I am back in my own chem lab again. Always GREAT to return so I can cook my own food. Eating out so often can get exhausting after a while.
I managed to smuggle some spaetzle and delicious chocolates back home to extend my Viennese experience. I plan on sharing those with my local loved ones so... if you live far away from me, please do take the pleasure in visualizing yourself eating those things. I will need to learn how to make semmel-knodels (dumplings) and spaetzle. If I could make my own pasta, I am pretty sure making spaetzle will be a breeze. Perhaps I could experiment with different variations, other than spinach spaetzle.
On Thursday, I cooked lunch for the two wonderful hostesses. Luckily, I had purchased the right ingredients even though some items were boxed with unclear pictures and words that I could not find in my German food dictionary. No one died from my cooking effort using German ingredients. It turned out to be a GREAT lunch. It was soup with dumplings.
The ultimate search during my week in Austria was for the BEST chocolate dessert. And I found that in the "Schokozauber" at the Cafe Central. This translates into "Chocolate Magic". I wholeheartedly agree with this description. It was like I was under a magic spell while savoring each bite of this amazing dessert. I was sad that I found this magic on my LAST day in Vienna. Some people say that a bit of magic is good. I suppose that could mean too much magic can be too much? :-) What exactly is this magic? I am not sure... it tasted like chocolate mousse / creme brulee/ hazelnut praline combined into something spectacular and covered with dark chocolate ganache, topped with a golden leaf. The magic shall remain with me a bit longer for the sheer pleasure of nostalgia!
Thank you, Vienna, for sharing the magic with me.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
Cooking at Home in Vienna
Last night, my host and I decided to cook dinner at home. That was a nice ending to the 'living in Vienna' day. I shopped for food, worked in a library, commuted by U-Bahn (subway), and relaxed at the dorm. She bought some kind of meat - she thought it was pork roast but it was hard to figure out because it was already marinated and rubbed with spices. I had some spinach spaetzle and vegetables. She had some vegetables as well.
My host once lived in France for a while for work so... of course she would serve some fresh cheese and crackers with red wine from Sicily. The microwave oven here is multipurpose: it bakes, grills, broils, defrosts and zaps. Without any instructions in English, I was able to figure out how to get it to bake. While waiting for the meat to be done, I thought the spaetzle had to be boiled in water like fresh pasta in America. It was in a similar type of packaging. Luckily I read the front cover to see that it just needed to be pan-fried or microwaved. So it was ready to go. Whew. Glad I did not ruin perfectly good spaetzle! With what we had available, I made herbed goat cheese sauce for spaetzle. I sauteed zucchini and garlic. I made a simple mixed green salad. Dinner was ready to be served.
I never eat pork at home so I was not sure what to expect from the pork roast. At the first bite, I suddenly realized it was not pork... it was corned beef! My friend and I laughed. When traveling to a foreign country, you have to be open-minded and willing to put whatever food in your mouth blindfolded. I have not eaten corned beef in years. I remember hating it when we had it for St. Patrick's Day one year. This one was honestly flavorful and not as salty. We ended the meal by sharing a truffletorte from Demel. We all agreed it was more orgasmic than the sachertorte! The meal was simply sensational. I loved that we put in the time and energy to prepare a beautiful meal in a simple dorm kitchen.
My host once lived in France for a while for work so... of course she would serve some fresh cheese and crackers with red wine from Sicily. The microwave oven here is multipurpose: it bakes, grills, broils, defrosts and zaps. Without any instructions in English, I was able to figure out how to get it to bake. While waiting for the meat to be done, I thought the spaetzle had to be boiled in water like fresh pasta in America. It was in a similar type of packaging. Luckily I read the front cover to see that it just needed to be pan-fried or microwaved. So it was ready to go. Whew. Glad I did not ruin perfectly good spaetzle! With what we had available, I made herbed goat cheese sauce for spaetzle. I sauteed zucchini and garlic. I made a simple mixed green salad. Dinner was ready to be served.
I never eat pork at home so I was not sure what to expect from the pork roast. At the first bite, I suddenly realized it was not pork... it was corned beef! My friend and I laughed. When traveling to a foreign country, you have to be open-minded and willing to put whatever food in your mouth blindfolded. I have not eaten corned beef in years. I remember hating it when we had it for St. Patrick's Day one year. This one was honestly flavorful and not as salty. We ended the meal by sharing a truffletorte from Demel. We all agreed it was more orgasmic than the sachertorte! The meal was simply sensational. I loved that we put in the time and energy to prepare a beautiful meal in a simple dorm kitchen.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Always a Gastronomical Adventure in Europe!
