Breaded Cutlets never quite taste "great"

QQQQ said:

I love breaded veal cutlets and also pork cutlets but I can never find a
spice mix and method to get them to taste the way they do in a good
restaurant.
Whats the spice secret.

The question is unanswerable. The most likely difference between your
home made cutlets and restaurant cutlets is that you probably use a
great deal less salt than the restaurant does. Beyond that, the spices
and herbs are entirely up to you. -aem

QQQQ said:

I love breaded veal cutlets and also pork cutlets but I can never find a
spice mix and method to get them to taste the way they do in a good
restaurant.
Whats the spice secret.

rq

The really fine restaurants do not use spices or herbs to add flavor
to their cutlets. The chef will just use the best meat available,
flatten it as thinly as possible, sprinkle it with a hint of salt and
then dip it in flour, egg and unflavored breadcrumbs for the breading.
Nothing else. The cutlets will then be pan fried (probably in a
mixture of unsalted butter and unflavored oil) and when done, drained
on paper towels for extra crispness. The cutlet will be served with
just a slice of lemon, with some kind of potatoes and cucumber salad
or Viennese mixed salad on the side. This is Wiener Schnitzel, the
way it is meant to be prepared and eaten.

Viennese Mixed Salad, Not What You May Expect:

This is nothing like the mixed salad that is served in the USA. The
mixed salad I mean is a selection tiny portions of salads, served on a
couple of Boston or Bibb lettuce leaves. On it you may find three,
four or five of the following: A tablespoon full of Potato Salad,
Cucumber Salad, String Bean Salad, Beet Salad (Alex forgive me!)
Celery Root Salad, Tomato and Onion Salad, Tiny Green Peas Salad or
whatever Vegetable Salad you may want to put in your mixed salad. If
you are artistic, the individual mixed salad plates may look like
stained glass.

It is equally traditional to serve this salad with Viennese Fried
Chicken, Wiener Backhuhn, with other meats or poultry or as the salad
course of a meal.

Try some caraway seeds in the salad, too. Dee-lish!

"Margaret Suran" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

QQQQ said:

I love breaded veal cutlets and also pork cutlets but I can never find a
spice mix and method to get them to taste the way they do in a good
restaurant.
Whats the spice secret.

rq

The really fine restaurants do not use spices or herbs to add flavor to
their cutlets. The chef will just use the best meat available, flatten it
as thinly as possible, sprinkle it with a hint of salt and then dip it in
flour, egg and unflavored breadcrumbs for the breading. Nothing else. The
cutlets will then be pan fried (probably in a mixture of unsalted butter
and unflavored oil) and when done, drained on paper towels for extra
crispness. The cutlet will be served with just a slice of lemon, with
some kind of potatoes and cucumber salad or Viennese mixed salad on the
side. This is Wiener Schnitzel, the way it is meant to be prepared and
eaten.

Viennese Mixed Salad, Not What You May Expect:

This is nothing like the mixed salad that is served in the USA. The mixed
salad I mean is a selection tiny portions of salads, served on a couple of
Boston or Bibb lettuce leaves. On it you may find three, four or five of
the following: A tablespoon full of Potato Salad, Cucumber Salad, String
Bean Salad, Beet Salad (Alex forgive me!) Celery Root Salad, Tomato and
Onion Salad, Tiny Green Peas Salad or whatever Vegetable Salad you may
want to put in your mixed salad. If you are artistic, the individual
mixed salad plates may look like stained glass.

It is equally traditional to serve this salad with Viennese Fried Chicken,
Wiener Backhuhn, with other meats or poultry or as the salad course of a
meal.

Margaret Suran said:

QQQQ said:

I love breaded veal cutlets and also pork cutlets but I can never find
a spice mix and method to get them to taste the way they do in a good
restaurant.
Whats the spice secret.

rq

The really fine restaurants do not use spices or herbs to add flavor to
their cutlets. The chef will just use the best meat available, flatten
it as thinly as possible, sprinkle it with a hint of salt and then dip
it in flour, egg and unflavored breadcrumbs for the breading. Nothing
else. The cutlets will then be pan fried (probably in a mixture of
unsalted butter and unflavored oil) and when done, drained on paper
towels for extra crispness. The cutlet will be served with just a slice
of lemon, with some kind of potatoes and cucumber salad or Viennese
mixed salad on the side. This is Wiener Schnitzel, the way it is meant
to be prepared and eaten.

Being a chicken fried steak addict i have gradually switched over to an
commercial Italian bread crumb coating with cheese and herbs in it
instead of a flour coating.

A purchase of a meat mallet was a great help in getting the meat just
the right thickness and tenderized and i have recently discovered
shoulder of beef. It makes nice sized pieces when cut, and flattened.
And is nice and tender even without pounding, works well in stir fry as
well as for chicken fried steak.

