Bären Käseschnitte
One of my favourite restaurants is the historic Gasthof Bären, in the Emmental town of Langnau, which has been around for centuries.
The Bären’s friendly bear, mounted over the entrance and extending his paw in greeting.
Gasthof Bären, Langnau im Emmental
Already mentioned in 1432, this makes the Bären the oldest of all the inns in Langnau by at least a hundred years. It was rebuilt in 1730, and later that century the famous doctor, Michael Schüppach, moved in. By 1750 he was world-renowned, and wealthy and notable people from all over the world (including royalty, clergy, and even Göethe himself), visited the good doctor, making Langnau a fashionable Kurort, health resort.
Today, you can find out much more about the history of the Langnau in the Chüechlihüs, the local museum which is just across from the Bären.
Here are some of my favourite things to look at in the museum—butter moulds, cheese cauldrons, and vintage cheese advertising.
After a visit to the museum, we often stop at the Bären next door for a cool beer (Burgdorfer on tap), or my favourite, a burger.
So imagine my delight, when they recently asked me to contribute an item to their summer menu.
I knew right away that it had to honour their support of local producers, and a gooey Käseschnitte, with local bread, meat, cheese and eggs, ticked all the boxes for me. Paired with a great summer salad, it was my favourite kind of meal.
Last Sunday evening I was invited to try it, and it was the perfect respite after a long day in the garden with a side of toddler wrangling.
If you can’t make it to Langnau, don’t fret! Here is a recipe for a homemade version: easy, quick, satisfying, and on the table in less than half an hour.
(Of course, the version at the Bären tasted even better than my homemade version, but maybe head chef Klaus Stucki has some tricks up his sleeve, or it’s just the novelty of being cooked for, or simply the atmosphere, or the beer…)
The version I made served two, scale up (or down!) as needed.
butter for greasing
2 thick pieces of bread
150 ml beer
100 g ham
150 g hard cheese, grated
2 eggs
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 200 C / 400 F / gas mark 6.
Grease a small, oven proof dish (big enough to fit the two pieces of bread snugly).
Pour the beer into a shallow dish.
Soak the bread in the beer, then place it in the dish.
Place the ham on the bread, then the grated cheese on top.
If there is any leftover beer in the shallow dish, I usually just pour this into the baking dish as well.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until melted and browned to your liking.
Melt a bit of butter in a small frying pan. When it starts to splutter, crack in your eggs and cook them until they are sunny side up.
Serve on top of the Käseschnitte.
The Bären serves Burgdorfer as their beer on tap, and that’s what they use for this dish. I used another local beer, Äs Frömd’s from the Mein Emmental brewery in Zollbrück (also served at the Bären).
Many of our local shops sell beautiful Buure Hamme, big chunks of pork flaked off the joint. However, other kinds of ham would also work, either leftovers from a roast or even a sliced variant. Of course bacon would also be delicious, and just leave out the meat for a veggie friendly meal.
At the Bären they use cheese from their local dairy, the Ilfis Käserei. Although we just live over the hill, we have a different local dairy, and I prefer a local cheese, Trubschacher Bergkäse. Otherwise Gruyère, Appenzeller, or something similar would work.
More runny yolks?
Ofenguck
