A "Sound of Music" Party

[adrober]

It has long been a dream of mine to invite people over, tie them to chairs, and force them to watch one of the all-time-greatest movie-musicals: "The Sound of Music" starring eGullet's very own Julie Andrews. (Well, it's possible. She has to eat, doesn't she?)

Since my schedule is clearing in the upcoming weeks (oh who am I kidding, what schedule?) I would like to make this dream a reality. That's where you guys come in:

What should I serve at my "Sound of Music" party?

This sounds like a Literary Smackdown prompt, but it isn't.

There is, for example, the option of serving venison a la "Doe a Deer."

Unfortunately, most of my friends are vegetarians. I should probably stick to desserts.

Austrian desserts anyone? Is schnitzel with noodles a dessert? Tips for an Edelweiss cake?

Very grateful,

Adrober

PS Check out my new website: www.amateurgourmet.com.

[bloviatrix]

Well if it's Austrian desserts you want, than the Sacher Torte is a must.

[Rachel Perlow]

Schnitzel with noodles would most likely be weiner schnitzel aka veal cutlets. In a mostly vegetarian crowd I'll bet the meat eaters would be veal abstainers. Schnitzel could also be made with pork cutlets, or pounded chicken breast. For the noodles, I would go with spaetzle. I use a potato ricer with the largest holed plate in place. Since they cook in small batches, I melt some butter in the serving bowl and keep it warm in the oven. Each time I add a batch, I stir it up to coat it with butter, sprinkle some chopped parsley on at the end.

Back to the vegetarian issues -- I suppose you could make some vegetable cutlets and call them vegetarian schnitzel.

[Jeffy Boy]

I had nice Tofu Schnitzel just last week at Raven's (vegetarian restaurant) in Mendocino. It was served with an almond gravy. I think I had it with roast potatoes, but it would have been good on noodles (or spaetzle).

A quick check on the web shows lots of recipes for tofu schnitzel, many with a lemon caper sauce.

[Rachel Perlow]

This link has lots of annoying popups, but all the lyrics for the songs. Here's my suggestions from what I found there:

• "te- a drink with jam and bread," if you can't use the Doe a Deer. Maybe that could inspire an English summer pudding, or a (US) southern bread pudding, with a fruit sauce? And tea, of course.
  Leisl couldn't "taste (her) first champagne," but you could serve it.
  How could you forget "crisp apple strudels"? Now that's "a favorite thing."
  "Cads will offer you fruit and wine" when you're "16 going on 17" but at least Leisl knows that she is "unprepared" for "drinkers of brandies." This just sings of a fruit and cheese platter, and brandy for aperatifs.
  

I was going to suggest a simple cake flavored with orange or rose flower water, but apparently there really is an Edelweiss cake. The recipe sounds similar to a flourless chocolate cake (but it does have a little flour in it), here's a link to Schokolade Edelweiss.

[adrober]

Wow, thanks. Who knew there was so much to eat out of a Rogers and Hammerstein musical? Next it'll be a "Carousel" clambake and an Oklahoma cattle cook-off.

Now you can say that somewhere in your youth or childhood you did something good.

Gratefully,

Julie Andrews

[tryska]

for hostess gifts, you're obviously going to have to use brown paper packages tied up with string.

[Lady T]

Just keep the kittens -- and their whiskers -- out of the food.

[Mark Sommelier]

Well if it's Austrian desserts you want, than the Sacher Torte is a must.

Don't forget Linzer Augen.

[ludja]

For the noodles, I would go with spaetzle. I use a potato ricer with the largest holed plate in place. Since they cook in small batches, I melt some butter in the serving bowl and keep it warm in the oven. Each time I add a batch, I stir it up to coat it with butter, sprinkle some chopped parsley on at the end.

A nice vegetarian alternative that you can make with spaetzle is make the noodles; cover with some melted butter as Rachel Perlow suggested; then blend in grated gruyere cheese and sauteed mushrooms (some wild ones are nice). Then cover and bake in oven awhile. Take cover off towards end to get a nice crust...

