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.
Polenta is yellow cornmeal that's cooked over low heat until it becomes a delicious, tender mash. It belongs, with chestnuts and risotto, to the traditional peasant foods of Ticino.
An easy cake that features the best of Swiss summer produce—apricots and plums.
With the mercury just over 30°C at the moment, it's certainly too hot to cook, and luckily my Aunt Vreni recently gave me her super quick and easy recipe for Birchermüesli.
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.
Wandering bakers ventured forth from Graubünden and eventually made it home—then baked this delicious caramel and walnut tart.
The Caesar was invented in my hometown of Calgary in 1969, the same year that my mum moved from Switzerland to Canada.
And she was in good company. Immigration from Switzerland to Canada really began in the late 1800s, when the Canadian Pacific Railway hired three dozen Swiss guides to help set up mountaineering tourism in the Rockies.
The milky green Suissesse is creamy and refreshing and makes an excellent brunch drink (or hair of the dog).
Swap out Campari for Appenzeller Alpenbitter for a twist on this classic cocktail.
It was Oeil de Perdrix that led to the most profound and polemic wine revolution in the United States...
This cocktail uses two quintessentially Swiss drinks: Rivella, Switzerland's milk based soda pop, and Graübunden's favourite spirit, Röteli.
High on a Walliser mountain is the tiny community of Mund, who harvest no more than five kilos per year. Saffron grows from crocus flowers, each bloom yielding only three thin scarlet threads. It takes over a hundred flowers to make a single gram, which can cost upwards of 30 francs.
The saying goes that you should be able to read a newspaper (or see a coin) through the liquid, otherwise the coffee is too strong, or not enough booze has been added.
It's the fountain of youth in monkey form!
The name of this 1920s cocktail refers to the practice of grafting monkey testicles onto human testicles. For rejuvenation!
Hugo was the invention of a beardy, south Tirolean barkeep vagabond who mixed together Zitronenmelissensirup (lemon balm syrup), Prosecco, mint, and a spritz of soda water, thought up a name off the top of his head, and served it to regulars at his bar in Naturns in 2005.
Any hard Swiss cheese (or a mix) will work in this light and fluffy cheese pudding—or you can use cheddar, it's all good.
Wähe makes an excellent breakfast, lunch or dinner. Although you can make it with a variety of fruits, here's one of the classics: apricot.
Holunderblütensirup (elderflower syrup) is a syrup of many uses. In Switzerland it is added with abandon to sparking water, wine or cocktails (Hugo) for a light and floral summery taste.
Like a Linzer muffin, made Swiss with chocolate...