Vienna! I think I am starting to enjoy Austrian food more than German food. There are still some traditional German food here but there's also the Austrian variations and specialties that make it even a wholesome experience for me. :-)
My meals in recap:
Saturday lunch: SPAETZLE with cheese! That was my favorite dish in Germany when I visited last fall. A friend and I went to the Rathauspark where they had food stands. I spotted the word 'spaetzle' and got all excited. I dashed there and ordered some for myself. The Austrian variation has dried onion topping on this dish. The first bite I took sent me whirling in food heaven. I was grateful that I had an opportunity to eat this dish again after four months. I am spoiled.
Saturday afternoon warmer: hot mint chocolate. This one was so rich and thick... it felt like we were eating pudding... we did digest it with a small spoon. It was too thick to drink. Delish!
Saturday dinner: goulash. This Austrian specialty was something I always loved every time I came to Austria. This cute small place in the NachtMarkt (Night Market) served the best I have ever tasted. There was a right combination of spices and flavors. YUM. It came with a knodl (dumpling). I am tempted to go back for one more before I leave. If it happens... it shall happen.
Sunday dinner: Italian! I was fortunate to find someone who wanted a gastronomical adventure with me. We shared three courses together. I LOVE sharing food... I taste more that way. I think I am sending a vibe to the universe to put people who like to share food in my life. I am blessed. We had potato-truffle soup. Wintertime in Europe means.... truffle time! Ahhhhhh! That was followed by tagliatelle with truffle sauce. Yes... I can't get enough of the truffles. Then the salad cleaned our palate in preparation for the sachertorte we purchased from the place where the dessert originated from, Demel. This was certainly a memorable Valentine's Day meal!
Ahh... am I making you drool yet? More to come! :-)
My meals in recap:
Saturday lunch: SPAETZLE with cheese! That was my favorite dish in Germany when I visited last fall. A friend and I went to the Rathauspark where they had food stands. I spotted the word 'spaetzle' and got all excited. I dashed there and ordered some for myself. The Austrian variation has dried onion topping on this dish. The first bite I took sent me whirling in food heaven. I was grateful that I had an opportunity to eat this dish again after four months. I am spoiled.
Saturday afternoon warmer: hot mint chocolate. This one was so rich and thick... it felt like we were eating pudding... we did digest it with a small spoon. It was too thick to drink. Delish!
Saturday dinner: goulash. This Austrian specialty was something I always loved every time I came to Austria. This cute small place in the NachtMarkt (Night Market) served the best I have ever tasted. There was a right combination of spices and flavors. YUM. It came with a knodl (dumpling). I am tempted to go back for one more before I leave. If it happens... it shall happen.
Sunday dinner: Italian! I was fortunate to find someone who wanted a gastronomical adventure with me. We shared three courses together. I LOVE sharing food... I taste more that way. I think I am sending a vibe to the universe to put people who like to share food in my life. I am blessed. We had potato-truffle soup. Wintertime in Europe means.... truffle time! Ahhhhhh! That was followed by tagliatelle with truffle sauce. Yes... I can't get enough of the truffles. Then the salad cleaned our palate in preparation for the sachertorte we purchased from the place where the dessert originated from, Demel. This was certainly a memorable Valentine's Day meal!
Ahh... am I making you drool yet? More to come! :-)
Friday, February 12, 2010
First Meal in Vienna!
The first meal in another country is usually a special affair for me. It is the anticipation of knowing I have arrived and am about to embark on an adventurous time. Last night was the case for me. My hostess who is temporarily living in Vienna for five months for work... she searched online for the best of Vienna. She found this place not too far from her dormitory. On the way there, we engaged into perfectly harmless snowball fights because the snow here was too dry to make real balls.
A guy in the group is from Australia and he was commenting how it was quite an affair to take off the layers to sit down to dine. We celebrated the beginning of the weekend with the house red wine... oh wow! It was smooth! Because I did not eat all day... last meal was the breakfast on the flight, I was famished yet I did not want to stuff myself. I decided to go with the tagesuppe (soup of the day). It was some kind of fish soup... I experienced flavors that I have never had before. It was some type of dark, meaty fish in a broth-based soup with some vegetables, including one white vegetable I have not eaten before. It was a nice warm-up to the Austrian cuisine.
