Many European recipes call for vanilla sugar. This kind of sugar is available in every supermarket and is as popular as vanilla extract in other countries like the US. Usually, it’s not a problem to substitute vanilla extract for vanilla sugar – in cakes, cookies or custards for instance. But sometimes it’s not possible to replace vanilla sugar. One of this kind is the recipe  for vanilla crescents (Austrian Vanillekipferl). For… continue reading »

I can’t deny it any more: Winter is coming is here! And what else would you desire more on cold days than a steaming hot bowl of homemade soup? Just before suggeling up under a sofa-blanket with a warm soup belly for a movie. The recipe below is one of my regulars: It’s easy to prepare, needs only a handful of ingredients (onion, carrots, potatoes and celery) and is ready in less than… continue reading »

Family recipe for an original Viennese apple strudel from scratch. Learn how to make paper-thin strudel dough and the perfect apple filling! Some clichés are clichés for a reason. This here is certainly one of them. While you think Appel Strudel on a site featuring Viennese food is almost sketchy, you may want to start thinking of why any tourist returning from Vienna talks about this treat. In the end,… continue reading »

So, this is a real Austrian classic. When consumed, it dyes your lips and tongue purple which can make a whole family look like zombies. Believe me, my granny does look really scary after eating stewed elderberries ;-) If you are lucky like me you have an elder bush right in your garden. If not, make it a daytrip out of the city to pick some of these wonderful berries…. continue reading »

I bet you have never tried one of these before. Yep, thought so… Theses little pieces of heaven are made of blueberries and kind of a pancake batter. The whipped egg whites make them really fluffy. Just give this recipe a try, I promise it’s really simple and I promise, it won’t be the only time ;-) In Austria people eat a lot of sweet stuff – even for main course, not only… continue reading »

This is an old family recipe, passed down through generations. In fact, there is no BBQ in my family without this treat, so let me pass this on to you to spread a little Austrian vibe to your picnic or BBQ ;-) Potato Salad without Mayo Austrian potato salad is lighter than American potato salad since it’s made without mayo. It has a vinegar base and is flavored with onions, broth, and mustard…. continue reading »

There is a good chance, I have pancake-batter in my genes. I just love any type of food remotely related to egg-flour-milk batters. French Crêpes, any kind of pancakes, the Austrian Palatschinken, which are a little thicker version of Crêpes, Blueberry Nocken, Apple rings in pancake batter, French Toast …. So in the future you might find a lot of such recipes here in Li’l Vienna. Another dish that combines elderflowers and batter are… continue reading »