Svíčková na Smetaně

What it really is

Svíčková na Smetaně Beef is slowly braised with root vegetables, then served with a smooth cream sauce and bread dumplings. Svíčková na smetaně is a classic Czech Sunday meal, often garnished with cranberry preserve and lemon.

The root vegetables are browned or softened with the beef, then blended or strained into a smooth sauce enriched with cream. The beef is sliced across the grain and plated with bread dumplings that absorb the sauce. Cranberry preserve and lemon add a sweet-tart counterpoint in a familiar serving style, though garnish varies. The name is associated with the creamy sauce as much as the roast itself; describing the dish as plain braised beef would miss that defining feature. Dairy, wheat and often egg should be checked in the sauce and dumplings.

The root vegetables are softened with the beef, then blended or strained into a smooth sauce enriched with cream. The beef is sliced across the grain; bread dumplings absorb the sauce. Cranberry preserve and lemon provide a familiar sweet-tart contrast, though garnishes vary.

How it's served

Serve sliced beef with the cream-root-vegetable sauce and bread dumplings. Cranberry preserve and lemon may be placed alongside as a sweet-tart garnish.

How to write it on the menu

Name the beef, cream sauce and dumplings. The sauce contains dairy; dumplings commonly contain wheat and may contain egg or milk.