Wiener Schnitzel

 

Below is an article about the dish known as Wiener Schnitzel:

WIENER SCHNITZEL

For years, I have been a fan of the American dish known as Chicken Fried Steak. Recently, I discovered that the latter was a deviation of the earlier dish, Wiener Schnitzel. Unlike the Chicken Fried Steak, Wiener Schnitzel originated in Europe and the schnitzel or thin sliced meat consists of veal, instead of beefsteak.

Many people believe the dish had originated in Austria or Germany. To my surprise, I discovered that the dish may have originated in Italy - Ancient Rome, to be exact. Food historians discovered a recipe for a dish consisting of tenderized meat coated with breadcrumbs in the famous cookbook, Apicius, which dates back to the 5th century. Naturally, the Romans brought this dish north to the Germanic countries during their many war campaigns.

By the Middle Ages, veal became a popular choice of meat in Northern Italy and Austria. Wiener Schnitzel and its Italian counterpart, Cotoletta Milanese, involved two Hapsburg domains in a culinary quarrel. Both branches of the Hapsburg family - Austrian and Italian - claimed credit for the invention of the dish. The Italian branch traced its claim all the way back to a banquet given in 1134 for the canon of Milan's St. Ambrogio Cathedral. The name Wiener Schnitzel was first mentioned in a cookbook from 1831. In the popular southern German cookbook by Katharina Prato, it was mentioned as eingebröselte Kalbsschnitzchen (roughly, "breaded veal cutlets").

The dish is prepared from veal slices that are butterfly cut in 4 mm (3⁄16 in) in thickness and lightly pounded flat. The cutlets are then slightly salted before rolled in flour, whipped eggs, and bread crumbs. The bread crumbs must not be pressed into the meat, so that they stay dry and can be "souffléd". Finally the Schnitzel is fried in a good proportion of lard or clarified butter at a temperature of 160–170 °C (320–340 °F) until it is golden yellow. The Schnitzel must swim in the fat, otherwise it will not cook evenly, because he fat cools too much and intrudes into the bread crumbs, moistening them. During the frying, the Schnitzel is repeatedly slightly tossed around the pan. Also during the frying, the fat can be scooped from the pan with a spoon and poured onto the meat. The Schnitzel is cooked after it turns golden yellow or brown.

Wiener Schnitzel is traditionally served in Austria with Butterhead Lettuce tossed with a sweetened vinaigrette dressing. Optional side dishes include chopped chives, chopped onions, potato salad, cucumber salad, or parsley potatoes. In earlier days, the garnish for the Wiener Schnitzel consisted of capers and anchovies. Nowadays, a lemon slice and parsley are more commonly used as a garnish.

Below is a recipe for "Wiener Schnitzel" from The Spruce Eats website:


Wiener Schnitzel

Ingredients

*4 (5-ounce) veal cutlets (or chicken or pork cutlets)
*1/4 cup all-purpose (or brown rice flour)
*1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
*2 large eggs, well beaten
*1/2 cup breadcrumbs
*Oil or lard, for frying
*4 slices lemon, garnish


Preparations

1. Gather the ingredients.

2. Place the cutlets between sheets of plastic wrap, and use a heavy, flat-surfaced pan, rolling pin or meat mallet to pound the meat evenly to 1/4-inch thickness.

3. To bread the schnitzels, set up 3 shallow dishes: Mix the flour and salt in the first dish, the beaten eggs in the second dish, and the breadcrumbs in the third dish.

4. In a large skillet, heat at least 1/4-inch of oil to 350 F. This takes about 8 minutes and the oil will just start to shimmer and smoke a bit.

5. Working one at a time, dredge cutlets first in flour until the surface is completely dry.

6. Dip in egg to coat, allow the excess to drip off for a few seconds.

7. Then roll quickly in the breadcrumbs until coated. Do not press the breadcrumbs into the meat, as this will moisten them and not make for a crispy coating. The crust should not adhere completely but form a loose shell around the schnitzel.