Apple strudle is classic (and in the song) but can be a little challenging to make (I learned how to do it from my mom; haven't tried it w/frozen phyllo dough, but that might work...)

An easier Austrian dessert might be Linzer Torte (torte w/ground hazelnut crust, perserves (red or black currant or raspberry), lattice crust on top and sliced almonds...

Any ground nut cake (in which ground walnuts, hazelnuts or almonds are substituted for most of the flour) would also be very typical and could be frosted with chocolate; filled with nut buttercream...

Palatchinken---Austrian/Hungarian Crepes filled w/various fillings---(currant jelly, walnut cream). Could use a standard crepe recipe and make them ahead. Jelly ones dusted w/confectioner's sugar; walnut cream ones drizzeled w/chocolate...

If you're very ambitious and like to bake; try checking Rick Rodgers, "Kaffehaus" out of the library for great ideas and recipes! kaffehaus

Well, these are few of my favorite things...

Edited January 15, 2004 by ludja (log)

[bloviatrix]

Don't forget to serve dessert mit schlag (whipped cream)!!

[ludja]

Don't forget to serve dessert mit schlag (whipped cream)!!

most important, how could I forget... (I should be stripped of my sig)

If not on the dessert, you can also serve it with the coffee!

[dumpling]

Had a change in schedule so am in town to cook today.

After reading this thread earlier, I made the Schokolade Edelweiss mentioned by Rachel. While I did not taste more than a tiny bit, it seemed quite tasty. Everyone else liked it. As Rachel said basically a flourless chocolate cake-nice flavor with the dark chocolate that I used.

Edited January 16, 2004 by dumpling (log)

[Arey]

Well if it's Austrian desserts you want, than the Sacher Torte is a must.

Since its a "Sound of Music Party" It should be a saccharine torte. Blanc Mange would also be appropriate.

[Naomi]

I know it's more Swiss really, but I have often eaten cheese fondue in Austria... it's delicious, great for a party and could be made with a veggie cheese.

[marlena spieler]

I wrote a column (in San Francisco Chronicle) quite a while back in which I gave a Sound of Music Party. To be honest, many of my parties end up a sound of music party if given half the chance, but this one was with the whole thing: taking roles, re-enacting the show, singing our little hearts out. my secret ambition is to do it in salzberg. but meanwhile.....

i wanted to serve fammenkuche, the thin pizza-like pastries of Alsace, but had bad results in my testing. (i have since heard that alsace, in addition to have the most michellin starred restaurants in france, also is the home of the new trendy food: sushi made from sauerkraut. i have no comment until i try it myself).

i served sauerkraut, and though i make a super schnitzl, i really pride myself on my shcnitzl though i make it once or twice a decade, i made spaetzl with wild mushroom cream sauce which surprisingly was very good with the sauerkraut. I think the recipe in the paper was only for the sauerkraut, but any spaetzl, porcini creamy sauce, and sauerkraut should be hunky dory.

and Rachel's cake sounds delish.........though i think eclairy things with lots of cream would be good too if not completely authentic.

wouldn't it be wonderful to have an egullet sound of music, omigod, i would travel for that. and we'd have to promise no fighting about who gets to be who.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Well if it's Austrian desserts you want, than the Sacher Torte is a must.

Hate to say this but I was in The Hotel Sacher in Vienna on a trip at the beginning of November and my friends and I made a beeline for the venerable place with our Euros clutched in our sweaty little palms ... and we were, to a person, quite disappointed at the great Sacher Torte itself ... actually turned out to be rather dry and not appreciably apricotty ... but the ganache topping and circular chocolate coin decorating the top were quite lovely in flavour and memory .. the schlag itself accompanying our tortes was whipped so stiffly, that one could easily discern each "cell" of fat ... or, dare I say, "globule"?

The coffee, on the other hand, as well as the decor, made the visit worth noting ...

