The light pastry
melted in my mouth. I tasted my first ever Vanillekipferl at a Christmas event
on 9th December.
How I could have missed out on this delicate
pastry for so long?
Moreish is the
word.
You simply cannot stop at one.
The Austrian
Cultural Forum hosted the event in London. They invited pastry chef Johanna
Zimmerer to prepare the classic Austrian recipe. The dough is surprisingly
simple. A light touch is an essential ingredient for success.
A
classic recipe
The Austrians
present reminisced over warm mulled wine. They described the Vanillekipferl
that their grandmothers used to make. The crescent or horseshoe shape is an
essential part of the classic Austrian recipe. Grandmother would not approve
otherwise.
Other
nationalities lay claim to the recipe. Vienna stakes its claim as the true city of origin for
Austria.
According to
legend, Viennese bakers made the first Vanillekipferl to celebrate victory over
the Turks in 1683. The crescent shape is based on the Turkish flag. It is said
that French pâtissiers copied the shape later for croissants.
Recipes
I have discovered
a number of recipes online since that Wednesday evening. The nuts used seem to
vary. Alternatives to almonds are walnuts and hazelnuts. The Austrian National Tourist Office shows the following ingredients in its recipe:
Vanillekipferl
180
g butter
70
g of shelled and ground almonds
50
g sugar
2
eggs yolks
210
g plain flour
Another recipe
showing the preparation stages can be found on Austrian Helene Dsouza’s Masalaherb website. She also offers a recipe for homemade vanilla sugar.
There are also some glutenfree recipes available online.
I am now tempted
to bake some Vanillekipferl this Christmas. I hope your mouth is watering
at the prospect too.
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