Immediately place meat in the pan with the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan. Cook the schnitzel in batches, if necessary. Fry the schnitzel for 2 to 3 minutes on one side, until golden brown. Make sure the breaded meat “swims” in fat. Contrary to instinct, the breading will take on less oil than if the meat is sticking to the pan. Also, the breadcrumb topping has a chance to puff up a little, and your cleanup is easier. You may want to swish them around a little with your fork to make sure they are not sticking to the pan.

Turn them over once and fry an additional 2 to 3 minutes or until both sides are golden brown and the meat registers an internal temperature of 145 F. Remove from pan and allow the oil to drain off. Serve in the traditional manner with lemon slices.


Tips

*As with many simple recipes, the quality of the ingredients is what will make or break your experience. Buy the best quality meat and ingredients that you can afford.

*Even if you can buy or cut a very thin cutlet, it's important to pound your meat before breading. In addition to making meat thinner, pounding meat also tenderizes it.

*Avoid old oil or less-than-perfect meat and watch your schnitzel carefully to avoid burning.

*While Wiener schnitzel is a dish best eaten right after cooking, many people enjoy turning leftover cutlets into a sandwich. Once cool to room temperature, refrigerate the schnitzel in an airtight container; reheat gently and eat it within three days.

"THE PRISONER OF ZENDA" (1952) Review

 

"THE PRISONER OF ZENDA" (1952) Review

Back in the early 1950s, the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Studios had purchased the screen rights to "The Prisoner of Zenda", Anthony Hope's 1894 novel. Only the studio had purchased these rights from producer David O. Selznick, who had produced his own adaptation of the film back in 1937. This new adaptation proved to be very surprising not only to moviegoers familiar with the 1937 version, but to film critics as well.

Let me start from the beginning. Anyone familiar with Hope's novel would know that "THE PRISONER OF ZENDA" began with the arrival of a high-born Englishman named Rudolf Rassendyll to the kingdom of Ruritania in time for the coronation of its new king, Rudolf V. The English visitor's looks attract a great deal of attention from some of the country's populace and eventually from the new king and the latter's two aides. The reason behind this attention is due to the fact that not only were the Briton and the Ruritanian monarch distant cousins, but also look-alikes. They could easily pass for twins. King Rudolf invites Rassendyll to the royal hunting lodge for dinner with him and his aides - Colonel Sapt and Captain Fritz von Tarlenheim. They celebrate this new acquaintance by drinking late into the night. Rudolf is particularly delighted with the bottle of wine sent to him by his half-brother, Duke Michael, and drinks it all himself. The next morning brings disastrous discoveries - the wine had been drugged, and King Rudolf cannot be awakened in time to attend his coronation. Fearing that Duke Michael will try to usurp the throne, Colonel Zapt convinces a reluctant Rassendyll to impersonate Rudolf for the ceremony.

"THE PRISONER OF ZENDA" had a lot going for it. I can only assume that MGM had decided to make the film in order to cash in on the popularity of Queen Elizabeth II's ascension to the throne in 1952. Director Richard Thorpe shot the film in Technicolor. And the cast featured first-rate performers like Deborah Kerr, Louis Calhern, James Mason, Jane Greer, Robert Douglas, Robert Coote and leading man Stewart Granger. In fact, MGM had specifically acquired the film rights as a project for Granger, following his success with the Oscar nominated "KING SOLOMON'S MINES". "THE PRISONER OF ZENDA" proved to be a big hit for MGM. But there is one aspect of the movie that I find mind boggling . . . producer Pandro S. Berman or perhaps studio chief Dore Schary had decided to shoot the film almost identical to the 1937 version. I kid you not.

My question is why? Why did the studio suits had decided to do a scene-by-scene remake of David Selznick's 1937 adaptation. For what reason? "THE PRISONER OF ZENDA" had so much going for it. Why did MGM decided to take this unoriginal route? Granted, this decision did not harm the movie's prospects at the box office. But surely the MGM suits must have realized that someone would recognize the production's lack of originality? Because of this, "THE PRISONER OF ZENDA" shared not only the 1937 movie's virtues, but also some of its flaws.