The menu, written in German, was difficult to decipher. Last fall when I was visiting Germany, I had a handy book called "The Hungry Traveler: Menu Translator and Food Guide" for Germany. It was a handy tool. I thought that this would come in handy for Austria. Not quite so! I learned that Austria had their own dialect so some words are written differently. Oy. That adds to the adventure though.
My simple entree was eiernockerl (egg dumplings) and a green salad. I cannot begin to describe the entree. It was simple, comforting. It reminded me of matzo brei but just different. We ended the meal with a crepe with chocolate sauce. Yum. The meal was sensational... with the right combination of food and company. Ironically, our waiter who could not speak English was wearing a t-shirt "The Dream Team: Los Angeles". Ahh... where I had just come from, southern California.
Here's to more culinary adventures in Austria. :-)
A guy in the group is from Australia and he was commenting how it was quite an affair to take off the layers to sit down to dine. We celebrated the beginning of the weekend with the house red wine... oh wow! It was smooth! Because I did not eat all day... last meal was the breakfast on the flight, I was famished yet I did not want to stuff myself. I decided to go with the tagesuppe (soup of the day). It was some kind of fish soup... I experienced flavors that I have never had before. It was some type of dark, meaty fish in a broth-based soup with some vegetables, including one white vegetable I have not eaten before. It was a nice warm-up to the Austrian cuisine.
The menu, written in German, was difficult to decipher. Last fall when I was visiting Germany, I had a handy book called "The Hungry Traveler: Menu Translator and Food Guide" for Germany. It was a handy tool. I thought that this would come in handy for Austria. Not quite so! I learned that Austria had their own dialect so some words are written differently. Oy. That adds to the adventure though.
My simple entree was eiernockerl (egg dumplings) and a green salad. I cannot begin to describe the entree. It was simple, comforting. It reminded me of matzo brei but just different. We ended the meal with a crepe with chocolate sauce. Yum. The meal was sensational... with the right combination of food and company. Ironically, our waiter who could not speak English was wearing a t-shirt "The Dream Team: Los Angeles". Ahh... where I had just come from, southern California.
Here's to more culinary adventures in Austria. :-)
Sunday, February 7, 2010
A Great Sunday Morning!
I woke up this morning, realizing that I am a morning person for life. I woke up an hour before the alarm clock went off at 6:30 AM! I like to set it for 6:30 AM on weekends so I can 'sleep in' but on weekdays, it's set at 5:30 AM. I start working at 6 AM in the comforts of my home. But this morning, my body decided it was a weekday. I was not going to fight it. I knew I wanted to make some waffles to go with my homemade apricot syrup. Or is that peach syrup? I forgot. Ha. People who look at the contents of my freezer wonder how I know what things are because I do not label them. My sharp memory has served me well for the most part but once in a while it's like rediscovering a forgotten treasure. That, in itself, is an adventure. Perhaps as I grow older, I should consider labels. For now, I am content.
A great blessing in life is having a friend who is ALSO a morning person! I paged her to see if she wanted to come for breakfast and then hopefully a walk if this rain lets up! She was up at 5:30 AM as well! Yay. It is now 6:30 AM and she'll be over at 7 AM!
While making the waffle batter, I realized I did not have enough baking powder. Dang! Alas, Google came to the rescue. From time to time, I affectionately call my kitchen my chem lab. I knew there WAS a formula out there available to be used as a substitution for the 2 remaining teaspoons of baking powder that I needed. http://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/BakingPowder.htm. I had cream of tartar and baking soda. Yipee. :-) I love it when things work out easily.
A great blessing in life is having a friend who is ALSO a morning person! I paged her to see if she wanted to come for breakfast and then hopefully a walk if this rain lets up! She was up at 5:30 AM as well! Yay. It is now 6:30 AM and she'll be over at 7 AM!
While making the waffle batter, I realized I did not have enough baking powder. Dang! Alas, Google came to the rescue. From time to time, I affectionately call my kitchen my chem lab. I knew there WAS a formula out there available to be used as a substitution for the 2 remaining teaspoons of baking powder that I needed. http://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/BakingPowder.htm. I had cream of tartar and baking soda. Yipee. :-) I love it when things work out easily.
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