This year, my father celebrated his 60th birthday. Since he is the definitive "man who has everything," we decided to make him an old school dinner as a tribute to his Austrian heritage. (My great-grandmother, Karoline, was born in Vienna; as a young teen, she migrated to the U.S. where she worked as a professional cook!) Of course, when I think of Viennese cooking, I think of breakfast pastries (they invented the croissant), intricate tortes, and schnitzel. So, the choice of Sacher Torte for dessert was a given. But how exactly does one incorporate the fresh gulf catch of the day into a menu based on the cuisine of a small, landlocked European nation? Turns out that lightly poached fish topped with a cucumber sour cream sauce was the perfect choice! Check out the rest below...<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0mNacsCO8PI/TGn2SZqKxRI/AAAAAAAAAaE/yYyQnovfxkA/s1600/NYC_0858.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0mNacsCO8PI/TGn2SZqKxRI/AAAAAAAAAaE/yYyQnovfxkA/s320/NYC_0858.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506202815422973202" /></a><br />Pretzel rolls from 1994 issue of Bon Appetit...so chewy and salty.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0mNacsCO8PI/TGn5ILo5fuI/AAAAAAAAAaM/INSWTzwiLBs/s1600/NYC_0867.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0mNacsCO8PI/TGn5ILo5fuI/AAAAAAAAAaM/INSWTzwiLBs/s320/NYC_0867.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506205938395741922" /></a><br />Ben's luxurious snapper bisque -- a high note of the meal, made even more surreal by the soothing sounds of Vienna's finest composers.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0mNacsCO8PI/TGn6F02puiI/AAAAAAAAAaU/JJP6AjR3vTQ/s1600/NYC_0859.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 277px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0mNacsCO8PI/TGn6F02puiI/AAAAAAAAAaU/JJP6AjR3vTQ/s320/NYC_0859.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506206997431302690" /></a><br />An old-school throwback of German-style potato salad. <br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0mNacsCO8PI/TGn7MLKTK4I/AAAAAAAAAac/9u04gZ3_u28/s1600/NYC_0870.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 281px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0mNacsCO8PI/TGn7MLKTK4I/AAAAAAAAAac/9u04gZ3_u28/s320/NYC_0870.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506208206010133378" /></a><br />Spinach souffle seemed a logical choice given the German name - Spinatauflauf Karoline! The recipe came from Gourmet magazine's hardback publication of "Old Vienna Cookbook" -- another vintage keeper!<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0mNacsCO8PI/TGn9prm5BuI/AAAAAAAAAak/feZo1Swbt_c/s1600/NYC_0869.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 179px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0mNacsCO8PI/TGn9prm5BuI/AAAAAAAAAak/feZo1Swbt_c/s320/NYC_0869.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506210911959451362" /></a><br />The main course of poached snapper.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0mNacsCO8PI/TGn-SRlwdeI/AAAAAAAAAas/a970Vu4f3dY/s1600/NYC_0864.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 263px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0mNacsCO8PI/TGn-SRlwdeI/AAAAAAAAAas/a970Vu4f3dY/s320/NYC_0864.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506211609350010338" /></a><br />The famous Sacher Torte - named after a hotel in Vienna, it is a light chocolate cake, filled with apricot jam, and glazed with ganache. It's sinful when topped with whipped cream.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0mNacsCO8PI/TGn0h4NUvPI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/Ri6hM1M3LS8/s1600/NYC_0879.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 216px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0mNacsCO8PI/TGn0h4NUvPI/AAAAAAAAAZ8/Ri6hM1M3LS8/s320/NYC_0879.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506200882298273010" /></a><br />The final touch of the evening was the genuine silver coffee service. An extremely tarnished coffee urn was polished to reveal the United Airlines logo! It appears to be a retro pot from the 1970s, used for service in the first class cabin. The rest of the set came from a 25th anniversary gift to Ben's parents. Note the whipped cream (or "schlag") -- a worthwhile indulgence that takes coffee to another level! Happy Birthday, Dad! Hope you enjoyed the gastronomic virtual trip to the mother land!<br /><br />(Mom - thanks for taking the photos while we cooked!)