As far as authentic Wiener Schnitzel goes, i have had several differing
opinions offered to me, all good, some better than others but that is
really more a mater of personal taste than the nature of the dish itself.

One note that Margaret did not mention is the marinating of the veal
steaks in lemon juice for at lest 1 hour.

The following is an Austrian recipe and the others are vaiations on the
same dish, one an old NYC version and the others Italian.

Wiener Schnitzel (breaded veal cutlets)

2 pounds leg of veal, cut into slices 1/4 inch thick

1 cup fresh lemon juice

salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 eggs

2 tbs. water

1/4 cup flour

1 cup fine white read crumbs

1 & 1/2 cup lard

Pound the cultlets to about 3/8 inch thick and then n a glass, stainless
steel or enamelled baking dish, marinate the cutlets in lemon juice for
1 hour.

Pat them dry with paper towels, sprinkle them liberally with salt and
pepper, dip them in the eggs beaten with the water, then dip them in
flour and shake off the excess, and finally dip them in bread crumbs.
Gently shake any excess bread crumbs from the cutlets and refrigerate
for at least 20 minutes.

heat the lard in a heavy 12 inch skillet until a light haze forms over
it, then add the cutlets. Cook over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes on each
side, or until they are brown, using tongs to turn them. Serve
immediately, garnished with lemon wedges or anchovy butter sauce.
-----------

NYC Waldorf Astoria Wiener Schnitzel (circa 1920)
------------------------------------------------

Have 6 individual veal cutlets, about 3/4 of an inch thick, taken from
the loin, the filet or the top of the leg.

Lay each one, in its turn on a board or block, rub it over lightly with
mixed English mustard, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, and a sprinkling
of grated Parmesan cheese; then pound it fiercely with a meat mallet,
turn it over, season and pound again as before.

The fibre will be broken down and the cutlet will expand under the
punishment, which should not cease till the thickness has been reduced
to 3/8 of an inch.

With the final blows beat in a sprinkling of black pepper and salt.
Now, dip each cutlet first lightly in flour then in beaten egg and
lastly in fine white bread crumbs [hand written notation 'cracker crumbs'].

Saute in a frying pan with plenty of butter or olive oil, turning each
piece until it is well and evenly browned and serve on a hot platter
with a sprinkling of minced parsley.

A 'delicate tomato bisque' recipe is appended to be served as an
accompanying sauce.
-------------------

Veal cutlets parmesan
---------------------

1 pound veal cutlets

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 pound Mozzarella cheese

1 cup dry bread crumbs

2 eggs, beaten

1 can tomato sauce

1/4 tsp. salt

dash of pepper

Dip cutlets in beaten egg combined with seasonings, then in mixture of
parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Fry in butter until brown (about 8
minutes). Then place cutlets in a baking dish, pour tomato sauce over
them and add slices of Mozzarella cheese. Bake in moderate oven 10 - 15
minutes.
------

Frittura Piccata (veal with prosciutto)
---------------------------------------

1 pound veal cutlets, cut very thin

1/4 cup butter

2 tbs. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/8 pound procsiutto, sliced and slivered

2 tbs. stock

1 tbs. butter

1 tsp. chopped parsley

2 tsp. lemon juice

Heat 1/4 cup butter in frying pan. Dredge meat in flour, salt and
pepper place in frying pan and cook over high flame 2 minutes on each
side.

Remove meat. Place prosciutton on frying pan, cook 3 minutes, remove
from pan and place over veal.

Add stock, 1 tbs. butter and parsley to pan gravy, scrape pan well, cook
2 minutes and add lemon juice. Pour sauce over meat and serve immediately.
===========

If any ones interested i have a recipe for breaded veal chops cooked
with Marsala wine and truffles.
---
JL

Thanks for the advice.

rq

"Joseph Littleshoes" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Margaret Suran said:

QQQQ said:

I love breaded veal cutlets and also pork cutlets but I can never find a
spice mix and method to get them to taste the way they do in a good
restaurant.
Whats the spice secret.

rq

The really fine restaurants do not use spices or herbs to add flavor to
their cutlets. The chef will just use the best meat available, flatten
it as thinly as possible, sprinkle it with a hint of salt and then dip it
in flour, egg and unflavored breadcrumbs for the breading. Nothing else.
The cutlets will then be pan fried (probably in a mixture of unsalted
butter and unflavored oil) and when done, drained on paper towels for
extra crispness. The cutlet will be served with just a slice of lemon,
with some kind of potatoes and cucumber salad or Viennese mixed salad on
the side. This is Wiener Schnitzel, the way it is meant to be prepared
and eaten.

Being a chicken fried steak addict i have gradually switched over to an
commercial Italian bread crumb coating with cheese and herbs in it instead
of a flour coating.

