Tuesday, April 22, 2014

S is for Squirrel and Sachertorte.

S
I Squirrelhave always loved squirrels, but I supposed nobody would without their fluffy tails. A friend in England takes dozens of grey squirrel pictures although she finds them a great nuisance with her bird feeders and has made many efforts to introduce squirrel proof bird feeders to her yard. Having read her squirrel woes on several of her blogs, I couldn’t resist sending her this picture which I thought was both funny and appropriate. I can imagine this happening, squirrels are cheeky enough for anything. Originally in the UK we had red squirrels which were indigenous to the British Isles and are somewhat smaller. Unfortunately the grey was introduced and they have decimated the population of red squirrels. Pity, they are pretty little animals. Where I live in Canada we have masses of black squirrels which I discovered are an off-shoot of the grey, but much nicer to look at I think, especially in the snow. An English king was once shot whilst hunting in the woods, the person who shot him swore blind he had been shooting at a red squirrel. The king was known as William Rufus because he had red hair.

My parents were lucky enough to spend some time in Vienna, Austria and they certainly went into Sacher’s. Whether they ate the famous torte or not, I really don’t know. This is a recipe from BBC Food which I hope is pretty authentic.

Sachertorte

Mary Berry from The Great British Bake Off. This chocolate cake is said to have been be invented in Vienna by the chef Franz Sacher in 1832. It improves if left a day or two before cutting

Serves 12.sachertorte

Ingredients
140g/5oz plain chocolate
140g/5oz unsalted butter, softened
115g/4oz caster sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract
5 free-range eggs, separated
85g/3oz ground almonds
55g/2oz plain flour, sieved
For the topping and the icing
6 tbsp apricot jam, sieved
140g/5oz plain chocolate
200ml/7fl oz double cream
25g/1oz milk chocolate

Preparation method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease a deep 23cm/9in round cake tin then line the base with greaseproof paper.
2. Break the chocolate into pieces, melt gently in a bowl set over a pan of hot water, stirring occasionally, then cool slightly. Beat the butter in a bowl until really soft, then gradually beat in the sugar until the
mixture is light and fluffy. Add the cooled chocolate and the vanilla extract and beat again. Add the egg yolks, then fold in the ground almonds and sieved flour. The mixture will be quite thick at this stage.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they are stiff but not dry. Add about one-third to the chocolate mixture and stir in vigorously. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface.
4. Bake in the oven for about 45-50 minutes, or until well risen at the top and the cake springs back when lightly pressed with a finger. Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes then turn out, peel off the paper and finish cooling on a wire rack.
5. To make the topping, heat the apricot jam in a small pan and then brush evenly over the top and sides of the cold cake. Allow to set.
6. Make the icing by breaking the plain chocolate into pieces. Heat the cream until piping hot, remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted, then cool til a coating consistency. Then pour the icing on to the centre of the cake. Spread it gently over the top and down the sides, and leave to set.
7. For the ‘icing’ writing, break the milk chocolate into pieces then melt gently in a bowl set over a pan of hot water. Spoon into a small paper icing bag or polythene bag and snip off the corner. Pipe ‘Sacher’ across the top and leave to set.

Have a great day
Jo (2)

34 comments:

  1. I never knew that story about William Rufus.
    I don't remember ever seeing a red squirrel other than on TV.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm surprised. I heard that story as a whipper snapper.

      Nor me.

      Delete
  2. Love squirrels, not a fan of sachertorte. I do love your little photo of the guy...too funny!
    (http://www.reflectionsenroute.com)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me too. Don't think I would like the jam in the torte.

      Delete
  3. Hi Jo - I too didn't know the story of William Rufus. I saw on tv that they're introducing red squirrels onto the Scilly Isles - to establish a population and then to try re-establishing them in the UK. They've got them on Anglesey - but there are greys there too. They are vermin and create havoc in rooves ... unfortunately. Look delightful .. but sense needs to prevail .. how - I don't know.

    Chocolate cakes and puddings .. once in a while .. but some love them and they're good party foods .. cheers Hilary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am surprised they are going to reintroduce them. Also surprised you didn't know about William Rufus either.

      Chocolate, yum.

      Delete
  4. I hate squirrels and I am not ashamed to say it. They destroy everything in the yard and the small red squirrels have actually chewed right through the siding on homes of my neighbors and taken up residence in the attics. As for the torte, I did have it at Sacher's and was very disappointed. Guess I had my hopes up about it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We had lots of squirrels in NC but they never caused us any problems personally. I have heard about them getting in attics and such.

      How sad to find the torte wasn't up to your expectations. The jam would spoil it for me.

      Delete
  5. Haha ... had to happen when you got to the letter 'S' I guess .... now I have squirrels in the garden and on the screen LOL

    We don't have red squirrels locally - just the grey ones but I guess they are all equally destructive. They view our attempts to stop them getting at the bird food as challenging games and have great fun trying to outwit us

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Squirrels on the screen? We were always lucky as far as destructiveness was concerned. I love your stories about the squirrels in your garden.

