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.
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.
Swap out Campari for Appenzeller Alpenbitter for a twist on this classic cocktail.
Appenzeller Toast (also known as Toast Williams) follows in the quick and easy 'Toast' tradition and features bacon and pears.
There is intense debate over where the cheese should be placed in the lineup. Some object to the cheese under the fruit and prefer a blanket of cheese covering the entire toast. Others argue that the juicy pineapple slice and appetizing red of the cherry should not be hidden under a mantel of cheese.
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?
The Basler Kirschenbrottorte is just what the German describes—cherry bread cake from Basel. It's basically a big bread pudding, chock full of cherries.
I was pretty convinced that Switzerland could not do brownies—but that was before I found a recipe for Basler Schoggitorf.
Another dish to celebrate Fasnacht, here is the warm and bready Basler Mehlsuppe.
Easily Switzerland's most famous bread, Zopf is enjoyed in all regions of the country, particularly the Emmental, where butter is treasured and added to the bread with abandon, and the braids are often giant and sold by the metre.
Belper Knolle is a magical, hard, peppery and garlicky cheese ball that you can grate over just about any dish.
It turns out that the Bernese have been enjoying pumpkin pie for centuries.
As early as Roman times filled eggs were served as a first course for wealthy diners. Through the ages they have been enjoyed all over Europe with numerous filling variations including: cheese, raisins, herring, anchovies and even caviar. The Swiss version is like a bacon and egg breakfast with christmas spices.
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).
This onion tart is one of the traditional foods served at Bern's famous onion market.
This marinade recipe comes from a Bernese cookbook from 1749. And it's for bear meat.
The Emmental version of a big eggy pancake, primed for fruity or creamy toppings.
Potatoes slow-cooked in milk for a wonderfully creamy and comforting meal.
Gotthelf's dense, chocolatey cake, decorated after his most famous tale, the horror classic The Black Spider.
This is a quick, one-dish meal featuring seasonal tomatoes and herbs (and lots of sausage).
Featured on the summer menu of Langnau's Gasthof Bären, this homemade version is easy, quick, satisfying, and on the table in less than half an hour.
A deeply satisfying chocolate cake with a moist, almost fudgy middle. It tastes great warm from the oven, or after a few days in the fridge.
If you live in the Emmental, there is only one place for Merängge: Kemmeriboden.
There are plenty of delicious things to make with strawberries, and as they go mouldy quickly, it’s sometimes best to freeze them, jam them, or throw them on top of a tart like this one.
The Swiss have some potent elixirs for when they want to make a match. Two of the best are the cherry-flavoured liqueur Röteli, from canton Graubünden, and Brächere Brönnts, a golden caramel schnapps from the Emmental.
After a hard day of breaking flax, there’s no better reward than this traditional caramel schnapps.
Ads in our local paper last week were full of the question:
Who has the hardest egg in the Emmental?
Fabiana’s Lucernese gingerbread is a fan favourite among her five children, numerous grandchildren, and Sam’s family, who lived next door for over a decade.
I’m delighted to introduce my friend Friedrich Studer, who wrote this guest post on how to make a perfect Schwarze, boozy coffee from the Entlebuch.
A versatile toast from the Entlebuch, sweet and savoury, where creamy mushrooms are the star of the show.
Full of greens and cream, this classic soup from canton Fribourg is sure to warm your belly.
The version from Murten, this bready base is topped with slightly sour, slightly caramelized cream.
The savoury version of the bready Mont Vully classic, topped with bacon and caraway seeds.
The name is misleading—vin cuit (cooked wine) is actually a thick syrup made from boiling down pears, sometimes apples, and rarely grapes, until they become dark, sweet, sticky, and molasses-y. Traditionally, this was done in big copper pots over open fires.
This buttery pear and raisin tart was traditionally served during Geneva’s Escalade celebrations in early December.
I love Schabziger, Glarus’ polarizing green cheese, and was glad to have an excuse to spread it all over the leftovers in my breadbox.
What better way to celebrate St Fridolin, patron saint of Glaurs, than with the flaky, double stuffed puff pastry Glarner Pastete? Half filled with plums and half with almond paste, it's beloved in the canton and made in numerous bakeries throughout the region.
Swiss chard is not native to Switzerland, so what makes it Swiss?
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.
The Swiss have some potent elixirs for when they want to make a match. Two of the best are the cherry-flavoured liqueur Röteli, from canton Graubünden, and Brächere Brönnts, a golden caramel schnapps from the Emmental.
Marianne Kaltenbach lists these Polentaknödel as a Bündner speciality in her Aus Schweizer Küchen and drizzles her final, already cheese strewn, product with an espresso cup's worth of melted butter.
This classic Bündner dish is made up of buttery potato niblets, served with cheese, apple or cranberry sauce, and milky coffee.
Wandering bakers ventured forth from Graubünden and eventually made it home—then baked this delicious caramel and walnut tart.
This cocktail uses two quintessentially Swiss drinks: Rivella, Switzerland's milk based soda pop, and Graübunden's favourite spirit, Röteli.
They weren't kidding when they said there were as many versions of Capuns as there are grandmothers in Graubünden.