[maggiethecat]

This sounds like a Literary Smackdown prompt, but it isn't. 

It might be, Brilliant!

Check out the old Time-Life "Cooking of Vienna's Empire" for amazing desserts. The Emperor's Pancakes. Rigo Janczi. (sp?) And of course, a sea of schlag. I'd climb every mountain for that.

Hmmm. A "King and I" Thai feast?

[gus_tatory]

omg i hope you don't have to make "doe, a deer, a female deer..."

edit: i mean, venison...

Edited January 20, 2004 by gus_tatory (log)

[tryska]

maybe he could do something with goat instead.

yodeleyee yodeleyee yodeloo.

[ludja]

maybe he could do something with goat instead.

yodeleyee yodeleyee yodeloo.

or a lonely goatherd...

Edited January 20, 2004 by ludja (log)

[tryska]

*lol*!

not that there's anything wrong with that....

[Batgrrrl]

This sounds like a Literary Smackdown prompt, but it isn't. 

It might be, Brilliant!

Check out the old Time-Life "Cooking of Vienna's Empire" for amazing desserts. The Emperor's Pancakes. Rigo Janczi. (sp?) And of course, a sea of schlag. I'd climb every mountain for that.

Hmmm. A "King and I" Thai feast?

I confess to having thrown a "Sweeney Todd" party, and yes, served up meat pies.

For anyone who doesn't know the musical, it's about a vengeful barber who teams up with his landlady, who runs a restaurant; he kills his customers, sends them down a chute to the basement, where she grinds them up and serves them in pies to the unsuspecting London public of the 18th century.

Best. Musical. Ever.

Batgrrrl

Edited to say crap, I bet I don't get anymore invites to eGullet events!

Edited January 20, 2004 by Batgrrrl (log)

[Lady T]

I confess to having thrown a "Sweeney Todd" party, and yes, served up meat pies.

For anyone who doesn't know the musical, it's about a vengeful barber who teams up with his landlady, who runs a restaurant; he kills his customers, sends them down a chute to the basement, where she grinds them up and serves them in pies to the unsuspecting London public of the 18th century.

Best. Musical. Ever.

Batgrrrl

Edited to say crap, I bet I don't get anymore invites to eGullet events!

Best. Musical. Ever: I agree. Sometime before I retire from singing, I want, really badly, to do the role of Mrs. Lovett. ("Shepherd's pie, peppered/With actual shepherd...") Or, at least, to rent the score and learn it.

As to eGullet invites -- think of it the other way around and it's funnier and scarier yet: This is the one place where Mrs. Lovett's tastes, though unindulged, might be understood!

[Batgrrrl]

I confess to having thrown a "Sweeney Todd" party, and yes, served up meat pies.

For anyone who doesn't know the musical, it's about a vengeful barber who teams up with his landlady, who runs a restaurant; he kills his customers, sends them down a chute to the basement, where she grinds them up and serves them in pies to the unsuspecting London public of the 18th century.

Best. Musical. Ever.

Batgrrrl

Edited to say crap, I bet I don't get anymore invites to eGullet events!

Best. Musical. Ever: I agree. Sometime before I retire from singing, I want, really badly, to do the role of Mrs. Lovett. ("Shepherd's pie, peppered/With actual shepherd...") Or, at least, to rent the score and learn it.

Damn, girl, you'd make a kick-ass Mrs. Lovett! I had the privilege of playing in the pit orchestra for a summer stock production of it. Highlights:

running out to peek at the exit at intermission, to see how many people left half-way through;

watching the people in the front row jump and scream when the factory whistle blows for the first time; and, my favorite,

the night Sweeney got a little too "energetic" during one of his kills, and a big glob of shaving cream and stage blood went thwaap across my music, while I was playing. I didn't miss a beat.

Other musicals that would make for great dinner parties--how about watching Sunday in the Park with George, and having a picnic on the floor, complete with blankets and baskets?

Guys and Dolls with a speakeasy theme? More booze than food, but it'd be fun!