Finding out how to hold a fork and other cutlery correctly is necessary so as not to feel uncomfortable and insecure when visiting or, for example, in a restaurant.
The basic norms of table etiquette are common to all countries, but slight differences are possible depending on the state.
General etiquette for handling knives and forks
Any self-respecting person should know in which hand to hold a knife and fork according to etiquette.
The cutting object must be taken in the right palm. This way there is less risk of cutting yourself and it is easier to chop food. At the same time, hold the fork to the left. It is allowed to take cutlery in the right hand if a person eats a dish that does not need to be cut.
Point the teeth down. Press the end of the cutlery handle into your palm. Do not handle objects too close to the base.
After finishing your meal, place the cutlery parallel to each other on the plate. It is prohibited to place them on the table or on a napkin.
If you pause during a meal, place the cutlery with one end on the plate and the other on the table. This way you will show the waiter that you haven’t finished your dish and are going to return to it.
Classic apple strudel: how to prepare it?
Apple strudel is best served with ice cream or vanilla sauce www.contentwire.com
Translated from German, the word strudel means whirlwind. funnel, whirlpool. This is a fairly popular flour dish in Europe made from sheet dough, rolled like a roll. It is made with a variety of fillings, but perhaps no other variety can compare with apple strudel in popularity.
Apple strudel has long become a kind of calling card of Austrian national cuisine. The Austrians chose their brides with an eye on how she knew how to cook this dish. A special feature of strudel is the stretched dough, which is stretched to such an extent that it becomes thin, like tissue paper. Stretching the dough to the required state is not at all difficult - the main thing is that it is prepared in full accordance with the recipe and thoroughly kneaded.
In Vienna, beloved by tourists from all over the world, there is probably no cafe or restaurant that does not have apple strudel on its menu. Local chefs have a set of little secrets that allow them to always get simply excellent results.
For example, Viennese bakers never grease apple strudels with sunflower oil before baking, preferring olive oil. It is advisable to add to the apple filling, in addition to the obligatory sugar and cinnamon, a little rum and walnuts. The apple pieces themselves are first dipped in sour cream, or even better, in whipped cream, and only after that the filling is distributed on a sheet of dough.
It is considered correct to serve apple strudel to the table freshly baked, piping hot, but it is also not bad at all cold. In Austrian cafes, the classic gastronomic pairing is Viennese coffee and apple strudel. An original dessert can be offered to guests by playing on contrasts: for example, by treating them to hot strudel and creamy ice cream. An equally tasty addition to it is whipped cream.
The dough for apple strudel has special requirements. To prepare it you will need sifted finely ground wheat flour, an egg, vegetable or butter. It is curious that according to the traditional Viennese recipe, pork lard is used as the fat base for the dough. Knead the strudel dough in warm water, to which two or three drops of vinegar are added. During the kneading process, the dough is kneaded and beaten until it stops bubbling and moving away from the hands, and after that it is divided into several parts and sent to the refrigerator for proofing: it should last about two hours.
The settled dough cakes are greased with oil - preferably olive oil, as recommended by famous Viennese bakers. Then they are folded in pairs, one on top of the other, and rolled out thinly, at the same time stretching them with your fingers in all directions until completely transparent. This should be done carefully so that the dough does not tear.
Before adding the filling, brush the thin sheet of dough with olive oil again. If you don’t have olive oil, you can, as a last resort, take any other one. After this, it is sprinkled with breadcrumbs and apples are already distributed on top.
An important point: for a real Viennese strudel, sliced apples should first be fried in butter. But it is not forbidden to put ordinary raw apples in the filling.
The rolled strudel needs another coating of oil. And as it bakes in a preheated oven, it is advisable to oil it a couple of times, otherwise the finished product will turn out dry and brittle. At a temperature of one hundred and eighty degrees Celsius, it will take about an hour to bake the strudel.
Classic strudel recipe
Ingredients: 200 g flour, 1 egg, 1 tbsp. l. vegetable oil, 1 pinch of salt, about 3 tbsp. l. warm water, 60 g raisins, 2 tbsp. l. rum, 140 g butter, 80 g breadcrumbs, 1.5 kg sour apples, about 100 g sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon powder, powder for sprinkling.
Sift the flour onto the table in a heap. Make a well in the middle and pour the egg into it. Add salt and oil. Knead everything from the edges to the center into a smooth dough, adding water until the dough reaches a medium consistency. Knead the dough with your fists for 15 minutes. Form a ball, sprinkle with oil, leave in a bowl for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, wash the raisins, dry them, sprinkle with rum, and set aside. Melt 40 g butter in a frying pan, fry the crackers, stirring, until golden brown. Peel the apples, core them, cut into thin slices. Mix cinnamon and sugar on a plate. If the apples are very sour, you can use more sugar.
Lay a large towel on the table and sprinkle it evenly with flour. Roll out the dough on it from the middle to the edges. The dough should be thin - if you put newspaper under it, the font should be visible through the dough. Cut off thick edges.
Melt 100 g butter in a frying pan. Lightly spray some of the baking sheet and set aside the remainder. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Sprinkle about 2/3 of the dough with breadcrumbs, leaving 3 cm thick strips on both sides (the future ends of the strudel). Drizzle the remaining dough with oil. Place apples on breadcrumbs and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top. Wrap the ends so that the filling does not spill out.
Lift the towel and roll up the strudel. Carefully turn it over onto a baking sheet, seam side down, like a bagel. Drizzle with remaining oil and bake in the oven for 35-45 minutes until golden brown. Baste the strudel with oil every 5 minutes. Cut into pieces 4-5 cm thick, sprinkle with powder, best served warm.
The most popular Austrian strudel is apple strudel. It is usually eaten hot straight from the oven or cold with powdered sugar, vanilla sauce or ice cream.
Friends, you often ask, so we remind you!
