strudel and semmel
Dick Margulis
Vienna. So far I am not as pleased as I thought I would be, but I have a
few more days here to try to do better.
This morning I skipped the overpriced hotel breakfast and, in the course
of taking the subway downtown and walking all over, occasioned to
consume baked goods in three different shops. The first was a chain shop
in the subway terminal, where the clerk was kind enough to explain the
operation of the non-English-speaking ticket machine to me and so I
thought I ought to purchase something. I opted for a piece of apple
strudel, but it was not strudel as I know it. For starters, the apple
filling, while tasty, was made with apples that disintegrate when
cooked; so there wasn't much texture. The wrapping was not what I'm
familiar with in recent years--filo dough--but was rather much closer to
traditional strudel. That is, it was flaky and many layered; but the
individual layers were tender, not hard and crisp like filo. I'd say it
was made skillfully and was much better than anything a chain bakery in
the US would be likely to serve. I suspect I'll find better though.
Later, I stopped in a small bread shop that was distinctly not one of
the large chain on every street corner. It was in a fairly expensive
shopping district and the breads looked very good. For 0.30 euro, I got
one semmel kaiser roll to eat while walking. It was a lot like the
kaiser rolls others have been proffering recipes and pictures for, but
it was not at all like a New York kaiser roll. The crust was tough and
chewy, and the crumb had a bread-like body to it. The roll was also
smaller and denser than a New York roll. But, given the venue, I took it
to be a premium product. Later, I saw bagged rolls in a supermarket
(labeled "semmel kaiser") that were squishy and vile-looking. So I think
the one I ate, as I said, was probably good for the type. It just wasn't
what I was expecting.
For lunch, I had a sandwich made on a croissant--still in research mode
(oh, the things I do for you people)--that was quite good. The croissant
was appropriately flaky, tender, well layered. But it was not dripping
with butter like some premium American croissants are. Instead, I'd say
it had just the right amount of butter--enough to make it work, but not
so much that it ran out on you fingers and chin.
The apricot linzer cookie I had for dessert, though, had all the butter
one could wish for, and then some.
Oh, wait. I forgot the bagel. When we checked into our room, there was a
bagel and some sort of unidentifiable spread placed there as a snack.
The bagel was just hanging on a little wooden mug rack, unwrapped, but
it couldn't have been there for long. It was undistinguished in all
regards, and if it is typical of Viennese bagels, I'll pass. However,
the bread served in the hotel restaurant was also of middling quality,
so perhaps the bagel was not an example of the best to be found here.
Further research is required.
In fact, the only part of the hotel dining room experience that was
memorable in a good way was the small complimentary chocolate truffle
that came with the bill. I guess I have to some research on the
chocolate front, too.
Mary Fisher
"Dick Margulis" <marg...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:epGdnZiGAe-c937V...@supernews.com...
...
>
> In fact, the only part of the hotel dining room experience that was
> memorable in a good way was the small complimentary chocolate truffle that
> came with the bill. I guess I have to some research on the chocolate
> front, too.
Life is so tough ... tell you what, I'll help you out with that front if you
like.
Mary
generous to a fault
Boron Elgar
<marg...@comcast.net> wrote:
>I am doing, um, field research, yeah, that's it, field research in
>Vienna. So far I am not as pleased as I thought I would be, but I have a
>few more days here to try to do better.
>
>This morning I skipped the overpriced hotel breakfast and, in the course
>of taking the subway downtown and walking all over, occasioned to
>consume baked goods in three different shops.
It's a tough life, but someone has to do it, eh? We all thanks you for
taking the baked goods bullet for us.
>The first was a chain shop
>snip. I opted for a piece of apple
>strudel, but it was not strudel as I know
I think this may have, indeed, been due to it being a chin shop. The
apples may have started out as canned filling as it does in many
places here.
>Later, I stopped in a small bread shop that was distinctly not one of
>the large chain on every street corner. It was in a fairly expensive
>shopping district and the breads looked very good. For 0.30 euro, I got
>one semmel kaiser roll to eat while walking. It was a lot like the
>kaiser rolls others have been proffering recipes and pictures for, but
>it was not at all like a New York kaiser roll. The crust was tough and
>chewy, and the crumb had a bread-like body to it. The roll was also
>smaller and denser than a New York roll. But, given the venue, I took it
>to be a premium product. Later, I saw bagged rolls in a supermarket
>(labeled "semmel kaiser") that were squishy and vile-looking. So I think
>the one I ate, as I said, was probably good for the type. It just wasn't
>what I was expecting.
The tough and chewy crust and density of the interior may be due to a
sourdough base. I've played around with basic Kaiser recipes and this
can happen. I'd like to think my crust was crispier and not so chewy,
but perhaps it was a humid day that you bought the roll.
>
>The apricot linzer cookie I had for dessert, though, had all the butter
>one could wish for, and then some.
Now you must seek a linzer torte, although, truth be told, I never got
a satisfactory one in Austria, myself, and that was years ago.
>
>Oh, wait. I forgot the bagel.
Vienna bagel? I am speechless.
>
>In fact, the only part of the hotel dining room experience that was
>memorable in a good way was the small complimentary chocolate truffle
>that came with the bill. I guess I have to some research on the
>chocolate front, too.
Whatever you do, remember to add the following phrase to any pastry
order, "Mit schlag," and you cannot go too far wrong.
Have a wonderful trip, Dick. Will you be getting to Salzburg?
Boron
Dick Margulis
>
> I think this may have, indeed, been due to it being a chin shop. The
> apples may have started out as canned filling as it does in many
> places here.
Likely.
>
> The tough and chewy crust and density of the interior may be due to a
> sourdough base. I've played around with basic Kaiser recipes and this
> can happen. I'd like to think my crust was crispier and not so chewy,
> but perhaps it was a humid day that you bought the roll.
It's a humid week. But the rolls were well formed, with deep furrows in
the crown and uniform size and color. I think they were as intended. The
crust had some crispness to it, but it wasn't thin. The toughness
started below the crisp surface layer.
>
> Now you must seek a linzer torte, although, truth be told, I never got
> a satisfactory one in Austria, myself, and that was years ago.
I'm trying to pace myself. Dinner is a reception hosted by the mayor. I
expect the pastries will be superb.
I did walk past the Sacher Hotel today, and I resisted the idea of
stopping in for a slice of Sacher torte.
>> Oh, wait. I forgot the bagel.
>
> Vienna bagel? I am speechless.
It struck me as an odd choice for a welcome token, but there it was. The
pretzel in the Red Carpet Club at the Munich airport yesterday was good,
though.
>
> Whatever you do, remember to add the following phrase to any pastry
> order, "Mit schlag," and you cannot go too far wrong.
Well, yes, that would be going quite far wrong, waist-wise.
>
> Have a wonderful trip, Dick. Will you be getting to Salzburg?
No, this is not an Austrian vacation; it's a hopscotch of Europe:
Vienna, Stockholm/Uppsala, London. I'm just tagging along as my wife
attends conferences and speaks here and there. But they're all new
places for both of us. So it will be great--if fattening--fun.
>
> Boron