Whatever gripes I had with Vienna, I truly believed that in terms of baked goods it ruled the world. If I was going to take on the task of becoming a pastry expert (I had such exaggerated visions for myself once) I should learn from books that tracked the greats and the greats were all in Vienna.
And so I begin the process of teaching myself to bake.
I really truly (my family will verify this) started with Sachertorte. Dense chocolate, a layer of apricot preserves, all topped with a dark glaze – what could be more satisfying? I can follow instructions. I can grate, melt, mix, temper. I can do this. I can do anything!
The Sachertorte is the only cake I ever completely botched (my family will verify this as well). Blame it on inexperience, blame it on excessive bravado, blame it on the chocolate – I did – but the fact is, that first Sacher of mine was putrid. Dry, too dry, way way way too dry.
So what is the first thing I do when I arrive in Vienna? (Besides breathe great sighs of relief as I almost missed my connecting flight. Almost. I run fast across airports. It helps.)
Of course I get a slice of the original, the one deemed by the Austrian court in 1965 to be the only true Sachertorte, as presented at the Café Sacher.
It was also my first shot of Austrian coffee. There I have to play around a little. Because if I continue in this vein, I will truly need to develop a habit of chomping sausages after my afternoon pastry hits. Too much sweetness! The superb whipped cream, mounded on both cake and coffee truly causes your sweet tooth to collapse under the weight of it all.
So, there are other foods to admire, other pastries that will most certainly appear here on Ocean, but this post is devoted to the king of tortes, the Sachertorte. My introduction to Vienna today, to baking many decades ago.
perfect. not a thing wrong with it.
when people see me taking photos, inevitably they ask: do you want one with you in it? This one was taken by an old, beautifully dressed Viennese woman. Obviously she has a steady hand.
why stop at one Sachertorte when you can order...four more.
Oh, sacher torte! The combination of dark chocolate and apricots can not be improved upon. That said, I've had way too many Saharan sacher tortes, and at places that should've been embarrassed to serve them. Maybe that's why I've never attempted one myself, although I think at this point I could manage it without disaster, having made successful flourless chocolate cakes. How much more difficult could it be? Ganache is a snap, too. Mmmmmm.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, it would be a lot easier to find a great cafe to order some in! I hope your stay in Vienna continues as pleasantly as it has begun.
wow! food pics here, Ethan stories over at the Tonya Show. A truly excellent blog day, in my estimation!
ReplyDeleteAs I'm embarking on the great bake-off this weekend and next (practice run this weekend) I'm happy to hear of your failure. I know you've recovered, I've eaten your pastries and they're delicious. So, here's hoping I can recover just as quickly!
I've never had one of those Sachertorte thingys. Maybe I can persuade to try to bake one for me when you return. I'll bring the whipped cream.
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