Austria, a land of enjoyment – What the Kitchens and Cellars have to offer

Char belong to the salmonid family, and have slender, long bodies with flat heads. The body shape is very comparable to that of trout, however, the mouth is wider and the tail fin is significantly indented. Char require a habitat with very high water quality, and therefore inhabit oxygen-rich lakes or rivers – which is why they are only rarely kept in pond-farming systems.

Originally, char were to be found in the USA, and were only introduced to Europe in 1884, when they were put in suitable lakes and rivers. Char is highly desirable in cooking, as it has delicate yet flavourful flesh. It is most often prepared similar to trout, larger fish are prepared similar salmon trout or lake trout.

 

Continue reading (German) …

Genussland Österreich, Beitrag Sicher: “Der Saibling und sein Kaviar”

 

The book (German):

Genussland Österreich (2007), Gerd Wolfgang Sievers, Leopold Stocker Verlag, ISBN 978-3-7020-1166-6

 

 


Saiblingskaviar auf gepressten Erdäpfeln

Zutaten für 4 Personen

 

  • 80 g Saiblingskaviar
  • 320 g mehlige Kartoffel
  • 50 g braune Butter
  • 4 EL Sauerrahm
  • 4 Stk. dünne Zucchinischeiben

 

Erdäpfel in der Schale kochen, schälen, aufpressen und mit Zucchinischeiben umwickeln. Das Ganze mit zerlassener brauner Butter beträufeln und mit Sauerrahm und Kaviar anrichten.


Culinary Impressions – 30 Chefs | 40 Stars | 150 Dishes

If you are to discuss four dishes for a book publication with Michael Sicher, you may want to have a food-encyclopaedia on hand, or at least be ready to ask Google – unless you wish to come across as a gastronomical layman! We at least wanted to convince the Carinthian Michael that we are capable of pronouncing the often impressive names of his gastronomical creations! Therefore, it is nice to know that he, both as a chef and as a fish farmer, also enjoys working with less exquisite ingredients.

 

“I don’t need lobster, foie gras or scallops. I aim to bring the local products to the foreground in order to show how they can be just as impressive as other more exquisite ingredients. ”

Michael Sicher

 

Read the article and recipes here (German) …

Michael Sicher Kochimpulse

 

The book (German):

Kochimpulse (2010), Hannes Finkbeiner, Matthaes Verlag GmbH, ISBN 978-3-87515-040-7

 


Sous vide poached Brown Trout served on …

… Celery Risotto and Char Caviar

Serves 4 people

 

  • 4 pieces brown trout (filleted)
  • lemon juice, olive oil
  • 80 g char caviar
  • 4 tablespoons sour cream

 

Celery Risotto

  • 2 shallots (finely diced)
  • 20 g butter
  • 200 g risotto rice (Acquerello)
  • ½ l vegetable stock
  • 100 g celery (diced)
  • white wine, olive oil, Pernod

 

Sauté the finely dices shallots in butter, then add the risotto rice and allow also sauté briefly. Add the white wine, then add some of the vegetable stock, allow to simmer and, whilst constantly stirring, add the remaining stock bit by bit, until the rice is cooked. Shortly before assembling the dish, add the diced celery, a dash of olive oil and Pernod, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

 

Season the trout filets with salt, pepper and lemon juice, then roll them up. Vacuum pack the rolls with a dash of olive oil, then cook in steam for 3-4 minutes at 95°C. (If you do not have access to vacuum packaging, the rolled filets can be wrapped in clingfilm individually, tightly twisted at each end.)

 

Assemble the risotto on your plate, then place the rolled filet in the centre, add a tablespoon of sour cream and place the char caviar on top.


The culinary heritage of the Alps – The Cookbook

Amongst Austrian gourmets, the restaurant “Sicher” in Tainach, Carinthia has been a well-known attraction for many years. However, Michael Sicher’s char caviar is now known well known even beyond Austria’s borders. The Sicher char caviar has found its place in the top gastronomy all over Europe. With the recipes in this book, Sicher clearly proves that he is highly experienced as a fish chef. He has experimented with the different kinds of roe of Austrian fish, so that we can enjoy these culinary highlights.

 

Recipe excerpt from the book “Das kulinarische Erbe der Alpen” (translated from German):

Das Kulinarische Erbe der Alpen – Das Kochbuch (2013), Dominik Flammer, Sylvan Müller, AT Verlag, ISBN 978-3-03800-746-3

 

 

 

 

Recipe excerpt from the book “Das kulinarische Erbe der Alpen” (translated from German):

 

Trout Caviar with Carinthian ‘Kasnudeln’ and Cream-Cucumber

 

For the Kasnudel-dough

  • 250 g flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • salt
  • lukewarm water

 

For the Kasnudel-filling

  • 150 g potato
  • 80 g sorghum, cooked
  • 250 g curd cheese, 25% fat
  • 1 TL tsp fresh mint, chopped
  • 1 TL tsp fresh chervil, chopped
  • salt and pepper

 

For the Cream-Cucumber

  • 1 garden cucumber
  • 3 tbsp sour cream
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 4 tbsp breadcrumbs
  • 130 g trout caviar

 

Mix the flour with the egg, salt, oil and enough lukewarm water to form a firm pasta dough and knead. Let the dough rest for at least 1 hour. In the mean time, cook the potatoes in their skins until soft, then peel them and pass them through a potato ricer. Mix the mashed potato with the sorghum, curd cheese, mint and chervil. Season the mixture with salt and pepper then fill into a piping bag.

