Hi, I'm Andie.
I live near the Swiss Alps, in Bern, and I love not only melting cheese, but all kinds of Swiss cooking.
All in Swiss Main Courses
The word spätzle (spätzli in Switzerland) literally means 'little sparrows', perhaps describing the shape. The similar knöpfli, which uses the same batter but is formed in a little ball, is the diminutive word for 'buttons' in German.
I know it's much easier to buy a tube, but impossibly light, creamy, homemade mayo is not only more delicious, it's also surprisingly easy to make, especially with an immersion blender.
Pair it with ham, asparagus, and a poached egg for a perfect light spring dinner.
The Mönchsbart that arrives each spring in Switzerland is mostly grown next door along the Italian coast and in Ticino, where it is known as barbe di frate or agretti. Although its season is extremely limited, I managed to find it in my local Coop in the middle of the Emmental.
Sbrinz, the wonder cheese!
This beauty is great for grating and it's one of your best companions on a cheese board. Here it gives the classic Italian dish Eggplant Parmesan a Swiss twist.
Ads in our local paper last week were full of the question:
Who has the hardest egg in the Emmental?
Perfect for a Good Friday fish feast (or any day of the year), these fish cakes were traditionally made in Weggis, a small town bordering Lake Lucerne.
This classic Bündner dish is made up of buttery potato niblets, served with cheese, apple or cranberry sauce, and milky coffee.
It felt a little strange, putting tomatoes in my fondue pot...
Belper Knolle is a magical, hard, peppery and garlicky cheese ball that you can grate over just about any dish.
Schinken im Teig just means ham in dough. Here the pork is first studded with dried fruit and carefully wrapped with bacon.
Flaky pastry stuffed with apples, cheese, potatoes, onions, leeks, bacon, and pears.
Although, it doesn't seem to be Christmas oriented, the flavour and design of this tart from canton Vaud is festive, and it would add a welcome burst of green at any holiday buffet.
In honour of the Zibelemärit (onion market) today in Bern, I thought I would make some Swiss Onion Soup.
(ok, so it's actually French Onion Soup, with some slight alterations.)
I often have a difficult time ordering Brät at the butcher's, as I find it really hard to pronounce in Swiss German.
"Brät, bitte"
"Brot?"
"Nein, Brät."
"Brie?"
"Nein, Brääät."
"Oh, Brät!"
Faster than you can say Jack-O-Lantern, your pumpkin can be turned into a mini fondue.
I've never seen my little Luusmeitschi devour something as rapidly as this gourd-y Älplermagrone.
As I wrote last week, we had a big pear surplus chez nous. It was pears for days, which necessitated a pear topping for our Friday night pizza—hence Pizza Williams.
You won't regret making your very own sourdough baby—sourdough pizza crust is, if time consuming, exceptionally delicious.
Ziger.
My mother-in-law, Josy, often waxes poetic about the stuff, which is made from whey, a byproduct of cheesemaking.
My grandmother, Rosa von Gunten, had four children and some great quick dinners up her sleeve. This garlicky tomato and bacon tart was one of them, and a favourite of her kids.
