Today we're diving into the refined cuisine of Austria — a country where the culinary traditions of the imperial court became a national treasure. We're making iconic dishes that have graced the tables of Viennese cafés and restaurants for centuries.
🥩 Viennese Roast Beef (Wiener Rostbraten)
Juicy pan-seared beef steak in caramelized onion sauce with garlic — the calling card of Viennese bürgerhauses. The meat comes out with a crispy crust outside and tender pink inside, while the onions add deep sweet flavor.
Ingredients:
• Beef tenderloin or sirloin — 600 g (2 steaks, 3 cm thick)
• Yellow onions — 3 large
• Butter — 40 g
• Vegetable oil — 2 tbsp
• Garlic — 4 cloves
• Beef broth — 200 ml
• Flour — 1 tbsp
• Fresh parsley — small bunch
• Salt, black pepper — to taste
Preparation:
Step 1. Pat room-temperature steaks completely dry with paper towels, salt and pepper generously on both sides. Slice onions into half-moons 3-4 mm thick, crush garlic with the flat side of a knife and chop finely.
Step 2. In a heavy skillet over high heat, heat vegetable oil until it barely smokes (about 2 minutes). Place steaks and sear 3-4 minutes per side without moving — the meat should develop a dark brown crust and release easily from the pan. Transfer to a plate.
Step 3. In the same skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add all the onions and cook 12-15 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes, until the onions turn golden brown and soft as jam. The onions should reduce to a third of their volume and develop a caramel aroma.
Step 4. Add garlic to the onions, cook 1 minute until fragrant. Sprinkle with flour, stir and cook another minute. Pour in broth, whisking vigorously to break up lumps. The sauce should thicken to liquid sour cream consistency.
Step 5. Return steaks to the skillet along with any accumulated juices, reduce heat to minimum. Cover and braise 5-7 minutes, flipping steaks halfway through. The meat is done when it springs back when pressed but remains soft (for medium doneness).
Step 6. Transfer steaks to warmed plates, pour onion sauce generously over them. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley. Serve immediately with boiled potatoes or mashed potatoes and pickled cucumbers.
💡 Fact: Authentic Wiener Rostbraten must be made with lots of caramelized onions — Viennese say there should be as much onion by weight as meat. This dish appeared in the 19th century as an affordable alternative to expensive schnitzel.
🍲 Pancake Soup (Frittatensuppe)
Clear beef broth with thin strips of herbed pancakes — an elegant Austrian soup served at the start of formal dinners. The pancake ribbons stay springy in hot broth and add texture.
Ingredients:
For the broth:
• Beef broth (ready-made or homemade) — 1.5 l
• Carrot — 1
• Celery root — 50 g
• Leek — half a stalk
• Bay leaves — 2
• Black peppercorns — 5-6
For the pancakes (Frittaten):
• Eggs — 3
• Milk — 120 ml
• Flour — 80 g
• Fresh parsley — 2 tbsp (finely chopped)
• Nutmeg — pinch
• Salt — ½ tsp
• Butter — for frying
• Scallions — for serving
Preparation:
Step 1. Prepare the pancake batter: in a bowl, whisk eggs with milk until smooth. Sift flour, add salt and nutmeg, gradually whisk into the egg mixture until you get smooth batter without lumps, liquid sour cream consistency. Add parsley, stir. Let the batter rest 15 minutes.
Step 2. Heat a 20-22 cm skillet over medium heat, grease with a thin layer of butter. Pour in a ladleful of batter (about 60 ml), quickly tilting the pan in circles so the batter spreads evenly in a thin layer 2-3 mm thick. Cook 1.5-2 minutes until golden on the bottom.
Step 3. Flip the pancake with a spatula and cook the second side 1 minute until lightly browned. The pancake is ready when it doesn't stick to the spatula and glides easily across the pan. Repeat with remaining batter — you should get 5-6 thin pancakes. Stack on a plate.
Step 4. While the pancakes cool (5 minutes), strain the broth through a sieve or cheesecloth. Cut carrot into thin rounds, celery into small 3 mm cubes, white part of leek into thin rings. Return broth to the pot, add chopped vegetables, bring to a boil and simmer 7-8 minutes over low heat. The broth should be absolutely clear and aromatic.
Step 5. Roll the pancakes into a tight log and slice crosswise with a sharp knife into strips 5-7 mm wide. Fluff the strips with your hands so they don't stick together — you'll get neat ribbons.
