash, the Austrian cuisine owes a debt of gratitude to its neighbours in Hungary.

A typical Christmas dish is the roasted hen turkey with pomegranate. The dish dates back to the Renaissance, and more specifically to the magnificent banquets of the Serenissima Republic.

“Dining like Kings” under the Austrian monarchy did not necessarily mean fine dining. Franz Joseph, the Emperor of Austria, for example, preferred simple meals. One of them was a simple Gugelhupf for dessert, which he loved to have served by his life-long confidante Katharina Schratt.