The 1952 adaptation featured great production values. With the contribution of a first-rate crew, Dave Friedman did an excellent job serving as the film's production designer and re-creating the opulence of any Central European royal palace, castle or lodging. MGM's legendary art director Cedric Gibbons, along with Hans Peters had created some sumptuous sets the conveyed the movie's setting. Richard Pefferle and Edwin B. Willis' set decorations aptly supported their efforts. Another Hollywood legend, Walter Plunkett, served as the movie's costume designer. Although Plunkett's creations were not an exact replica of mid-1890s Central European fashion, I thought he managed to create some beautiful costumes. I found myself slightly put off at the sight of Jane Greer wearing a pair of early 1950s shoes, despite the lovely costume she wore. The movie also featured what I believe where the 1937 movie's main flaws - namely the uneven balance of drama and action, along with the annoying dialogue that punctuated the major sword fight in the film's climatic action scene.

The cast for "THE PRISONER OF ZENDA" had provided some first-rate performances. Supporting players like Robert Coote, Kathleen Freeman, Peter Brocco, Francis Pierlot and Lewis Stone. The latter's performance as the Cardinal proved to be his second to last. Stone had also appeared in the 1922 silent adaptation of Hope's novel in the starring role. Jane Greer was very effective as Duke Michael of Strelsau's mysterious, yet passionate mistress, Antoinette de Mauban. Robert Douglas proved to be sufficiently villainous as Duke Michael, the half-brother whose resentment of King Rudolf set the whole story in motion. Deborah Kerr gave a lovely performance as the King's lovelorn and emotional cousin and betrothal, Princess Flavia. I thought Louis Calhern gave one of the film's best performance as the loyal, yet tough-minded Colonel Zapt. James Mason gave a very witty and menacing performance as Duke Michael's ruthless right-hand man, Rupert of Hentzau. However, I do have one issue regarding Mason. I thought he was slightly too old for the role at age 42-43. But the movie's star proved to be Stewart Granger, whom I believe was superb in the duel role of the charming and heroic Rudolf Rassendyll and the slightly dissolute King Rudolf V.

This brings me back to my original thought about the movie's remake of the 1937 adaptation. The production had everything right. It had an excellent cast led by an actor who seemed more suited for this story - at least to me - than the leading actor from the 1930s adaptation. Director Richard Thorpe shot the movie in Technicolor, something that producer David O. Selznick should have done back in 1937. "THE PRISONER OF ZENDA" also featured excellent production values that included beautiful costumes by the legendary Walter Plunkett. So . . . WHY? Why do a shot-by-shot remake of the 1937 film? Not only did the film feature the same or similar shots from the previous adaptation, it also featured a screenplay that proved to be word-for-word identical to the 1937 adaptation. Why did Dore Schary and Pandro S. Berman make such an unoriginal decision? In doing so, both men had exposed the film to potential disdain from film critics - past, present and future.

I would say that Schary and Berman's decision to make "THE PRISONER OF ZENDA" an exact replica of the 1937 version was a major mistake. On an artistic level, I believe it was. But the movie managed to be a hit back in 1952. And if I must be honest, thanks to Richard Hope's direction and the performances led the talented Stewart Granger, I managed to enjoy it in the end . . . despite itself.

"THE PRISONER OF ZENDA" (1952) Photo Gallery

 

Below are images from "THE PRISONER OF ZENDA", the 1952 adaptation of Anthony Hope's 1894 novel. Directed by Richard Thorpe, the movie starred Stewart Granger:

"THE PRISONER OF ZENDA" (1952) Photo Gallery

Dobos Torte

 

Below is an article about the dessert known as the Dobos Torte:




DOBOS TORTE

Several years ago, I had written a small article about the famous New Orleans dessert known as Doberge Cake. In my article, I had pointed out that the cake was a deviation of the Hungarian dessert, Dobos Torte. Below is my article on the latter.

