Strudels

During one trip to central Europe, I was on a strudelmaking mission. Everywhere I went, I saw bakers take flour, oil, and water and make a dough that was effortlessly stretched to edible gossamer. In Vienna, the master baker Wolfgang Leschanz and his assistant spent all morning patiently teaching an American man how to make apple strudel. In Budapest, I spent another morning in the kitchen of Bagolyvár Restaurant, near the city park, where the chefs are I was assured by these chefs that my case wasn’t hopeless, and that it was merely a matter of practice. The ladies of Bagolyvár were right.