Insights into Grabmer's award-winning cuisine
The toque chef Elisabeth Grabmer taught herself her craft. In her gourmet restaurant - the Waldschänke in Grieskirchen - she cooks with her son Clemens. Her husband is also her sommelier. We paid Elisabeth Grabmer a visit and elicited a few secrets from her...
Where does your region inspire you for your work?
When I'm out and about finding ideas for our annual gourmet rally. And when I meet the many, innovative farm-gate marketers in the region who offer great products: Pasta, eggs, oils, chocolate, bacon, must, fruit juices, vinegars, sheep's cheese and much more. Great basic products inspire me to make new creations.
The garden of the Waldschänke Grieskirchen.
Lovingly laid table in the restaurant.
Mother and son planning the menu.
Which places do you see as representing the enjoyment of art and culture in the region?
Oh, there are many. The Schallerbacher Music Summer brings great artists to the area. The Hofbühne in Tegernbach always has great theatre and concerts on its programme and the Theater am Bauernhof in Meggenhofen has well-known artists on stage every summer. I also love the exhibitions at Galerie Schloss Parz. The Landlwochen (country weeks ) in May are certainly a highlight, where you can visit regional artists at work - Manfred Hebenstreit, for example, or Maria Kospach.
What smells do you associate with your homeland?
I grew up on a farm in the Mühlviertel. Here we did everything ourselves. We baked bread, made sausages and grew fruit and vegetables in our fields. In Grieskirchen there is a small alley - the Mühlbachgasse - and in this alley you can find the baker Nimmervoll, the butcher Englmaier and the organic shop Frau Holle. The smells in this alley remind me of the past, of life on the farm.
You run the restaurant with your husband and are in the kitchen with your son - a real family business. Where is Grieskirchen a dream for families?
Grieskirchen is a paradise for families! The childcare at the Kinderwerkstatt and the many educational institutions immediately come to mind. The children's playgrounds designed by the children, the many successful sports clubs and the new housing initiative at Schloss Parz are also great.
Where do you buy a typical souvenir as a guest gift?
Our friends are always happy about Grieskirchen beer, but also about regional delicacies. And souvenirs from the Pöttinger art smithy are always very well received.
Which accommodation do you like in Grieskirchen?
We like to accommodate our guests in the Goldschmiedehaus in the centre of Grieskirchen. The small hotel is furnished with a lot of charm and attention to detail. Everyone is thrilled by the wonderful organic breakfast.
Where does innovation take place in Grieskirchen?
Companies such as Pöttinger Landmaschinentechnik, Haberfellner-Mühle, Technologiezentrum TIZ, Fröling or Gföllner are among the world market leaders in their industries. They are active in research and important employers.
What should you have seen in the Hausruckviertel?
The Pilsnerei in Grieskirchen. There, following the brewery tour, not only the brewery's own beers are tasted, but also many craft beers.
Recipe by Elisabeth Grabmer: Braised veal breast with carrot cream, pea vegetables and pickled radishes
Ingredients:
Veal breast:
- 300 g veal breast
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- 3 carrots
- ½ celery
- 4 red onions
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 100 ml red wine
- Vegetable stock to pour on (or broth)
- Mustard ( to coat the veal breast)
Carrot cream:
- 6 carrots
- 2 apples
- 100 ml apple juice
- 100 ml white wine
- Mustard seed
- Fennel seed
Pickled radishes:
- 100 ml water
- 100 ml
- vinegar
- 50 g sugar
- Radishes
Mace foam:
- dried mace
- 200 ml cream
- 100 ml milk
- 50 g butter
- 60 g sour cream
Pea vegetables:
- Peas
- Sugar snap peas
- Spinach
- Butter
- Salt
- pepper
- some vegetable stock
Preparation:
Veal breast: Season the veal breast with pepper and rosemary and sear on both sides. Fry the finely chopped carrots, celery and red onions and add a spoonful of tomato purée, then deglaze several times with red wine. Pour in vegetable stock and cover half of the veal breast with it, cook at 140 degrees for about 1 hour, then turn over once and cook in the oven for another hour. After approx. 2 hours, prick the breast with a meat fork. When the fork comes away easily and without resistance, the breast is done. Then strain the sauce, add a little fresh rosemary, add butter and let it boil down a little.
Tip: Make it the day before and let it cool down so that you can cut the breast of veal more easily.
Carrot cream: Peel thecarrots and cut into small cubes. Core apples and cut into quarters. Put the carrots and apples on a baking tray, pour in apple juice, white wine and add rosemary, mustard seeds and fennel seeds. Place in the oven at 160 degrees. After about 10 minutes, deglaze again with apple juice and white wine, do this until everything is white, then mix well to a cream with salt, pepper, nutmeg and a little vinegar to taste.
Pickled radishes: Bring water, vinegar and sugar to the boil and leave the radishes to marinate for 1 hour.
Mace foam: Bring the milk and cream to the boil and infuse the dried mace, strain in the remaining ingredients, season with salt and pepper and mix well with a bar mixer.
Tip: if it doesn't foam well, it may still have been too hot. Simply add a small piece of butter.
Pea vegetables: Boil the peas briefly in salted water and immediately rinse in ice water (they stay nice and green and crunchy). Before serving, sauté the peas and sugar snap peas in butter and season with salt and pepper.
Tip: Long-grain pepper tastes slightly lemony and not so hot. Just before serving, add the spinach and deglaze with vegetable stock.
Finally: Cut the veal breast and warm it at 30 degrees Celsius and crisp it up a bit more.
What do you consider a typical Upper Austrian dish?
Hausruckviertler Mostbrat'l" immediately comes to mind. If you want a really good bratl, you have to go to Gasthof Klinger in Gaspoltshofen.
What could you never do without in your home country?
The many warm and friendly people and the many social events.
Did you know that...
Elisabeth Grabmer likes recipes without pictures better than those with photos? Pictureless recipes would work better for the top chef, she reveals in an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung in April 2017. Simply reading the recipe creates a picture of the dish in your mind. I wonder if that's why her food tastes so good.
