CUISINE SCENE ‘LAST SPRING” Nerth ‘Vancouver was the. locale of some mighty incredible din-. ners for. me. You: see, Executive chef Wolfgang von “Wieser (of-The Four. Seasons and Chartwell) and his fami- ‘invited me over for * Sunday’ stipper in a seeming- _ ly endless string of generous: invitations. a “The occasion? The visit, here, of von Wieser’s own taother all the ‘way: from Feldkirch, Austria. The “reason? To enjoy and share in her - wonderful home-cooking. «-°.. -There was a memorable méal of igriesnockerl suppe® (Semolina Dumpling” Soup) followed . by Schweinsbratew mit Bratknoedel « (Roast: Pork «: “with. Bread , Dumplings),. with a crunchy. Kraut Salat. (Cabbage Salad) and Schnee Nocker? (Floating Island) to finish. . Another: Sunday, night we feast- ed on:enormous: Paprika: Schnitzel accompanied, by Spaetzle (tiny-egg © dumplings)..and» a» steaming Bluménkohlsuppe (Creamed Cauliflower. Soup) to- ‘start, Get the:. idea. of how lucky J am? ‘But one-of = Mother Gertrude’s ‘specialties made - incredibly, delicious: impression on mé:her own Mohn ‘Strudel “| (Poppy. Seed: Strudel), a specialty I. " had never had before... °° ?. We had: it with strong black: cof fee.one. evening; and.she tucked .a +. Strudel under. my arm that night to take hom Next morning: was, hot chocolate and. thick’ slices ‘of her’. privilege of. driving, cher. to. the ‘air- “port on her’ returnvto Austria. ae bought’ her'a new copy of Der Spiegel to read on the plane, tugged her goodbye, and told her'l couldn’t. "* wait for her return at Christmastime — for'that Strudel again! °~ >And return, she.did. | spent a -day..with her last’ ‘week learning “first-hand how to make the strudel. ¢ ‘ Watching 2 baking pro (who has it; for-some 30 years) make -; ight of such delicacies is a joy.:: ‘Handfuls of this, pinches of that, the: while with me taking ‘care to weigh: and measure. it’all ‘out for ; proof i ‘accuracy in our kitchens,. Chef von Wieser shared some: | recollections about his mother.” “He was'“always hanging ‘around ” he kitchen’? from age ei ight on. “We © “ived<‘in-/a “part: ‘of Austria -(Feldkirch) that’ is'the heart of. Europe. Right.on the bordet of. ichstenstein, “Switzerland, : Germany and Italy (all within's two-hour drive). All’ of, our meals ere: :seasonal, prepared with what ‘as“on ‘hand, ‘Cabbage and potatoes -and kraut in winter. Salad greens in . - spring.-No lobster or Dover Sole for us!” Chef found out, early on, that ‘Classic, good ‘cooking will always urvive. He also knew he wanted to. be a chef at ape 12. And he devised a creative scheme to get out of join- ing the rest of the family in attend- ing Sunday church services. His plan? “I promised to have Sunday supper alt ready if | could stay home. My meal was always the same —- roast chicken, sweet peas, roasted potatoes, and apple pic. They loved it — and | never went to church!" So, with this personal glimpse into the von Wieser family (3 gen- erations under one roof at the moment), here are Gertrude von Wieser's recipes for you to try. MOHN STRUDEL (POPPY SEED STRUDEL) Originally a Czech recipe, this recipe comes from Bohemia (as did Gertrude von Wieser's father). The recipe traveled to Austria, especial- ly Vienna, through the Boehmish people who cooked for the wealthy Viennese. This recipe is several hundreds of years old. and is a favorite of the von Wieser family whenever Grossmutti visits from Austria. Makes 2 strudel, Dough: Measure with weight, on a good kitchen scale. 16 oz. (500 g) all-purpose flour 7 oz. (200 g) unsalted butter, cut into cubes, room temperature 2 oz. (50 g) granulated sugar - % tsp. (2 mL) salt. 2 oz. (50 g) fresh compressed baker's yeast (buy from a baker; * sometimes available in refrigerat- _ed food section) *Yye. (125 mL) lukewarm milk 2 large eggs 1 large egg yolk ‘Prepare dough by mounding ~ . ‘flour on’a work surface, Add the ‘sugar and salt. Add pieces of butter, ~ and work mixture together to slight- - ly break: up butter. Soften yeast in - . the lukewarm milk. Break the 2 eggs into centre of mounded mixture, and work with the.flour mixture until homogenous. - Pour softened yeasi-milk mixture into centre of ingredients, and work «with fingers until-a smooth,-elastic - dough is formed. - Gently knead dough on lightly floured surface until! smooth, 2-3 minutes, * Wrap dough i in aclean, dry cloth . and place.in warm location for about 45. minutes, or until doubled * in size. Proceed with instruction for fili- : ; “ing the strudel.» Poppy. Seed. Filling: May be "prepared a day ahead, stored. at room temperature and covered with plastic wrap. 4c. (450 g) ground poppy , seeds (purchase where. dry fruits ; and nuts are sold): : 5 oz. (150 g) raisins ter “Le. (250 mL) milk - 10 oz. (300 g) granulated sugar Grind poppy seeds using a cof- fee grinder. Combine with remain- ing ingredients in a heavy saucepan. _2 Thsp. (30 mL) unsalted but- NEWS photo iko Watetinid AUSTRIAN-BORW executive chef Wolfgang von Wieser enjoys his mother Gerirud2’s beloved . poppy seed strudei during her holiday visit to.North Vancouver from Feldkirch, Austria. : Heat mixture just to a boil, and ’ remove at once from heat. Set aside several hours to cool, and to allow poppy seeds. to swell, Filling must be cooled at room temperature com- pletely before using. To prepare the Strudel for baking: Divide the. dough, which has doubled in size, in half. Roll out into a 10"x12”. (25x30' cm) rectangle each, a generous /8"" (3 mm) thick. - Spread half the cooled filling - evenly over the dough, leaving a one-inch (2.5 cm) border all around.. Take care when spreading thick fill- ing over pastry not to tear dough. Roll. pastry up into a log. Tuck under the ends to seal, pinching” dough slightly. ’ Beat the. remaining cgg yolk. and brush evenly over top and sides of strudel. Place strudel onto a heavy baking sheet lined with a sheet of baking parchment paper. Prick tops of each strudel just through top pastry in several places ‘with tines.of a fork, to allow steam to escape, ; ‘Place in a 400°F (200°C) oven and bake 10 minutes, Reduce heat “10. 375°F (190°C) and continue bak- - ‘ing for about 25 minutes, or until ‘a rich golden brown all over. (If strudels are. browning too quickly, cover tops loosely with a sheet of foil or parchment.) of Remove’ pletely. before ‘slicing and serving. Walnut filling for strudel: Try this alternate filling for strudel. Follow instruction. for dough and baking as in the original Poppy Seed Strudel. Makes enough filling for 2 strudel. 1 tb. (500'g) fresh walnuts, ground to coarse - 1c. (250. mL) milk EXOTIC INGREDIENTS FOR Malaysian, Thai, Indonesian, Indian, Chinese and Szechuan foods plus more. Bring in this ad for a 10% discount on purchases of $5.00 or more. PEPPER POT FOOD & SPICE CO. LTD. Lonsdale Quay Market 986-1877 from oven. Cool com- 8 oz. (250 g) granulated sugar 4 07..(100 g) raisins Combine all ingredients in.a heavy saucepan. Heat mixture just to a boil, and remove from heat. Cool completely before using. May be prepared up to 24 hours ahead of time, stored at room temperature and covered with plastic wrap.” AUSTRIAN APFELSTRUDEL (FRESH APPLE STRUDEL) This recipe, shared by Gertrude von Wieser of Feldkirch, Austria makes 2 strudel. Serve. wann from ~ the oven, dusted generously with confectioner’s sugar. 1% Ibs. (750 g) applies (Golden Delicious or Granny Smith) 5 oz. (150 g) raisins 5-7 oz. (150-200 2). granulated . sugar (depending on sweetness of. apples) A”Atsp. (2 mL) ground cinna- mon Grated rind of 1 lemon . Melted unsalted butter %e. (125 mL) toasted fine breadcrumbs ° |. © Confectioner’s sugar Peel; core and quarter the apples. Slice into very thin’stices, Toss apples with the raisins, sugar (to taste), cinnamon and Jemon ‘rind. Set aside no more than 10 minutes. Preheat oven to.400°F (200°C), © EDGEMONT VILLAGE Corner of Ecgemont Blvd. + Queens "and allow to cool 20-30 minutes. For each strudel, use 4 sheets thawed filo pastry. - For-1] strudel: Place | pastry sheet on work surface; Brush lightly all over with melt--- ed butter. Scatter surface with | Tbsp. (15 mL) crumbs. Repeat with 2 more layers. Top with final sheet, but do not butter or crumb.) |. : Place half the apple. filling along one edge of prepared stack of pastry « _ layers, mounding apples into a thick “Jog” shape-and leaving “a i-inch os aCe 5 cm) border at either edge. ; * Fold borders in to enclose. fill: : ‘ing, and carefully coil the strudel : ' (rolling filied edge first and ending with unfilled pastry)... 3 Place the filled: strudel, seam side down,:on a flat ‘baking: sheet lined with baking parchment paper. Repeat with remaining ingredients - to forin second ‘strudel, Brush tops with melted butter, .. Bake’ 10 minutes ati 400° F (200°C); then reduce heat to 375°F (190°C). Bake strudel about 30 ‘minutes. or so, until a rich golden - brown on-top. Remove from, oven -To serve, dust generously with confectioner’ S sugar. Use a thin- _ bladed very sharp serrated knife to . . slice strudel into 2. inch’ (5 em) slices. Best served warm.