Viennese boiled beef served with apple-horseradish sauce and roasted bone marrow — Austria's most refined main course.
Tafelspitz is the crown jewel of Viennese bourgeois cooking — prime rump or topside beef slow-poached in a rich vegetable broth until silky and tender. Emperor Franz Joseph reportedly ate it daily. It is served with the classic accompaniments: apple-horseradish sauce (Apfelkren), bread crumbs fried in butter, and roasted bone marrow. The cooking broth is served as a starter soup.
Serves 4
Place beef in cold water with charred onion, carrots, celery, parsley and peppercorns. Bring slowly to a simmer. Skim foam carefully. Simmer gently for 2.5 hours.
Beef is done when a fork slides in with no resistance. Remove and keep warm covered.
Mix grated apple with horseradish, vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt. Let stand 10 minutes.
Strain broth and serve a cup as a starter soup with chives.
Slice beef against the grain. Serve with Apfelkren, fried bread crumbs and roasted bone marrow alongside.
Charring the onion gives the broth a golden colour and depth.
Never boil the beef hard — a barely visible simmer keeps it tender.
The broth is a bonus dish — don't discard it.
Add a marrow bone to the broth for extra richness.
Serve with chive cream sauce (Schnittlauchsauce) as an alternative accompaniment.
Refrigerate sliced beef in broth for up to 3 days.
Tafelspitz became Vienna's defining restaurant dish in the 19th century. Its association with Emperor Franz Joseph cemented its place as Austria's most beloved traditional main.
Tafelspitz literally means 'table tip' and refers to the pointed rump cut. Topside or silverside are excellent alternatives.
Per serving · 4 servings total
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