Spargel einfach Spitze

by Peter Bührer

Possibly my favourite cookbook pun of all time.

(The title translates to ‘Asparagus, simply ‘Spitze’’, a word which has two meanings in German, both referring to the tip or point of something, and something that is great or super.)

This gentle ode to asparagus was published in 1985 and came about as a result of a broken leg.

Its author, Peter Bührer, was just twenty years old and training as a cook when he had a skiing accident and broke his leg. Unable to stand in the kitchen he began collecting asparagus recipes (it was their season by that time, after all). Bored by the ones he found, he started coming up with his own and gathering them into a book. Skeptical that anyone would buy it, he asked top chefs for their recipes to add to the book as well.

It seems he greatly underestimated the German-speaking realm’s love of Spargel, because his modest cookbook became a hit.

It was his first book of many—at twenty-one, he went on to write Schweizer Spezialitäten, a great collection of traditional recipes from all cantons and would eventually follow this up with dozens more.

Spargel Einfach Spitze serves as a lovely appetizer to his longer, more comprehensive books, but you can already see his careful attention to detail and skill at curating recipes.

It starts with a wealth of information about asparagus, like how it grows, how it’s harvested, and how to best trim and clean it.

Then comes the excellent first chapter of recipes—Spitzenkochen aus der ganzen Welt stellen ihr liebstes Spargelgericht vor (top chefs from around the world present their favourite asparagus dishes).

It’s a veritable who’s who of famous Swiss chefs abroad, as well as notable chefs in Swiss restaurants. There are recipes from the legendary Zürich chef Rosa Tschudi , Solothurner Anton Mosimann (initially of the Dorchester, who later was chosen to make the reception dinner for the wedding of William and Kate), head chef at the White House from 1966 to 1987, Aldorf-born Henry Haller, Seppi Renggli, originally from Küssnacht, who was the long-time head chef of the Four Seasons in New York, and renowned chef, educator and cookbook writer from Aargau, Agnes Amberg.

There are plenty of Bührer’s own recipes as well with numerous sauces and plenty of regional Swiss recipes too. There are a few pages of colour photos, but generally the rest are black and white, including the photos of the top chefs.

The introduction of the book was also a coup—he got legendary Swiss food writer and educator Harry Schraemli to write it for him.

Bührer would go on to write over 40 more books and become a management consultant, restaurant concept developer, private chef, and publisher—here’s a great asparagus-related article about him and here’s his personal website. But this simple start, a useful book of asparagus recipes, revealed his incredible potential.

The recipes are simple and classic. You have all the sauces you need: Béchamel, Hollandaise, Noisette, Mornay. There are gratins, toasts, mousses, salads, ragouts, soufflés, risottos, terrines, casseroles, omelettes, soups and even drinks. An asparagus for every occasion.

Although not all the recipes were hits with all the family members, there is definitely something for everone in the book—if you’re an asparagus fan, that is.

The Verdict:

If Spargelzeit is your favourite time of year, then this is the cookbook for you!