The Dobos Torte is a Hungarian sponge cake layered with chocolate buttercream and topped with caramel. The layered cake or torte was named after its inventor, Hungarian chef József C. Dobos, who was a delicatessen owner in Budapest, Hungary. Tortes are commonly baked in a springform pan. A torte is a rich, usually multilayered, cake filled with whipped cream, buttercreams, mousses, jams, or fruit. The sponge cake serves as a common base, but a torte's cake layers may instead be made with little to no flour, using ingredients such as ground nuts or breadcrumbs.

Sometime during the late 1800s, Dobos had decided to create a cake that would last longer than other pastries in an age when cooling techniques were limited. Dobos coated the round sides of the torte with ground hazelnuts, chestnuts, walnuts, or almonds, and the hardened caramel top helps to prevent drying out, for a longer shelf life. His use of fine chocolate buttercream was very little known at the time, because cake fillings and frostings were usually made with cooked pastry cream or whipped cream. Dobos had discovered buttercream, while traveling in France. But he invented the cake's batter. Dobos also added cocoa butter into the buttercream for extra smoothness.

Dobos first introduced his torte at the National General Exhibition of Budapest in 1885. Both Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elisabeth were among the first to taste the dessert. The latter soon became popular throughout Europe, for both its durability through shipping and for its unique appearance. With its flat, shiny, caramel glazed top, the Dobos Torte proved to be a simple but elegant dessert, as opposed to the more intricate cakes of the age. During Dobos' lifetime, the torte was often imitated, but never reproduced. Dobos traveled to other countries in Europe to introduce his cake, and soon began exporting the product in specially designed wooden boxes. Near the end of his career in 1906, Dobos donated his recipe to the Pastry and Honey-Makers' Guild.

Below is a recipe for the Dobos Torte from the Spruceeats.com website:


Dobos Torte

Ingredients:

Cake
*1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
*1 cup sugar
*4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
*1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
*1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling
*8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
*2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
*2 cups (1 pound) unsalted butter, room temperature
*5 large egg whites, room temperature
*1 cup sugar

Caramel Glaze
*2/3 cup sugar
*1/3 cup water
*Nuts of your choice, ground, to sprinkle on top and sides of cake


Preparation

Preparing the Cake
*Gather the ingredients.
*Preheat oven to 350 F.
*In a large bowl, cream the 8 ounces of butter and 1 cup of sugar until light and fluffy.
*Beat in the 4 eggs, one at a time. Beat in the flour and vanilla until smooth.
*Weigh the batter, remembering to subtract for the weight of the bowl. Divide that number by 7—this is the number of ounces you will need for each pan in order to create even layers.
*Lightly coat the bottom of 7 (9-inch) round pans with cooking spray. Alternatively, you can bake as many layers at a time as you have 9-inch cake pans and reuse them to bake the rest of the batter.
*Bake each layer for 7 minutes, or until edges are very lightly brown. Don't overbake.
*After removing from the oven, loosen the cake layer and immediately invert onto a cooling rack.
*Continue until all the batter is used and all of the layers are cooling.

Preparing the Filling
*Gather the ingredients.
*Melt the semisweet and unsweetened chocolates in a microwaveable bowl, stirring often. Set aside to cool.
*In a large bowl, beat the 1 pound of butter on low for 2 minutes, then on medium for 3 minutes, and finally on high for 5 minutes.
*Place the 5 egg whites and 1 cup sugar in a double boiler over medium heat. Whisk gently and heat to 120 F.
*Transfer to a mixing bowl and whip on high until stiff peaks form.
*Fold the melted and cooled chocolate into the whipped butter.
*Fold the egg whites into the mixture until all traces of white are gone.
*Refrigerate until ready to use.

Preparing the Caramel Glaze
Gather the ingredients.
Place 1 cake layer on a cooling rack set over a pan to catch the drips.
Add the 2/3 cup sugar and 1/3 cup water to a small heavy saucepan.
Without stirring, cook until the sugar dissolves and it comes to a boil and begins to darken in color.
Swirling the pan, continue to boil until the caramel becomes a golden brown.
Immediately pour the caramel over the cake layer, creating an even coating.
With a buttered knife, mark the glaze before it completely hardens into 16 equal wedges without cutting all the way through.


