Needless to say, it is now a sign of the best breeding to substitute an English word for a German one. Mixen is now a verb and gemmixte drinks are produced in Mixbecber. The Gnädiger Herr and Frau have forgotten how to speak French; their dogs are English terriers called Visky und Zoda and their car is terribly smart, an imported Fortwagen. The Jour guests now enjoy Pink Ladies and Specials, Slings and Sours, all of them extremely sweet. They nibble on Cocktailbissen and have given up their Turkish cigarettes and their Wiener Wald for Camels and Kents.
But the food at a Cocktailjour is still very much the same. Nothing could prevent a Viennese hostess from preparing one of her beloved Torten whenever guests are expected. The Jour now starts with tea and sweet “bakeries” and goes on to salt “bakeries, ” Joursandwiehes, and Scbnitten and Bissen of every kind. Kartoffelcbips are much admired. And finally, Vienna still being Vienna, the guests happily follow several four-Special-Martinis with Sacber Tone.
The Cocktailjour is full of wit and charm. There are still chairs to sir on, hands to kiss, and heels to click. The guests may arrive in tiny red road-bugs or on smart teardrop scooters instead of in stately carriages, but the jour is still a leisurely and relaxed occasion when friends meet and know that, happily, they will meet—and eat—together again.
Spitzbuben
Cut 1 ½ cups butter into 3 cups all-purpose flour sifted with ½ cup sugar. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and work the ingredients into a smooth dough. Chill the dough thoroughly. Roll it out as thin as possible on a lightly floured board and cut out rounds with a 2-inch fluted cutter. Cut a 1-inch center out of half the rounds. Bake rings and rounds on an unbuttered cookie sheet in a moderately slow oven (325° F.) for 15 minutes. Dust the hot rings with sugar, spread the rounds with apricot jam, and lay the rings on them. Sprinkle the jam with chopped blanched almonds. Makes about 48.
Hörnehen
Have all the ingredients for (his recipe as cold as possible, and work in a cool place. Cut 1 cup less 2 tablespoons butter into 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour sifted with ½ cup sugar. Add ½ cup blanched ground almonds, 2 egg yolks, and ½ teaspoon vanilla, and work the ingredients into a smooth dough. Chill the dough for at least an hour. Roll the dough into strips the thickness of a finger and cut the strips into 2-inch pieces. Roll out each piece until it is 3 inches long and curve it into a crescent. Bake the crescents on a buttered baking sheet in a slow oven (300° F.) for about 20 minutes, until they are dry and very faintly colored. Sprinkle a plate heavily with vanilla sugar—powdered sugar in which a vanilla bean has been buried for several days. With a spatula carefully transfer the warm crescents to the plate and sprinkle them with more vanilla sugar. Makes about 60.
Flûses Encbantées
Beat I cup sugar, 4 eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla until the mixture is light and creamy. Fold in thoroughly 1 cup all-purpose Hour. Drop the mixture by teaspoons onto a buttered baking sheet at least 3 inches apart. With a knife spread the batter out as thin as possible. Make only 6 wafers at one time. Place the baking sheet on top of a second baking sheet to keep the wafers from browning too fast and bake them in a very hot oven (450° F.) for 7 minutes. or until the edges are brown. Remove from the oven.
Loosen the wafers with a spatula and roll them, while they arc still warm and flexible, into tubes ½ inch thick. Lay the wafers seam-side down to keep them rolled. If the wafers harden too quickly, return the pan to the oven for a minute. As they cool they become brittle. Repeat this process, baking 6 wafers at a time, until the baiter is used,With a pastry bag fill the tubes with praline cream and dip the ends in melted sweet chocolate. Makes 48.
Praline Cream
In a copper or enamel saucepan cook 1 cup sugar with 1/3 cup unblanched almonds and ½ cup hazelnuts over medium hear until the sugar melts, stirring constantly. Turn the mixture out on a lightly oiled baking sheet to cool and harden. Crush the praline with a rolling pin to make a medium coarse powder.
Cream ½ cup butter well with 2/3 cup powdered sugar and 2 egg yolks. Melt 4 ounces sweet chocolate over hot water and stir in ½ teaspoon triple-Strength coffee, ½ teaspoon vanilla, and 2 tablespoons cream. Combine the chocolate and the butter mixture and beat the cream until it is smooth. Stir in the praline powder. Chill the cream well before using it.
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