Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.

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!

Well, after scaling down the recipes, I was able to make some really good desserts. Don't know if this is for the "novice" home cook, though. Paired a linzertorte with a great glass of Austrian dessert wine (Wenzel Saz, found it at www.winemonger.com) at a party to big cheers.

Caveat Emptor! This looks slick but it just doesn't deliver. It is definitely not for the home chef. One can't help but wonder if the author actually made any of these outside of the resaurant.

Viennese pastry are world reknown, and I was looking forward to a specialized work in the ranks of, say, Gourmet Magazine. You're much better off with Eurodelices, by Bellahsen and Rouche.