Place 1 cake layer on a serving plate or in a 9-inch springform pan to use as a guide, and spread on 1/8-inch of filling.
Repeat with remaining layers and portions of filling, and finish with the glazed layer on top.
Use the rest of the filling to cover the sides of the cake. Sprinkle with ground nuts of choice, if desired. Refrigerate until serving.
To serve, slice along the lines marked in the caramel glaze.

How to Store
A Dobos Torte will keep for a few days, covered, in the fridge. The caramel may become chewy stored in the moist refrigerator over time. A Dobos Torte freezes best if cut into individual pieces and tightly wrapped. Freeze for up to a month and defrost in the fridge before serving.

"THE ILLUSIONIST" (2006) Review

 

"THE ILLUSIONIST" (2006) Review

Neil Burger wrote and directed this loose adaptation of Steven Millhauser's story called "Eisenheim the Illusionist". This story about a magician in turn-of-the-century Vienna starred Edward Norton, Jessica Biel, Paul Giamatti and Rufus Sewell.

The movie’s plot focused upon the romance that had first formed between the magician Eisenheim (Norton) and his childhood friend, the socially superior Sophie, Duchess von Teschen (Biel) – a romance that ends up threatening the political plans of Crown Prince Leopold of Austria-Hungary (Sewell) and Chief Inspector Uhl’s position with the Vienna police and his role as the Crown Prince’s henchman. "THE ILLUSIONIST" began in the middle of the story – with Chief Inspector Uhl revealing Eisenheim ‘s background and childhood friendship with Sophie. The movie continued with the events that led to the Crown Prince’s interest in the magician – Eisenheim’s arrival in Vienna, his reunion with Sophie during a performance and a special performance by the magician for the Crown Prince and his entourage, in which Eisenheim embarrasses the prince for a brief moment.

Sophie appears at Eisenheim’s quarters to warn him about his actions at the royal palace. The two end up declaring their feelings for one another by making love. After Sophie reveals Crown Prince’s Leopold’s reasons for proposing marriage – he needs her Hungarian family connections to build a power base strong enough to usurp his father from the Imperial throne – both come to the conclusion that Leopold would never let her go. Even if they decide to make a run for it, the prince would hunt them down and kill them. Realizing this, Eisenheim decides to unfold plans that would allow Sophie to escape from Leopold’s clutches and guarantee the couple’s future safety and happiness.

I have never read Millhauser’s story about Eisenheim. But I must admit that I became enamored of Burger’s cinematic adaptation since the first time I saw it. The story possessed many elements that made it entertaining and unique for me. One, it had plenty of romance, due to the romance between Eisenheim and Sophie; along with the love triangle between the two and Crown Prince Leopold. It had intrigue from the plot centered around the Crown Prince’s efforts to rid Eisenheim as a rival for not only Sophie’s affections, but those of the Austrian people. It had mystery thanks to Eisenheim’s mind-blowing magic, Chief Inspector Uhl’s attempts to expose it, and the tragic events that dominate the film’s latter half. And Crown Prince Leopold’s plans to dethrone his father, along with his competition with Eisenheim for the Viennese public’s affections gave the movie a political tone. It simply had everything and Burger managed to combine it all with a superb script.

