Product Description

Transporting readers to three of the most romantic cities in the world, this beautiful book brings to life their old-world charms and architectural gems, and presents 150 impeccable recipes for recreating their legendary cakes and pastries in the home kitchen.

Vienna, Budapest, and Prague have a special hold on our imaginations, conjuring up a sense of timeless elegance, of historical and cultural riches–and of tables laden with the most extraordinary desserts imaginable. Rick Rodgers explores all these treasures in Kaffeehaus, a cook’s tour enhanced with stunning full-color photographs.

Rodgers visits such culinary landmarks as Café Slavia in Prague and Café Sperl in Vienna, sampling apple strudel, the Emperor’s pancakes, hot chocolate, and other classics and gathering the recipes (and secrets) of master bakers. With an attention to detail developed through years of teaching, he explains how to make the perfect accompaniments to a cup of coffee, as well as spectacular endings to elegant meals.

Filled with food facts and lore (from when coffee first came to Vienna to the great Sachertorte controversy), Kaffeehaus is a treat for armchair travelers and cooks alike.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #103093 in Books
• Published on: 2002-02-05
• Released on: 2002-02-05
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 10.00" h x .80" w x 7.50" l, 2.38 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 248 pages

From Amazon.com
Reading Rick Rodgers's Kaffeehaus is like strolling through the streets of three of the world's most romantic cities--Vienna, Budapest, and Prague--where the coffeehouse is the center of the universe and that little something sweet to go with your afternoon cup is considered high art. Eleven chapters on subjects ranging from "Sweet Yeast Breads" to "Strudels" and "Sweet Dumplings and Noodles" cover the gamut of sweets you're likely to find in the classic kaffeehauser. Rodgers provides recipes for such legendary treats as chocolaty Sachertorte, flaky Sour Cherry Strudel, sugar-dusted Banana Gugelhupf, jam-filled Linzertorte, and rustic but soul-satisfying squares of Plum Cake.

A renowned cooking instructor and cookbook author, Rodgers has developed the patient voice and attentiveness the job requires, and these qualities shine through in his inviting recipes. Though the book focuses exclusively on the impressive desserts found in coffeehouses, rather than those that are home-baked, Rodgers has developed recipes accessible enough for recreating such scrumptious treats in any home kitchen. Filled with culinary lore--from the scandalous story of Rigo Jansci, the handsome gypsy violinist who lured an American millionairess to leave her husband for a passionate affair and inspired the sinful chocolate dessert that now bears his name, to the great Sachertorte controversy that gripped Vienna in the 1830s--Kaffeehaus is a treat for armchair travelers and adventurous bakers alike. --Robin Donovan

From Publishers Weekly
Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafes of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague by Rick Rodgers (Barbecues 101, etc.) celebrates the sweet excesses of the Austro-Hungarian Empire's fascination with elegance, music and romance. Rodgers explores the lore of these legendary establishments, traces the creation of their extraordinary desserts loved throughout the world and provides detailed instructions for their re-creation at home for the enjoyment of new generations. Kelly Bugden's full-color photographs of the sumptuous confections, as well as the coffeehouses themselves, pay homage to an earlier more gracious era. Sachertorte, Apfelstrudel and Croissants are among the creations Rodgers demystifies.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Rodgers is a food writer and prolific author with more than a dozen other cookbooks to his credit. His latest is clearly a labor of love: "Austro-Hungarian desserts are part of my heritage," he writes, and the idea for the book began with recipes from his great-aunts and other bakers in the family. Because the featured desserts (e.g., Apfelstrudel and Sachertorte) are steeped in tradition, this is as much a fascinating culinary history as it is a recipe collection. The recipes for simple and fancy cakes, sweet yeast breads, "slices" and other individual desserts, crepes, and more are for the treats that appear on the menu of any traditional coffee house. Some come from the cafes, while others are derived from the cooking schools, pastry chefs, and home cooks whom Rodgers encountered on his travels. The recipes are clearly written and accessible even to novice bakers, but professionals will also learn from the book. Thoroughly researched histories of both individual desserts and various aspects of the coffee house tradition appear throughout, and there is a useful culinary glossary as well as a personal guide to favorite cafes. Highly recommended for all baking collections.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.