A purchase of a meat mallet was a great help in getting the meat just the
right thickness and tenderized and i have recently discovered shoulder of
beef. It makes nice sized pieces when cut, and flattened. And is nice and
tender even without pounding, works well in stir fry as well as for
chicken fried steak.

As far as authentic Wiener Schnitzel goes, i have had several differing
opinions offered to me, all good, some better than others but that is
really more a mater of personal taste than the nature of the dish itself.

One note that Margaret did not mention is the marinating of the veal
steaks in lemon juice for at lest 1 hour.

The following is an Austrian recipe and the others are vaiations on the
same dish, one an old NYC version and the others Italian.

Wiener Schnitzel (breaded veal cutlets)

2 pounds leg of veal, cut into slices 1/4 inch thick

1 cup fresh lemon juice

salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 eggs

2 tbs. water

1/4 cup flour

1 cup fine white read crumbs

1 & 1/2 cup lard

Pound the cultlets to about 3/8 inch thick and then n a glass, stainless
steel or enamelled baking dish, marinate the cutlets in lemon juice for 1
hour.

Pat them dry with paper towels, sprinkle them liberally with salt and
pepper, dip them in the eggs beaten with the water, then dip them in flour
and shake off the excess, and finally dip them in bread crumbs. Gently
shake any excess bread crumbs from the cutlets and refrigerate for at
least 20 minutes.

heat the lard in a heavy 12 inch skillet until a light haze forms over it,
then add the cutlets. Cook over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes on each side,
or until they are brown, using tongs to turn them. Serve immediately,
garnished with lemon wedges or anchovy butter sauce.
-----------

NYC Waldorf Astoria Wiener Schnitzel (circa 1920)
------------------------------------------------

Have 6 individual veal cutlets, about 3/4 of an inch thick, taken from the
loin, the filet or the top of the leg.

Lay each one, in its turn on a board or block, rub it over lightly with
mixed English mustard, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, and a sprinkling of
grated Parmesan cheese; then pound it fiercely with a meat mallet, turn it
over, season and pound again as before.

The fibre will be broken down and the cutlet will expand under the
punishment, which should not cease till the thickness has been reduced to
3/8 of an inch.

With the final blows beat in a sprinkling of black pepper and salt. Now,
dip each cutlet first lightly in flour then in beaten egg and lastly in
fine white bread crumbs [hand written notation 'cracker crumbs'].

Saute in a frying pan with plenty of butter or olive oil, turning each
piece until it is well and evenly browned and serve on a hot platter with
a sprinkling of minced parsley.

A 'delicate tomato bisque' recipe is appended to be served as an
accompanying sauce.
-------------------

Veal cutlets parmesan
---------------------

1 pound veal cutlets

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 pound Mozzarella cheese

1 cup dry bread crumbs

2 eggs, beaten

1 can tomato sauce

1/4 tsp. salt

dash of pepper

Dip cutlets in beaten egg combined with seasonings, then in mixture of
parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Fry in butter until brown (about 8
minutes). Then place cutlets in a baking dish, pour tomato sauce over
them and add slices of Mozzarella cheese. Bake in moderate oven 10 - 15
minutes.
------

Frittura Piccata (veal with prosciutto)
---------------------------------------

1 pound veal cutlets, cut very thin

1/4 cup butter

2 tbs. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/8 pound procsiutto, sliced and slivered

2 tbs. stock

1 tbs. butter

1 tsp. chopped parsley

2 tsp. lemon juice

Heat 1/4 cup butter in frying pan. Dredge meat in flour, salt and pepper
place in frying pan and cook over high flame 2 minutes on each side.

Remove meat. Place prosciutton on frying pan, cook 3 minutes, remove from
pan and place over veal.

Add stock, 1 tbs. butter and parsley to pan gravy, scrape pan well, cook 2
minutes and add lemon juice. Pour sauce over meat and serve immediately.
===========

If any ones interested i have a recipe for breaded veal chops cooked with
Marsala wine and truffles.
---
JL

Joseph Littleshoes said:

Being a chicken fried steak addict i have gradually switched over to an
commercial Italian bread crumb coating with cheese and herbs in it
instead of a flour coating.

A purchase of a meat mallet was a great help in getting the meat just
the right thickness and tenderized and i have recently discovered
shoulder of beef. It makes nice sized pieces when cut, and flattened.
And is nice and tender even without pounding, works well in stir fry as
well as for chicken fried steak.

Thanks for this! Crash is a chicken fried steak fiend. I've never
gotten it quite right for him. Now maybe I can!

He does like my breaded pork cube steak, though. I fry it, then bake
it for awhile on a rack, so the fat drips away, and the breading gets
really crisp.

Carol
--

Some people are like Slinkies... they don't really have a purpose but
they bring a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs.

Stolen from "traid" on the IRC