The cast of "THE ILLUSIONIST" contributed to the movie’s superior quality, as well. Edward Norton was superb as the magician Eisenheim. Despite being the movie’s main character, he did a great job in conveying the character’s many personality facets – including his love for Sophie (which makes this role one of Norton’s most romantic), and his contempt toward both Crown Prince Leopold and Chief Inspector Ulh Even more importantly, Norton managed to convey some of these emotional aspects of Eisenheim’s personality, while retaining the man’s enigmatic nature. Jessica Biel literally glowed as Sophie, Duchess von Teschen. Frankly, I believe the character might be one of her best roles. Biel had portrayed Sophie more than just an elegant and charming woman from the Austro-Hungarian ruling class. She revealed Sophie’s inner sadness from her earlier disrupted relationship with Eisenheim and fear of facing a lifetime with the odious Crown Prince. Speaking of which . . . kudos to Rufus Sewell for portraying one of the most complex screen villains in recent years. Sewell’s Leopold was not simply a one-note villain who sneered at everyone he deemed inferior to himself. The actor portrayed the prince as an ambitious and emotional man who desired respect and even love from the public and those close to him. Yet, despite this desire, he seemed incapable of returning such feelings to others, especially Sophie, due to his arrogance and vindictive nature. But if you had asked me which performance in "THE ILLUSIONIST" really impressed me, I would have to say Paul Giamatti as Chief Inspector Walter Uhl. Giamatti either had the bad or good luck – it depends upon one’s point of view – to portray the most complex character in the movie. This is a man torn between his curiosity over Einheim’s talent as a magician, his ambition to be more than just a policeman, and his sense of justice and outrage toward the tragic event revealed in the second half. Giamatti’s Chief Inspector Ulh is a man literally torn apart over toward whom he should direct his loyalty. And the actor did a superb job in portraying every nuance in the character. In my opinion, he managed to dominate the film without being its main star.

I really do not have much to say about the film’s production values. Granted, production designer Ondrej Nekvasil; along with costume designer Ngila Dickson, and art directors Stefan Kovacik and Vlasta Svoboda, did an admirable job of re-creating turn-of-the-century Vienna on the screen. And yet . . . aside from Dickson’s elegant costumes, I found the movie’s Viennese setting to be slightly colorless. Almost empty. The setting lacked the sharp colors of that particular period shown in other movies like 1969’s "THE ASSASSINATION BUREAU, LTD" and 1976’s "THE SEVEN PERCENT SOLUTION".

Despite my complaint against the film’s slightly colorless production designs, I have to give kudos to Neil Burger for writing a rich adaptation of Millhauser’s story. He also did an excellent job of conveying his vision of the story through his direction of the crew and a cast of talented actors that included Norton, Biel, Sewell and Giamatti. "THE ILLUSIONST" is a beautiful and mysterious love story filled with magic and political intrigue. After nearly eighteen years, I still find it enjoyable to watch.

Ranking of "SISI" Season One (2021) Episodes

 

Below is my ranking of the Season One episodes from the Prime video streaming series, "SISI", German historical drama based on the life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria. The series stars Dominique Devenport and Jannik Schümann as Empress Elisabeth and Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria:

RANKING OF "SISI" SEASON ONE (2021) EPISODES

1.  (1.05) "Folge 5" - Emperor Franz Joseph I narrowly escapes an assassination attempt during the Austrian Empire's war against Lombardy independence.  Empress Elisabeth (Sisi) provides aid at a military hospital and later, persuades Franz to to meet Count Andrassy during a reception in Budapest and negotiate a peace treaty.

2.  (1.02) "Folge 2" - Sisi's engagement to Franz turns her life upside down, as her future is now mapped out and she must quickly prepare for her next role.

3.   (1.04) "Folge 4" - An assassination attempt on the Emperor and the impending war in Lombardy cast a shadow over Franz and Sisi's happiness.

4.  (1.01) "Folge 1" - As one of Duke Maximilian Joseph of Bavaria's daughters, Sisi grows up in a carefree environment.  She is forced to accompany her sister Helene to Austria, due to the latter's potential engagement to Franz.

5.   (1.03) "Folge 3" - Sisi and Franz's wedding night ends in failure, but Franz decides to uphold Sisi's honor.   Sisi seeks intimacy advice from a prostitute she had befriended named Fanny.

6.  (1.06) "Folge 6" - After the death of their daughter, Archduchess Sophie; Sisi and Franz return to Austria, where Sisi's family is waiting to assist them through this difficult time.