Capuns are basically a kind of dumpling, wrapped in greens, and simmered in milk or cream.
There are 150 valleys in the canton of Graubünden and each probably has a different version of this, the region's most famous soup.
Different meats and vegetables can be used, but the unchanging ingredient is pearl barley, and it's the texture of the barley that makes this soup particularly satisfying.
Plain in Pigna removes the two most annoying aspects of Rösti-making. Having day old boiled potatoes on hand, and the dreaded flip.
Tatsch is a specialty from Graubunden. It has been described as a sort of sweet kind of spätzli, or akin to the Austrian Kaiserschmarrn, but this is a thicker, chewier kind of dumpling and it pairs perfectly with late summer fruits.
Switzerland has some seriously great craft beer and the highest brewery to citizen ratio in the world.
The grandfather of craft beer in Switzerland is Brasserie de Franches Montagnes, or BFM, who make a lovely brown ale, La Torpille, perfect for flavouring ice cream.
Vacherin Mont d'Or is special for a number of reasons.
Firstly and most importantly, it is like its own little fondue, complete with pot. You wrap the whole thing in foil, then stick it in the oven and voilà, dippable cheese.
Fabiana’s Lucernese gingerbread is a fan favourite among her five children, numerous grandchildren, and Sam’s family, who lived next door for over a decade.
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.
In honour of Luzern’s carnival, this giant puff pastry dome is filled with creamy meats and raisins.
"I climbed out of the window, right past the police officer at my door, and I went to warn my friends."
So said the woman on the video, as the camera zoomed in on her knee high leather boots.
"I came in through the front door—boy was the cop surprised to see me. I invited him in and made him a coffee, but I had to promise not to tell anyone that I'd gotten out."
The milky green Suissesse is creamy and refreshing and makes an excellent brunch drink (or hair of the dog).
This easy, one-pot meal is a favourite of central Swiss families, especially those in canton Nidwalden. Perfect for new potatoes, beans, and beans' favourite herb, summer savoury. Throw everything in a pot, simmer for an hour, and you've got dinner.
Delicious and wholesome, this polenta cake is stuffed with apples and raisins. Baked throughout central Switzerland, this particular variety comes from the canton of Nidwalden.
This beefy dish comes from Einsiedeln, home to a famous abbey—and Switzerland’s most famous alchemist.
A great family bake—bread on the bottom, applesauce on top, and a pretty lattice perfect for little hands to make.
Slicing a loaf of Solothurnerbrot means a satisfying crunch and a generous spray of crumbs.
These love letters from canton Solothurn are a perfect treat for your Gal- or Valentine.
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.
As sunny as a trip to Ticino, this lemony take on Zug’s Kirschtorte is a tart delight.
A lovely light pasta dish from the Italian part of Switzerland— chicken in a tomato sauce over spaghetti.
This is a classic bread pudding cake from Ticino, with as many versions as there are Nonnas in the canton.
Pane dei morti, Bread of the Dead, is a cookie that was traditionally baked throughout Italy and Italian Switzerland to commemorate the dead.
Throughout the valleys of Ticino you can find the beloved Luganighe sausage.
A cookie made with Nocino, a bittersweet liqueur made from green walnuts and particularly enjoyed in Ticino.
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.
A dish of many names, Rispor from canton Uri is basically leek risotto, heavy on the leeks, with a big pile of grated Sbrinz cheese stirred in at the end.
With a few humble ingredients you can make this classic dish from canton Uri—pear mashed potatoes, crowned with onions.
This recipe comes from Marianne Kaltenbach’s Aus Schweizer Küche, where the potato is sliced in rounds and an interesting ingredient is added—Milchkaffee. If you don’t have it at hand, you can use just milk, or even a glass of white wine.
My husband requests Cholera (the classic Walliser potato and cheese filled pie) on a bi-weekly basis, but during the summer months I am disenchanted by the idea of wrapping potatoes in pastry.
Wrapping bacon, cheese, and peaches I'm OK with.
Flaky pastry stuffed with apples, cheese, potatoes, onions, leeks, bacon, and pears.
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.
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.
"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.
Sii is a little like bread pudding, only with wine instead of milk. You soak the bread and dried fruit in wine overnight, then mix it together and warm it in some butter. I made two versions: one with Walliser white wine and apricots, and the traditional with red wine and raisins.
The savoury version of the bready Mont Vully classic, topped with bacon and caraway seeds.
This melty dish is a perfect starter for Christmas, whether served individually, or as part of a larger cheese board.
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.
Although it takes a bit of time, I love making this cake. It looks impressive and tastes wonderful, especially if you aren’t shy with the kirsch that features throughout.
This bready, milky soup has become a (delicious) Swiss symbol for peace.
This cherry dish is the oldest surviving cherry recipe from the canton of Zug, and was first published in the late 18th century.
This bready, milky soup has become a (delicious) Swiss symbol for peace.
Ask someone from Zürich if they’ve ever had Zürcherbrot, and they might give you a blank stare—even though it’s the best-selling bread in the country.
Although it’s now an absolute standard of Swiss cuisine, the famous dish Zürich Geschnetzeltes (or Züri Gschnätzlets in dialect) is relatively modern, first appearing in the late 1940s.
