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.
These little green plums are named after the plain but sweet Queen Claude of France, who reigned from 1515-1524.
According to the excellent cookbook, Kochen wie im alten Bern (loosely translated as Cook Like They Did in Old Bern), in the 1700s there was hardly a Swiss cookbook that didn't mention some sort of Zitronensalat (lemon salad).
"Why would you even bother to eat an apricot that didn't come from the Wallis?"
This is a sentiment shared by most Swiss people.
This potato salad is far from a Härdöpfu. Mayo-free, yet still rich and creamy, it's the perfect BBQ side dish on a hot summer day.
This version of the classic cake uses fresh cherries, and swaps out the whipped cream centre for a chocolate based filling.
This "salad" hardly needs a recipe. It is basically just sausage and cheese with a mayo infused vinaigrette. But there is something so comforting and classically Swiss about it. It is perfect as a quick dinner after a day at the pool or lake, something cool and simple, but still relatively hearty.
Part of the reason I'm still in Switzerland is thanks to this classic Canadian dessert.
I'm often too lazy to make anything like fried chicken, but if I'm craving something in that vein, this potato chip crusted chicken does the trick. It is absurdly easy to put together, just dip your drumsticks in a yogurt/mustard/mayo dressing then roll in the chips. The result is a glistening and crispy drumstick.
Although this dish is popular all over the world, it was two Swiss people who showed me the best way to make it.
Every evening of my childhood my mum, like the good Swiss ex-pat she is, would make herself a cup of Ovomaltine to drink. As a child I tolerated the stuff, but didn't love it, preferring sweeter powder-in-milk drinks like Nesquik. But over time Ovomaltine made its way into my heart...and my cookies.
Similar to the Italian spring pasta, Pasta Primavera, but with much more cheese.
The classy Swiss have an more elegant Götterspeise than their German neighbours (whose 'food of the gods' is basically Jello). Here, it's a layered dish of compote, custard, and biscuit (often Zwieback), similar to the British Trifle. Yum.
At one time this Arbeiter (worker) version of Cordon Bleu was the only way for lower classes, who could not afford more expensive meats like veal, to make this perennial favourite. Today it is a favourite for anyone who loves sausages and melted cheese (yes, please).
Originally the flammkuchen was used as a way to test the heat of wood-fired ovens. The embers were pushed aside and a very thinly doughed tart (almost like a pizza, but thinner), usually topped with bacon or cheese, would be set in the middle of the oven. If it could cook in as little as 1 - 2 minutes, the oven was at an ideal temperature.
Although it is technically a vegetable, rhubarb is primarily sweetened and used as a fruit. In the United Kingdom, where rhubarb remains quite popular, the first harvest is performed by candlelight in darkened sheds, which is thought to produce the tenderest stems.
Tomme vaudoise is a mild cheese produced in the Western part of Switzerland, sort of a small brie. The inside is creamy and mild, and the rind has a pungent, rustic taste.
This recipe for Maispizza (Corn pizza), comes from Betty Bossi's everyday recipe book, Alltags Rezepte mit Pfiff. This book, first published in 1975, is full of strange 70s recipes for meatloaf with banana and nostalgic classics, like this pizza.
Three ingredient chocolate mousse: egg whites, cream, and (Swiss) chocolate.
Leftover bread? Smear on some chocolate spread, toss on some brown bananas, douse in custard, and you've got a breakfast bake.
The beauty of this soup is that it can be made with any of the hard Swiss cheeses, depending on your mood (or what's on sale at the supermarket).
