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.
Usually it is a mistake to make someone's family recipe, and this was no exception.
A retro Swiss classic—pineapple, ham, processed cheese and a cherry on top.
According to the Oxford Companion to Beer, in 1890 there were 500 domestic breweries in Switzerland. By 1998, there were only about 24 breweries left.
So what happened?
In Swiss German the Aaschnitt, or end of the bread, is called something different in practically every region of the country. Regardless of what you call it, it makes great bread pudding.
Quince featured prominently in ancient times. The words for quince and apple were synonymous, and in some cases what was translated as apple may have actually been quince. Quince was probably the golden apple that Paris awarded to the most beautiful goddess, Aphrodite, and when the speedy Atalanta tried to outrun her suitors, the golden apples that Hippomenes used to slow her were also probably quinces.
These chestnuts, glazed with caramel, feature in the Wildteller.
(And they are excellent spooned over ice cream as well.)
Cabbage is an integral part of the Wild plate, as well as a great side dish at Christmas or Thanksgiving. This recipe produces a sweet and meaty cabbage that your intestines will hopefully be able to withstand.
I'm sure my mother never tired of my requests for spätzli when I was a child. She would boil them up and serve them warm, with a saucy, meaty stew.
Poached pears aren't just for dessert. On a Wildteller, they feature as one of the seasonal sides, with a daub of cranberry sauce in their center.
These buttery brassica are improved with ground almonds and a swirl of butter.
This Rehpfeffer, a kind of deer stew, has a secret ingredient: chocolate.
This marinade recipe comes from a Bernese cookbook from 1749. And it's for bear meat.
Wild is the German word for game (as in animals that you can hunt). Autumn is Wild season and restaurants all over Switzerland and central Europe prepare plates that feature game meats and traditional side dishes.
As far as I can tell, the Swiss Army is fuelled by Kambly biscuits and Käseschnitten.
"Double cheese and dripping with fat" was Sam's explanation of a true Käseschnitte.
The most beloved form, or Militärkäseschnitte, demands a waiting time of three hours. When that just won't do, try this simple baked-not-fried variant instead.
The market stalls in Bern are filled with late autumn fruit and the plums are holding court. If Zwetschgen is King, then his Queen is the tiny golden Mirabelle.
I've set my mirabelles to soak, using gin as my boozy base, and in a few weeks' time, there'll be boozy fruit for spooning over ice cream, as well as mirabelle infused gin, perfect for cocktails.
Unless you grew up in Switzerland, you probably have no idea what Schabziger is. However, if you did, you probably have only one of two reactions to it: disgust, or unbridled passion.
Schabziger is unique to Glarus, one of Switzerland's smallest cantons. It has the honour of being Switzerland's oldest protected brand and is perhaps the most polarising cheese in Switzerland's culinary canon.
One of the most beloved and versatile baked goods in Switzerland, this time with plums.
It's hard to imagine anything better than the Linzer Torte, so imagine my surprise at discovering the St Galler Klostertorte, its cousin from over the alps, made Swiss by adding, of course, chocolate.
Ah, the Berner Rose. The name of both a delicate tomato and a tart, juicy apple. Both of which would probably be delicious in a Tarte Tatin.
