August has a reputation for being a slow month for celebrations. In my community, however, the month is full of birthdays, starting with my best friend Karen on the 1st, my husband Michael on the 2nd, my son Gideon and cousin-in-law Stephanie on the 3rd, Sydney on the 7th, my mother on the 8th, plus several Deborahs, my aunt Linda, and my friend Mimi all celebrating their arrival on the planet later in the month.
August is also a time for us to gather with friends for relaxed evenings before the hectic re-entry into school and the busy weeks of the High Holy Days.
Gideon has had the good fortune to celebrate his birthdays in some of the most wonderful places on earth, including Paris, Stockholm, San Francisco and Camp Tawonga. This year was Vienna, where he enjoyed a real wienerschnitzl with potato salad.
And when Gideon celebrates his birthday with his grandmother in Sweden, they enjoy Swedish meatballs. This year we’re surprising my mother with a classic Swedish Tosca cake.
So, what’s not to celebrate?
Wienerschnitzl
Serves 6
6 slices veal shoulder
fine sea salt
1/2 cup flour
3 eggs
3/4 cup fine breadcrumbs
8 Tbs. vegetable oil
Pound the meat very thin, and make small slits in the edges. This prevents the meat from curling up when it cooks. Sprinkle lightly with the salt.
Put the flour in one large plate. Beat the eggs and put them on another large plate. Pour the breadcrumbs on a third plate. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Dredge the pounded veal slices in the flour, then in the eggs, and then in the breadcrumbs. Fry the breaded veal in the hot oil for a few minutes on each side. Serve immediately with a lemon wedge and Potato Salad.
Agneta Liljestrand’s Swedish Meatballs
Serves 6-8
2 lbs. ground beef
1 egg, beaten
2 slices soft white bread, finely chopped
1 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
3/4 cup beef stock
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
Mix together the beef, egg and white bread. Stir in the sugar, pepper, nutmeg, ginger, beef stock and salt. Form the mixture into one-inch balls.
Brush a baking dish with the vegetable oil. Place the meatballs in a single layer in the baking dish, and bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with Lingonberry Preserves and noodles.
Tosca Cake
Serves 6-8
3 eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
8 oz. unsalted butter, melted
For the topping:
1/2 cup slivered almonds
4 oz. unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbs. flour
1 Tbs. milk
Whisk the eggs and sugar together until light and fluffy. Stir in the flour and melted butter. Pour the batter into a 9-inch by 13-inch baking pan that has been lined with parchment paper. Bake the cake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes.
Put the topping ingredients in a medium saucepan, and bring to a simmer for 1 minute. Spread the topping over the warm cake, and place under a preheated broiler for just a minute or two — until slightly brown. Remove the cake from the broiler and allow the cake to cool completely. Cut into squares and serve.
Rebecca Ets-Hokin is a certified culinary professional. Visit her Web site at www.GoRebecca.com. She can be reached at [email protected].