Name: Wiener Topfenstrudel (Viennese quark strudel)
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 120 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Austrian
Ingredients: 315 g plain flour (a little more for rolling out); 135 g butter or margarine, melted; 105 ml lukewarm water; 1 tsp salt; 400 g Topfen or quark; 2 eggs, separated; 50 g soft butter; 70 g sugar; 1 sachet vanilla sugar; 0.5 tsp grated lemon zest; 1 pinch salt; 30 g raisins (preferably soaked in rum); 30 g melted butter (for brushing); 1 tbsp icing sugar (for dusting)

Preparation

For the dough, knead 135 g melted butter with the flour, water and salt to a smooth dough, wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 160 °C fan (180 °C conventional). Separate the eggs and whisk the whites with a pinch of salt until stiff.
Beat the soft butter, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla sugar and lemon zest until fluffy, then stir in the quark and raisins. Gently fold in the beaten egg whites.
Line a baking tray with baking paper, flour it lightly and roll the dough out on it as thinly as possible into a rectangle.
Spread the filling over the dough, leaving a border all round. Fold in the sides and roll up the dough tightly from the long side, placing the seam underneath.
Brush the strudel with melted butter and bake on the middle shelf for about 40 to 45 minutes until golden.
Let it rest briefly, dust with icing sugar and cut into pieces while warm.

Drink with it

Sweet wine · excellent match
Gelber Muskateller or Traminer Auslese, well chilled
The sweetness in the glass is just above that of the filling, the acidity keeps the quark fresh, and the muscat fruit picks up vanilla and raisins.
Which wine goes with dessert? Comparing sweetness deliberately
White wine · good match
Riesling or Grüner Veltliner Spätlese with noticeable residual sugar
Residual sugar and lively acidity suit the lemon zest and the slightly tangy quark; if the filling is sweetened more, the wine quickly seems too austere.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing
Aged rum · good match
Aged rum, neat in a small glass
The rum-soaked raisins build the bridge, and vanilla and caramel tones from the cask meet the browned butter on the pastry.
Drinking rum neat: how to get to know a bottling
Junmai sake · good match
Junmai sake, lightly chilled, not too dry
The gentle sweetness and freshness of the quark need no dessert-wine weight; the soft Junmai carries vanilla and butter without making the plate too sugary.
Junmai, Ginjo, Daiginjo: What do these mean for sake?

Why it pairs well

The Junmai is the unusual choice: it accompanies the delicately sweet quark filling rather than outdoing it like a dessert wine.

Preparation

For the dough, knead 135 g melted butter with the flour, water and salt to a smooth dough, wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 160 °C fan (180 °C conventional). Separate the eggs and whisk the whites with a pinch of salt until stiff.
Beat the soft butter, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla sugar and lemon zest until fluffy, then stir in the quark and raisins. Gently fold in the beaten egg whites.
Line a baking tray with baking paper, flour it lightly and roll the dough out on it as thinly as possible into a rectangle.
Spread the filling over the dough, leaving a border all round. Fold in the sides and roll up the dough tightly from the long side, placing the seam underneath.
Brush the strudel with melted butter and bake on the middle shelf for about 40 to 45 minutes until golden.
Let it rest briefly, dust with icing sugar and cut into pieces while warm.

Drink with it

Sweet wine · excellent match
Gelber Muskateller or Traminer Auslese, well chilled
The sweetness in the glass is just above that of the filling, the acidity keeps the quark fresh, and the muscat fruit picks up vanilla and raisins.
Which wine goes with dessert? Comparing sweetness deliberately
White wine · good match
Riesling or Grüner Veltliner Spätlese with noticeable residual sugar
Residual sugar and lively acidity suit the lemon zest and the slightly tangy quark; if the filling is sweetened more, the wine quickly seems too austere.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing
Aged rum · good match
Aged rum, neat in a small glass
The rum-soaked raisins build the bridge, and vanilla and caramel tones from the cask meet the browned butter on the pastry.
Drinking rum neat: how to get to know a bottling
Junmai sake · good match
Junmai sake, lightly chilled, not too dry
The gentle sweetness and freshness of the quark need no dessert-wine weight; the soft Junmai carries vanilla and butter without making the plate too sugary.
Junmai, Ginjo, Daiginjo: What do these mean for sake?

Why it pairs well

The Junmai is the unusual choice: it accompanies the delicately sweet quark filling rather than outdoing it like a dessert wine.

Wiener Topfenstrudel (Viennese quark strudel)

Preparation

Drink with it

Gelber Muskateller or Traminer Auslese, well chilled

Riesling or Grüner Veltliner Spätlese with noticeable residual sugar

Aged rum, neat in a small glass

Junmai sake, lightly chilled, not too dry

This pairs well too.

American Apple Pie with Shortcrust Lid

Apple Crumble

Arme Ritter (pain perdu, German French toast)

Baked Apple in a Nut Coating (Bratapfel)

Wiener Topfenstrudel (Viennese quark strudel)

Preparation

Drink with it

Gelber Muskateller or Traminer Auslese, well chilled

Riesling or Grüner Veltliner Spätlese with noticeable residual sugar

Aged rum, neat in a small glass

Junmai sake, lightly chilled, not too dry

This pairs well too.

American Apple Pie with Shortcrust Lid

Apple Crumble

Arme Ritter (pain perdu, German French toast)

Baked Apple in a Nut Coating (Bratapfel)