 

Pass the dough through a pasta roller multiple times, until the dough is a thin sheet. Cut out circles (7cm diameter) and pipe some mixture onto the circles. Place another cut out circle on top and seal well. Cook the Kasnudeln in boiling, salted water for 3-5 minutes.

 

For the cream-cucumber, peel the cucumbers, remove the seeds, then dice into small cubes. Mix with sour cream, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.

 

Melt the butter in a pan, add the breadcrumbs and toast until golden brown.

Arrange the Kasnudeln and cream-cucumber on a plate, then top with toasted breadcrumbs and the trout caviar.


Char Carpaccio with Char Caviar

Serves 4 people

 

  • 4 filets fresh char (filleted)
  • 80 g char caviar
  • juice of one lime
  • 1 shallot (finely dices)
  • 1/16 l olive oil
  • 10 basil leaves
  • salt, pepper
  • 4 tbsp sour cream
  • edible flowers and herbs

 

Freeze the char filets for roughly 40 minutes to firm them. Slice the filets into thin slices and arrange on a plate, then season with salt and pepper. Using a stick blender, purée the shallots, olive oil, lime juice and basil, then marinade the slices of filet with the purée. Add a tablespoon of sour cream to the centre of the plate, then top with char caviar. Decorate the carpaccio with edible flowers and herbs.


Laxnspieß auf buntem Kürbisgemüse

Zutaten für 4 Personen

 

  • 500 g Seeforellenfilet
  • 300 g Kürbis (geschält)
  • 40 g Butter
  • 20 g Tomatenmark
  • 100 ml Noilly Prat
  • 400 ml Gemüsesuppe
  • 1 EL Tamari
  • 1 Stk. kl. Zucchini
  • 8 Stk. kl. Kirschtomaten
  • 8 Stk. Champignons
  • 350 Stk. kl. Erdäpfel ( fest kochend)
  • 2 Stk. Schalotten (fein gehackt)
  • Öl

 

Kürbis in dünne Stifte schneiden, mit Schalotten in Butter anschwitzen, Tomatenmark zugeben, mit Noilly Prat ablöschen und mit Suppe aufgießen. Flüssigkeit auf ein Drittel einkochen, mit Salz, Pfeffer und Tamari abschmecken.

Den Fisch in Stücke, Zucchini und Champignons in Scheiben schneiden und mit Fisch und Kirschtomaten auf den Spieß stecken.

Erdäpfel waschen, in Stücke schneiden und in Salzwasser kochen. Abseihen und im Topf ausdampfen lassen. Erdäpfel in Öl knusprig braten.

Spieß mit Salz, Pfeffer und Zitronensaft würzen und in wenig Öl rundum goldbraun braten. Mit dem Kürbisgemüse und den Erdäpfeln anrichten.


Käsnudel auf Rahmgurken mit Saiblingskaviar

Zutaten für 4 Personen

 

Rahmgurken:

  • 2 Stk. Gurken
  • 1 EL Olivenöl
  • 2 EL Sauerrahm
  • Saft einer halben Zitrone
  • Salz, Pfeffer

 

Die Gurken schälen, halbieren und Inneres entfernen, in dünne Scheiben schneiden.

Mit Sauerrahm, Olivenöl und Zitronensaft marinieren und mit Salz und Pfeffer

abschmecken.

 

Fülle:

  • 500 g Bauerntopfen
  • 200 g Erdäpfel
  • 120 g Hirse (gekocht)
  • 1 EL gehackter Kerbel, Minze
  • Salz, Pfeffer

Die Erdäpfel in der Schale kochen, schälen und aufpressen. Mit Hirse, Topfen, Kerbel und Minze vermengen, mit Salz, Pfeffer abschmecken und in einen Spritzsack füllen.

 

Nudelteig:

  • 350 g Hartweizengrieß
  • 1 Ei
  • 2 Dotter
  • 1 EL Olivenöl
  • Salz, Wasser
  • Butter und Brösel
  • 80 g Saiblingskaviar

 

Alle Zutaten unter Zugabe von lauwarmem Wasser zu einem glatten (nicht zu festen) Teig kneten. Mindestens eine Stunde rasten lassen. Den Teig dünn ausrollen und die Fülle in kleinen Abständen aufspritzen, Teig darüber schlagen, rund ausstechen, die Teigränder leicht zusammen drücken und in kochendem Salzwasser ca. 3-5 Minuten ziehen lassen. Die Käsnudel auf den Rahmgurken anrichten, Butterbrösel darüber träufeln und den Saiblingskaviar darauf geben.