Step 6. Distribute the pancake ribbons among warmed deep plates (about a handful per serving). Pour boiling broth with vegetables over them. Sprinkle with finely chopped scallions. Serve immediately while the pancakes retain their springiness.
Step 7. When serving, the broth should be hot enough to steam intensely. The pancake strips swell slightly but remain al dente — not mushy and not too firm.
💡 Fact: Frittatensuppe is a traditional dish for Viennese Sunday dinners. In the classic version, the broth is cooked 3-4 hours from beef bones with marrow bones. The name comes from the Italian 'frittata' (omelet), as Austrian cuisine absorbed many elements from neighboring Italy during the Habsburg Empire.
🍰 Sacher Torte (Sachertorte)
The legendary Viennese chocolate cake with a thin layer of apricot preserve and mirror glaze — Austria's most recognizable dessert. The sponge comes out dense, moist, and intensely chocolatey, with a slight tang from the apricot.
Ingredients:
For the sponge:
• Dark chocolate (70% cocoa) — 150 g
• Butter — 150 g (room temperature)
• Powdered sugar — 120 g
• Egg yolks — 6
• Egg whites — 6
• Sugar — 120 g
• Flour — 140 g
• Cocoa powder — 2 tbsp
• Vanilla extract — 1 tsp
For the filling and glaze:
• Apricot preserve (jam) — 200 g
• Dark chocolate — 200 g
• Butter — 2 tbsp
• Heavy cream (33%) — 100 ml
Preparation:
Step 1. Preheat oven to 170°C. Line a 23 cm pan with parchment, grease with butter and dust with flour. Break chocolate into pieces and melt in a double boiler (bowl over a pot of boiling water, not touching the water) until completely smooth with no grains. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature (5 minutes).
Step 2. Beat soft butter with powdered sugar with a mixer on medium speed for 3-4 minutes until pale and fluffy — the mixture should increase in volume and become creamy. Add yolks one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each. Add melted chocolate and vanilla extract, stir with a spatula until uniform.
Step 3. In a separate clean dry bowl, beat egg whites with a mixer on medium speed to soft peaks (1 minute). Gradually add sugar one tablespoon at a time, continuing to beat. Increase speed to high and beat another 3-4 minutes to stiff glossy peaks — the meringue should hold its shape and not run off the whisk.
Step 4. Sift flour with cocoa. Add a third of the meringue to the chocolate mixture and gently fold with a spatula in bottom-to-top motions to lighten the batter. Add half the flour mixture, fold. Then alternate: remaining meringue, flour, last portion of meringue. Work quickly but gently — the batter should stay airy, without flour streaks.
Step 5. Pour batter into the pan, smooth with a spatula. Bake 50-60 minutes until a wooden skewer in the center comes out dry — the cake should rise and the top should develop a thin crust with slight cracks. Remove, cool in the pan 15 minutes, then invert onto a rack and cool completely (2 hours).
Step 6. Slice the cooled sponge horizontally into two layers with a sharp long knife. Press apricot preserve through a sieve to remove large pieces, heat until fluid. Spread the bottom layer with half the preserve (thin layer 2-3 mm), cover with the top layer. Cover the entire cake with remaining preserve — top and sides. Refrigerate 30 minutes for the preserve to set.
Step 7. Make the glaze: in a saucepan, bring cream to a boil, remove from heat. Add broken chocolate and butter, let sit for a minute, then whisk until absolutely smooth and glossy. Cool to 35-40°C (glaze should slowly drip off a spoon in a thick ribbon).
Step 8. Place the cake on a rack over a baking sheet. Pour glaze in the center of the cake and spread across the top with a spatula, letting it drip down the sides. Work quickly, smoothing in motions from center to edges. Excess glaze from the sheet can be used to touch up the sides. Refrigerate the cake at least 3 hours (better overnight) for the glaze to set.
Step 9. Before serving, remove the cake from the refrigerator 30 minutes ahead. Slice with a thin sharp knife, heating the blade in hot water before each cut — the slices will be perfectly even with mirror glaze. Serve with unsweetened whipped cream.
💡 Fact: The original Sacher torte recipe was created by 16-year-old apprentice confectioner Franz Sacher in 1832 for Prince Metternich. The recipe was kept in strictest secrecy, and in 1963 a lawsuit erupted between Hotel Sacher and Demel confectionery for the right to call themselves creators of the 'original' torte. Hotel Sacher won, and now only their cakes bear the signature chocolate seal.