The Classic Art of Viennese Pastry: From Strudel to Sachertorte More Than 100 Traditional Recipes [Hardcover]

Christine Berl (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1997

The definitive guide on professional Viennese pastry production ever written in the English language. Many of the secrets and traditional recipes revealed in this book have never before been translated or published. Berl imparts an understanding of how each delectable Viennese pastry can be successfully executed--placing this hallowed old craft with the reach of every professional and avid home pastry chef today. 8-page color insert, 35 illus Pub: 9/97.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

This is the first definitive guide on professional Viennese pastry production every written in the English language. Christine Berl intertwines generations of authentic Viennese pastry traditions handed down in her family, with her own years of contemporary professional pastry making. Includes detailed explanations of foundational techniques and recipes; names of recipes and other key terminology in English and the original Viennese dialect; and health-conscious recipes without flour, butte, or both. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From the Inside Flap

The Classic Art of Viennese Pastry Christine Berl The Classic Art of Viennese Pastry is the first comprehensive book written in English on the world-famous desserts of Vienna. This collection of elegant, sensual, and time honored recipes has been carefully interpreted for today’s pastry chefs and their discerning clientele. Second generation Viennese pastry chef, Christine Berl, has resurrected the authentic methods for creating opulent Sacher Tortes, refreshing Plum Cakes with Crumb Topping, and sumptuous Chestnut and Whipped Cream Tortes which contribute a sense of refinement to any dining room. Characterized by their lightness and simplicity, Viennese pastries are known to be among the best in the world. From the famous Tortes and Kuchen to the more unfamiliar Schnitten and Germspeisen, this class of pastry is defined by the great breadth of delicate and delicious doughs and batters. In the technique chapter, Christine expertly guides you through the steps for making short dough, yeast dough, strudel dough, pound cake batter, omelette batter, deep fried batter, and sponge cake batter. Once the skills for these basics are mastered, pastry chefs can easily add delicious Viennese specialties like Chocolate Nut Torte, Lemon Strudel, Strawberry Bowls, and Fine Pot Cheese Cake to their repertoire. What makes this book indispensable to pastry chefs is not just the detailed fool-proof techniques but additional information not commonly covered. The most difficult concepts are accompanied by fine hand-drawn line illustrations which deliver added clarity and greatly speed up the learning process. A beautifully presented eight-page full-color insert helps to visualize the artistic possibilities of Viennese pastries. Little known tidbits like the recipes for real Viennese meringues and icings, and descriptions of special primary ingredients are given to assure the most accurate results. Written with today’s pastry chefs and their customers in mind, Christine Berl has taken into consideration issues such as cost control, product consistency, and severe time constraints. The name of each dessert is given in the original Viennese dialect along with its English translation, and detailed explanations of when and how each dessert should be presented are discussed. Also a great resource for non food professionals wishing to make the great desserts of Vienna, The Classic Art of Viennese Pastry gives the most popular recipes scaled down to smaller yields, and vintage black and white photographs of Viennese cafes and pastries are scattered throughout the book, adding delightful insights into the customs and culture of Vienna. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 277 pages
• Publisher: Van Nostrand Reinhold (November 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0442023022
• ISBN-13: 978-0442023027
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 7.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #659,709 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, original recipes, clear instructions, June 9, 2006

By 

Voracious cook with busy professional life (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Classic Art of Viennese Pastry: From Strudel to Sachertorte--More Than 100 (Hardcover)

I borrowed this book from a university library and wound up ordering it online. It is true that the majority of the recipes provide instructions for making 8 cakes at a time. However, 10 recipes have a small-yield option. Even when this option is not included, for the most part, it is not difficult to divide amount of every ingredient by 8: After all, there are 16 ounces in a pound, which is 8 times 2. If there are 64 or 56 eggs or 24 egg whites in instructions for 8 cakes, it is also rather easy to divide these numbers by 8. Calculus never exactly liked me, but I did all divisions and wrote notes in the recipe sections of my copy of the book. As long as a cook is not arithmetically challenged, she or he can use this book.

This is not a book for a coffee-table; this is an excellent source for serious bakers. Also, as any cookbook on Viennese baking, it provides recipes for many flour-free goodies. The author also lists in the beginning desserts without flour, desserts without butter, and desserts without flour and butter recipes for which are in the book.

With regard to the originality of recipes and quality of recipes and instructions, it is one of the best books on baking on the market. If you like Rick Rodger's "Kaffeehaus," you are going to love this book as well, except that "Kaffeehaus" is beautifully published and makes a very good gift. Berl's book contains a few colored photographs of finished products and a few black and white photographs of buildings in Vienna, but not a lot. Instructions and very helpful drawings on making a strudel are definitely better in Christine Berl's book. Recipes for several yeast dough strudels which are present here are not provided in "Kaffeehaus," for example the poppy seed strudel, which is made with yeast dough. I made it exactly according to Berl's instructions, and result exceeded expectations. Tyrolean strudel, also made with yeast dough, is spectacular. Several grande occasion cakes are quite original, taste delicious, and their presentation is really special. The Habsburg Torte consists of four layers made from two different sponge batters (one - made with hazelnuts and bread crumbs, the other - with almonds and bread crumbs)and two cream fillings, one chocolate and one pistachio. Is this rich cake worth the sin! I have never seen before the recipes for Taylor's Torte (almonds-based batter, chocolate cream filling with hazelnuts and walnuts), House of Cards Torte (a great combination of chocolate, nuts and candied peels and spices, creates an unbelievable aftertaste), Carmelite Torte (uses dried dates and figs and fresh champagne grapes), King's Torte (uses pine nuts), Moss Torte (does it look spectacular! tastes great, too). The author also provides a very good recipe for Orange Torte (virtually unknown in the US) which is quite easy on the eye, three different recipes for Linzer torte, two recipes for Sacher (one - with rum).

Also, I never before saw recipes for milk batter and wine batter which are used for deep-frying. I have encountered the beer batter recipe before, but I believe that Berl's is better. However, a number of recipes present in "Kaffeehaus" are not available here, for example, colaches, so those two books complement each other nicely.

I recommend this book to any passionate and loving experimentation home baker. Professionals who live and work in culturally-diverse or cosmopolitan areas, with their spoiled by broad choices clientele, might use this book to their competitive advantage. After all, the author's mother was a successful caterer in NYC.

I highly recommend this book.

41 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting... If you run a restaurant or pastry shop, September 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Classic Art of Viennese Pastry: From Strudel to Sachertorte--More Than 100 (Hardcover)

This book has a compelling premise: capturing family recipes for the best of Viennese pastry. The big disappointment, however, is that the recipes are all scaled for foodservice portions, without reference for reducing them to domestic applications. While I'd love to try an authentic linzertorte, I don't have need most days to make 8 cakes worth. I wouldn't recommend the book unless you run a restaurant, pastry shop or other large volume business, or you're interested enough in the topic to justify reading it as an academic learning experience, without practical application. I sent it back - I wish I had known the target reader group was not the home baker.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, April 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Classic Art of Viennese Pastry: From Strudel to Sachertorte--More Than 100 (Hardcover)

A great primer on the true art of Viennese pastry. The formulas are easy to scale, although scaled versions would have been helpful. I have tried many of them with great sucess!