I am back!!! I didn’t post anything on the blog for quite a while. In fact, there has never been a break that long. BUT, and there always is a but, I had a good reason for this: We moved back to Europe. Yes, we recently moved from Boston to Vienna. After having spent the past 3.5 years in Cambridge, we now live in our new/old city again. If… continue reading »
Hands down, this is the best iced coffee drink you’ll ever have. It combines ice cream and coffee – do I have to talk it up any further? Well, I don’t think so – but I’ll do so anyways. If you are strolling through the streets of (Li’l) Vienna, you will notice the cute little traditional cafés all over town. I am not talking about chains here. I am talking… continue reading »
Yummmmmm! Growing up half an hour from the city of Linz, I can’t understand why I neglected this traditional Austrian torte for such a long time. Being Austrian, I should be a connoisseur of amazing pastries – especially if we are talking about one of Austria’s signature dishes that is known around the globe. Shame on me! Shame on me even more with Linz being the closest city around until… continue reading »
Growing up as Austrian means growing up with elderflower syrup. Either store-bought or homemade, almost every household has a bottle of elderflower syrup ready to use. Mostly, people are using it to make a non-alcoholic beverage, adding some tap water or seltzer to make it a low-sugar soda. Homemade Elderflower Syrup was last modified: June 13th, 2019 by Ursula
During orange season, I make this blood orange jam pretty often. It is simply a perfect spread for breakfast and brunch and makes a great hostess gift. Being from Austrian, right next to Italy, means growing up with Aperol Spritz and other drinks made of the famous Italian aperitif. The flavors of Aperol and fresh blood orange blend so well that it would almost be a shame not to spread… continue reading »
Today, I am going to share a very special recipe with you. This pastry is called “Himmelsleiter” in German, which translates to “ladder to heaven”. It goes way back, it’s really ancient. This pastry is traditionally baked and eaten around All Saints day on November 1st. So, why is it so special? Well, because it’s kind of a lost treasure. The yeasted pastry with the interesting shape is only known… continue reading »
In Austria, stewed plums are a big deal. No, as weird as it sounds, I am not kidding. I think for the most part this is probably because they are THE accompaniment for Kaiserschmarrn (shredded pancakes). Besides apple strudel, traditional Kaiserschmarrn is one of the most famous and iconic Austrian dishes. If you order it at any Austrian restaurant, you are almost guaranteed that they will come with stewed plums… continue reading »
Nothing lives up more to hot summer days than this summer grain salad. It’s a perfect lunch on hot days as well as it’s a mouthwatering addition to picnics and potlucks. Once the millet is cooked and cooled it’s a matter of minutes to get the bowl ready. Since you will need to use cooled millet, it’s easiest if you cook it the day before, or at least a couple… continue reading »
Elderflowers are by far the most delicious edible flowers, in my opinion. Their smell and taste is simply divine. I love to make homemade elderflower cordial, elderflower Kaiserschmarrn (shredded pancakes) or drinks and cocktails that contain elderflower syrup. One of my favorite recipes had been missing on this blog, until now: Elderflower fritters or “baked elderflowers” – if you would literally translate the German name. Elderflower Fritters – Gebackene Holunderblüten… continue reading »
Around Easter time, braided yeast-loafs are very popular among Austrians. Well, not only around this time of the year, but especially. It’s an Easter tradition. People either bake the Oster-Striezel (= Easter-Braid) at home or buy it in one of the many bakeries. Usually, the loaves contain raisins (I prefer golden, by the way) and are deliciously soft and fluffy. I made a couple of these brioche-braids recently and found them… continue reading »
This cake is super-moist and ohhhhh soooo delicious, and ready in no time. I am particularly proud of this recipe since I developed it from scratch without having any other recipe as basis to work from. And do you know what? It worked so perfectly that I did’t need to change the recipe at all after the first try. I posted it on my German blog Taste of Travel a… continue reading »
These soft and fluffy Austrian-style donuts are eaten year round but are particularly popular during carnival season (“Fasching”) and on Fat Tuesday. Fat Tuesday (or Mardi Gras) is called “Faschingsdienstag” in Austria and is the peak of carnival, reflecting the practice of the last day of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting starts on Ash Wednesday. And even though, most people don’t fast any more, they do enjoy… continue reading »