      Delete
  6. I think squirrels are cute! Back in WA about 12 years ago, one started coming to my downstairs slider and looking inside, so I got a bag of peanuts and would leave them out which she happily took. Over the course of the summer, she'd take them out of my hand. I called her Mrs. Whiskerson. The following spring, she came by again with her baby to teach him/her to get food from us! Unfortunately her trips to our slider began to wane and her baby also never came back. Then we got dogs and my yard became a squirrel-free place (not that they were killed, but they were afraid to come down out of the trees).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great story JoJo. I like squirrels too, but if they cause destruction in your home or yard, I can see why people wouldn't like them. We had a dog but the squirrels didn't seem to worry about her.

      Delete
  7. My grandfather thought squirrels were the great plague of the 20th century. He had a small tree that bore nuts (don't know why I can't remember what kind of tree it was) and he wrapped the whole trunk in tin to keep them from running up into the branches.

    Of course that didn't work, they were running across the clotheslines and leaping into the branches that way. So he took down the clotheslines (and bought my grandmother a washer).

    Still they came, stealing his precious nuts. Eventually, after fighting them for my entire life, he decided he'd lost. So he chopped the tree down, refusing to let them enjoy their victory for even a moment.

    On an unrelated note, I like them. I do think they're cute, and as long as the don't mess with my house, I'm fine with them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wasn't pecans was it? I can understand his frustration. I don't know why some people have them in their attics and others seem immune.

      Delete
  8. Not fond of squirrels, but that's because they are rampant around here. You may recall my Squirrelmaggedon post...
    My grandparents went to Vienna for several vacations, it was a favorite of theirs. I don't know if they had the torte or not, but they brought me a beautiful scarf with the Lippizaner horses on it. Still have it.
    Tina @ Life is Good
    A to Z Team @ Blogging From A to Z April Challenge 2014

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Grin, poor squirrels.

      They probably did go to Sacher's. Lucky you to have a scarf like that.

      Delete
  9. I have a colleague from Switzerland and his girlfriend made an authentic sachretorte. It was delicious.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Interesting you enjoyed it when someone eating it in Sacher's did not.

      Delete
  10. We have them in our yard. Funny watching the black birds dive bomb them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. One thing we didn't have in our yard in NC was blackbirds.

      Delete
  11. That looks delicious! I made cookies the other night, though, and I appear to be the only one eating them, so I'm going to stay away from baking for a while...for my diet's sake!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's the trouble if no-one else eats the stuff. Only hubby and I and he doesn't eat much in the way of sweet stuff.

      Delete
  12. I have always loved squirrels as well. I think they are quite smart little creatures. So dexterous as well.

    Brandon Ax: Writer's Storm

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think they are incredible clever the way they can work out the obstacle courses people have set for them. And they don't sting!!!

      Delete
  13. When I visited New York back in the eighties I was amazed there were squirrels everywhere. I guess our equivalent is the possum but because they're nocturnal we don't see them that often. Squirrels are so cute!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What about those jumping koalas? Seen pictures of those, they would drive you nuts landing on the roof.

      Delete
  14. I had Sacher Torte for the first time last Summer and it was sooo good. We also had a squirrel fall down our chimney last summer and had fun trying to get it out of our fireplace!

    Nancy at Hungry Enough To Eat Six
    2014 A to Z Challenge Participant

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can imagine a squirrel falling down the chimney would create quite a lot of havoc. How on earth did you catch it.

      Delete
  15. HI, JO,

    I love squirrels... I live across the street from the larges park in Chicago and they are everywhere. But they don't bother anyone. They just scurry around and race each other up the trees. The real nuisance are the lovely Canadian geese. Thank you, Canada. They infiltrated the city and they NEVER LEAVE even in the sub below 0 temps.

    Now for that Sacher Torte... Definitely a favorite! I just happen to have had that amazing desert at Sacher's in Vienna. It was heavenly. So is the city!

    Thanks for the recipe!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Canadian geese are a pain in the rear end. They deposit their feces wherever they are and leave a right mess. They do make good eating though.

      Lucky you, going to Vienna. I would love to go. I assume you didn't get to the Spanish Riding School though.

      Delete
  16. Oh those squirrels. They are acrobats when it comes to getting to the bird feeder we have. Ah Vienna, would love to go back and really see the city, spend some time there. My grandfather was Austrian. Just reading your recipe makes my mouth water.

    ReplyDelete
  17. They are incredible, used to enjoy watching them.

    Never got to Vienna, one place I would really love to have visited.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I love squirrels I have a few that live in my yard. I have this weird little corner it kind of looks like you walked into a mini nature spot. They love it. And the dessert looks good too! History Sleuth's Writings - Blogging A-Z

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am glad there are people 'for' the squirrel, so many against.

      Delete