Recipes: Mushroom Strudel & Sacher Torte
Wild Mushroom Strudel
1 oz DRIED MORELS OR OTHER WILD MUSHROOMS
10 Tbsp UNSALTED BUTTER, divided
2 LEEKS, finely chopped, white and pale green parts only
SEA SALT to taste
2 cloves GARLIC, minced
1 lb SHIITAKES, stemmed and diced small
1 Tbsp TAMARI or SOY SAUCE
1 Tbsp chopped FRESH THYME
½ cup SOUR CREAM
2 cups GRATED GRUYERE
1 Tbsp PANKO or FINE DRY BREAD CRUMBS
1 Tbsp finely chopped PECANS
Pinch CAYENNE
8 sheets FILO DOUGH
Place the dried mushrooms in a bowl and pour boiling water over. Let stand until softened, about 10 minutes. Lift the mushrooms out of the water into a sieve and rinse well. Squeeze dry. Chop and set aside.
Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a very large saute pan over medium heat. Add the leeks and a sprinkling of sea salt and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chopped wild mushrooms and shiitakes and cook, stirring often, until very soft, about 15 minutes. Stir in the tamari and cook until all the liquid is evaporated. Add the thyme and mix well. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
Heat the oven to 350°. Melt the remaining butter and set aside. Stir the sour cream and cheese into the mushroom mixture, mixing well. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Combine the bread crumbs, pecans and cayenne and set aside. Brush a 10- by 15-inch baking sheet with butter.
Lay wax paper on a work surface and brush with melted butter. Spread out 1 sheet of filo dough and brush lightly with butter. (Cover the remaining filo sheets with a damp towel to keep them from drying out.) Repeat with 3 more filo sheets. Sprinkle evenly with the bread crumb mixture. Repeat with the remaining filo sheets.
Mound the mushroom mixture along the bottom third of the long end of the filo. Fold the short edges in and carefully fold over to enclose the filling completely.
Carefully transfer the strudel to the prepared pan. Brush with the remaining butter. Bake until browned and crisp, about 40 to 50 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before slicing with a serrated knife to serve. 6 Servings.
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Sacher Torte
This is the only authentic recipe for Sacher torte. Sometime in the 1830s, Emperor Franz Josef, of the Austro-Hungarian empire, asked his pastry chef, Eduard Sacher, to create a less filling cake than the whipped cream-filled ones then in vogue. At the time, Mr. Sacher was working at Demers pastry shop in Vienna, where he created for the emperor the jam-filled cake we know today as Sacher torte. Today, only Demel's and the Sacher Hotel in Vienna are allowed, by law, to inscribe the name Sacher on their cakes. The only change I have made is to substitute unsweetened chocolate so that the glaze is less cloying. Serves 12
7 Tbsp (3.5 oz) UNSALTED BUTTER, softened
Scant ½ cup (2 oz) CONFECTIONERS' SUGAR, sifted
6 LARGE EGGS, separated
3.5 oz BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE, melted and cooled
Pinch of SALT
7 Tbsp (3.5 oz) SUPERFINE SUGAR
¾ cup + 1 Tbsp (3.5 oz) CAKE FLOUR
¼ cup GRANULATED SUGAR
3 Tbsp DARK RUM
1 cup (12 oz jar) APRICOT PRESERVES
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp (8.75 ounces) GRANULATED SUGAR
7 oz UNSWEETENED CHOCOLATE, finely chopped
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350º F. Butter a 9 x 2.5" springform pan and line bottom with a parchment paper circle.
With an electric mixer on low speed, beat the butter for 1 minute, or until light. Add the confectioners' sugar and beat for 2 minutes longer.
Add the egg yolks two at a time, beating for 10 seconds between additions, or until absorbed by the butter. Scrape down the beaters and sides of the bowl and beat for 1 minute longer, or until smooth. Add the melted chocolate and mix until combined.
Whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form soft peaks. With the machine running, add the superfine sugar, about 2 tablespoons at a time, and beat until the egg whites are stiff and glossy. With a rubber spatula, fold ½ the egg whites into the batter. Transfer the flour to a strainer and sift it over the batter as you fold it in along with the remaining beaten egg whites.
Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan, smooth the top, and set the pan on a larger baking sheet (to catch the drips). Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out dry.
Cool the cake to room temperature in the pan on a wire rack. Run a knife around the cake to loosen it from the sides, then unlock the springform and lift the cake out of the ring.
Turn the cooled cake upside down onto a cardboard round cut slightly smaller than the diameter of the cake. Remove the metal base and peel off the paper. With a serrated knife, split the cake horizontally in two and set aside the top layer.
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar with ¼ cup water and bring to a boil, stirring. Remove from the heat and add 2 tablespoons rum.
Puree the apricot preserves with 1 tablespoon of water and strain out the chunks by passing the puree through a small sieve. Transfer preserves to a small saucepan and bring them to a boil over low heat, stirring. Boil for 2 minutes, or until thickened, then remove from the heat and add the remaining tablespoon of rum.
With a pastry brush, soak the cake layer on the cardboard with ½ the sugar syrup (be generous or the cake will be dry). Spread 1/3 of the warm apricot preserves over the syrup and top it with the second cake layer. Brush the second layer with the remaining sugar syrup and brush the top and sides with the remaining apricot preserves. Set cake on a cooling rack set over waxed paper to catch the drips.
Bring the sugar and ½ cup water to a boil in a small saucepan and cook until a candy thermometer registers 220º F. Add the chocolate, stir, and cook until a candy thermometer registers 230º F (the "thread" stage). Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir until smooth.
Pour the hot glaze back and forth over the top and sides of the cake. Be generous as you pour so that the sides get covered, because the glaze can't be moved once it is on the cake. If there are any unglazed patches on the sides of the cake, use a small offset spatula to patch the nude spots with more glaze. Let cake stand for 1 hour before transferring it to a plate.
Keep at room temperature, under a cake dome. Refrigerate only after a couple of days, bring the cake back to room temp before serving.
Note: If you are so inclined, write the name Sacher on top of the cake with piping chocolate. Or cover the top with crystallized flowers.
(I just bought one of these. A little beyond my skill set and WAY too much work even for an 80 year-old mother's birthday)
