Austrian
Strudel Magic on the Viking Vilhjalm
By FBWorld Team
The
art of strudel making takes on a new dimension when Executive
Chef Roman Paput takes Viking guests on a trip to the Budapest
market to buy ingredients for his unique strudel making class.
Guest enjoyed perusing the market with the chef for fresh ingredients
to include in the cooking lesson, and participated in the demonstration
planned and implemented that afternoon for the entire ships
enjoyment in the Vilhjalm lounge.
In
the afternoon two guests joined Chef Paput and his sous chef
for the scheduled cooking lesson, where a table filled with
all the necessary ingredients was set up in advance for audience
viewing in the Viking Vilhjalm Lounge, and a crowd of guests
congregated to watch and learn the secrets of making authentic
apple strudel.
Chef Paput & Bonnie Carroll
Apple
strudel is considered to be the national dish of Austria along
with Wiener Schnitzel and Tafelspitz. The oldest known strudel
recipe is from 1697, a handwritten recipe housed at the City
of Vienna Library. As a type of sweet or savoury layered pastry
with a filling inside, the strudel gained popularity in the
18th century through the Hapsburg Empire (1278-1780).
Austrian
cuisine was formed and influenced by the cuisines of many different
peoples over many centuries of the Austrian Hapsburg Empire's
expansion. Strudel is related to the Ottoman Empire's pastry
baklava, which came to Austria from Turkey via Hungarian cuisine.
Strudel is most often associated with Austrian cuisine, but
is also a traditional pastry in the whole area formerly belonging
to the Austro-Hungarian empire.
Viking
Apple Strudel Dessert
Chef
Roman Paput has been working for Viking River Cruises for many
years, and learned to cook from his family members as a boy.
He worked in hotel restaurants while studying and developing
his craft, and said he enjoys very much his time working for
Viking as an Executive Chef, and appreciates the wonderful staff
working with him in the galley.
At
dinner that evening the gorgeous strudel was served as our dessert,
following an authentic Austrian dinner of Wiener Schnitzel and
Tapelspitz, that was indeed worth waiting for. The apples were
tender in the rich custard sauce and the strudel was perfectly
crisp and sweet. Two of the ladies who had accompanied the chef
on the strudel shopping jaunt to the market earlier that morning
stopped to give him a kiss and thank him for including them
in this fun and educational Viking cooking adventure.
Chef Roman Paput & Sous Chef Prepare Table of Ingredients
Little
shopping jaunts to local markets in preparation for Chef cooking
lessons are fairly common on the Viking ships, but this one
was especially appreciated by everyone on the Vilhjalm because
who in the world does not like Viennese apple strudel? When
booking your next trip with Viking you should inquire if they
will be offering one of these culinary adventures. I hope to
be duplicating, or trying to duplicate Chef Paput's recipe for
my friends and family in Santa Barbara, and some of the other
guests I spoke with expressed their enthusiasm about doing the
same.
A
video of this cooking demonstration created by Bonnie Carroll's
Life Bites News can be found in Bonnie Carroll's Life Bites
News (July Issue) or can be viewed on You Tube, along with a
personal interview with the Chef that was done by Bonnie Carroll
while the ship was cruising through the Wachau Valley. Perhaps
these videos may provide some home enjoyment for you and your
friends. Below you will find the recipe for Chef Paput's Viking
Apple Strudel. Guten Appetit!
Viking
Easy Apple Strudel
Making strudel dough from scratch is notoriously difficult and
time consuming. Here, the chef has simplified the recipe using
puff pastry so you can easily create a similar treat at home.
The filling is still very traditional, and will bring back memories
of cosmopolitan Vienna and sophisticated coffeehouses. Close
your eyes and you may even hear a lilting Strauss waltz.
Viking
Easy Apple Strudel
Prep
Time: 18 minutes.
Cook Time: 30 minutes.
Makes: 12 servings.
Ingredients:
1 sheet (1/2 box) frozen puff pastry, thawed
Flour for dusting
1/2 cup (96 g) sugar
1/4 cup (30 g) walnuts, finely chopped
1/3 cup (55 g) raisins
1/2 tspn. (1.5 g) lemon zest
1 tspn. (2 g) cinnamon
3 cup (1/2 kg) chopped peeled Pippin apples (approx. 2-3 apples)
2 tbls. (29 g) butter, melted
1 tbls. (2 g) breadcrumbs
Procedures:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Lay
puff pastry on a clean, floured kitchen towel. Lightly dust
with flour. Roll very thin, to 14 x 17 inches (35 x 45 cm),
gently sealing any tears with your fingers; set aside.
2.
In a bowl, combine sugar, walnuts, raisins, lemon zest and cinnamon.
Add apples, toss gently to mix.
3.
Lightly brush dough with most of melted butter; sprinkle with
breadcrumbs; add apple mixture down center of dough leaving
a 1-inch (2-cm) margin. Fold in 1 inch (2 cm) along 2 short
and 1 long side of dough; moisten edges lightly with water,
and roll dough toward unfolded long edge, using towel to assist
as needed and enclosing filling. Press gently to seal. Using
towel as a sling, transfer strudel seam-side down to a cookie
sheet, brush lightly with remaining butter.
4.
Prick top with a fork and bake 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Let cool 10 minutes before slicing crosswise into 12 pieces.
Serving
Suggestion
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or custard sauce.
For
additional information visit: MyVikingJourney.com
By Bonnie Carroll
About Bonnie Carroll
Bonnie Carroll has been a food/travel/lifestyle writer since
1983. She is the founder & publisher of Bonnie Carroll's
Life Bites News - www.lifebitesnews.com,
does travel and food reporting on KZSB1290 radio, and contributes
to a variety of national and international travel/lifestyle
publications. Her first children's book C.C. Charles was published
in 2002 and she is currently working on a second book. Contact
her at Contact her at writebc@aol.com.