It's Time for Dessert!

I love all things sweet, so this post is right up my alley! In Austria, some kind of dessert is served with every meal. Apricots were in season so many of the desserts we ate included apricots, whether it be a jelly roll type cake with apricot filling or a coffee cake with apricots, all were delicious! Here are some of the more interesting desserts we had while we were there:

Dunstgugelhupf
This was a dense cake that was made in a bundt like pan. The cake was then covered with a chocolate pudding like sauce. This is a true Burgenländishe dessert! (sorry that the picture is a little dark!) We enjoyed this desert with the Peck's in Andau.



Schneenockerl
We had this one night at Martin's and Ilse's. My mother had requested it special. It's like a vanilla pudding with meringue on top.



Assorted Desserts in Bratislava
The one in front is a Sacher Torte; let's just say "chocolate decadence!" The dessert on the right is a cherry poppyseed strudel. The other two were like a cheesecake and another type of chocolate torte.



Cake with Red Currants and Meringue
I don't remember if this one had a special name, but it was delicious. Interesting combination of flavors and textures. The cake was sweet and the berries were tangy, the meringue was delicious!



Balasn
One day, my mom and Ilse made Balasn. My mother remembers her mother making these. Traditionally, these are usually only made on Christmas Eve as these are really a special treat. They are made using the same pastry that one would use to make apple strudel. The dough is cut in circles and folded in half; they are filled with apples and then are fried. They are dusted with powdered sugar before serving them! Delicious!




Trust me, this plate didn't last long!



See the happy faces after enjoying a sweet delicious Balasn!



Raspberry Torte
Another delicious dessert made by Ilse. Ladyfingers, raspberries and some type of pudding like sauce to hold it all together.




Now as I think back, there were other delicious desserts that I didn't take pictures of -- twice we had Burgenländische Kipferln. These are little nut filled cookies. Both times we had them they were really good.

One gift that we received that we will really treasure is a cookbook that was published locally. It only has 14 recipes in it (including the Balasn, Gsottener Strudel, and Salzstangerl - see earlier post), but the best part about the cookbook is that there is a CD. They recorded several different Burgenland women making these authentic dishes. It is so much fun to watch these cute little ladies making these Burgenland treats!

Well, that's it for today. Hope you are staying cool and enjoying your weekend!