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Kaffeehaus

Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest, and PragueThe hunt for baking inspiration often leads me away from some of my go-to cookbooks and on a search for ones with more unusual recipes. I’m not always inclined to purchase such cookbooks, as there are many that I know I won’t cook from regardless of how inspirational they are (some of the cookbooks where the pastries might be mistaken for exhibits at a modern art gallery, for instance). I like to look though them and pick up tips and techniques, but I’d rather have a homier cake or pastry most of the time. As a result, cookbooks like Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague have a special appeal.

Kaffeehaus‘s recipes are presented in a familiar – and, more importantly, a very reproducible – way. Each strudel, torte and pudding is well-explained and seems like something that you or I could easily recreate at home. At the same time, these Eastern European specialties seem to be authentic, the kind that you might find at a corner bakery in Vienna or in the home of a friend from Prague whose mother happens to love to bake.

The book covers recipes from simple coffee cakes to delicate nut-rich cookies and sweet yeast breads, as well as presenting the reader with a number of “basic” recipes (frosting, whipped cream, puff pastry, etc) that can be used again and again, as a base or garnish for other recipes. Throughout the book there are pictures of some of the coffee houses of the three cities mentioned in the book’s title and little notes on their histories, as well as little histories of some of the more famous pastries included in with the recipes; these little asides give the cookbook the feel of a travelogue.

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6 Comments
  • Kt
    January 14, 2008

    Have you made much from this? I have to admit that after I tried a recipe from here maybe five years ago–and just did not like it–I haven’t picked it up again. Of course part of that could be because of my ever-growing cookbook collection, lol.

  • Karen
    January 15, 2008

    Having been to all three of these cities, the book cover makes me long for those delicious pastries. Almost enough to buy the book!!!!

  • Israel government
    May 28, 2009

    We had one of these college. Makes the best PB&J. I may try to hunt down of these $10 models.

  • jammer
    May 28, 2009

    cant be even better then what we have said now

  • blu ray ripper
    April 15, 2010

    I read your article.The things you have written sound very sincere and nice topics i am looking forward to its continuation

  • It’s extremely flavorful

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