As the world is hunkering down at home trying to figure out how to navigate through the coronavirus pandemic, I thought it might be of interest to research and share the recipe for a meal some Swiss resorted to during the Cholera pandemic almost 200 years ago. Cholera Tart or Cholera Cake (a hearty, savory […]
Grandma Landolt’s Kugelhopf (Gugelhupf)
April 20, 2018 by 15 Comments
In an earlier post, I told the story of my beloved Kugelhopf/Gugelhupf pan. It belonged to my Bavarian grandmother who brought the pan with her when she immigrated from Switzerland to Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Her precious recipe (a printable version is at the bottom of this post), was an important reminder of her youth and family […]
Custom-Made Swiss Wooden Cookie Molds
December 19, 2016 by 9 Comments
Don’t get me started on the topic of traditional cookie molds. I could wax on for hours about the beauty, history, tradition, importance (in times gone by), the craft of the carvers, the skill of the bakers and of the varieties of the cookies themselves. During my 6 years living in Switzerland, I was a […]
Grittibänz – Bake A Swiss St. Nicholas Day Treat
December 4, 2016 by 16 Comments
My family is Swiss and German so I grew up celebrating St. Nicholas Day on December 6th. Before going to bed on December 5th, my brothers and I would put one shoe outside our bedroom door for St. Nicholas to fill. The next morning our shoes overflowed with marzipan, chocolate and Lebkuchen. I still put […]
Tirggel – Traditional Honey Cookies of Zürich (Story and Recipe)
May 5, 2015 by 17 Comments
Tirggel are very thin, very hard, lightly spiced honey biscuits with a slightly raised image on top typically associated with Canton Zürich in Switzerland. Production and sales ramp up when the cold weather arrives with sales peaking around Christmas and spiking again during the annual guild parade Sechseläuten (or Sächsilüüte). They have variously been called Tirggel, Türggeli and Dirggeli. […]
Mom’s Kugelhopf/Gugelhupf
July 30, 2014 by Leave a Comment
In a previous post, I told the tale of the journey taken by my Grandmother’s Gugelhupf pan. Then, in a follow-up post, I shared Grandma Landolt’s beloved recipe. A number of people have asked that I also share my mom’s richer and denser recipe. A printable version of hers can be found below. For those of you […]
The Tale Of My Gugelhupf (Kugelhopf) Pan
July 10, 2014 by 21 Comments
Every childhood visit to my Swiss German grandparents in Pennsylvania was greeted by the smell of freshly-baked Gugelhupf. The taste and smell of this round, high-domed, dense, buttery, raisin-speckled cake baked in a decorative pan with a hole in the center penetrates every memory I have of them. My grandmother was born and raised in […]
Basler Fasnacht Mehlsuppe – Swiss Carnival Soup
February 5, 2013 by 8 Comments
When I lived in the U.S., I would head down to Cajun country in Louisiana to attend the eye-popping parades normally associated with New Orleans as well participate in the very traditional (and little known) rural celebrations out in the countryside such as the Courir de Mardi Gras in Eunice where we would don […]
Triätschnitte – Traditional Zürich Dessert
January 30, 2013 by 1 Comment
Triätschnitte is a traditional dish typically associated with Zürich, Switzerland. Preparation involves a very strange method consistent between a recipe I found from 1892 and modern ones. Stale bread slices are first dipped in a thick syrup made from water and sugar, coated with spiced sugar then baked before resting in a warm, sweet mulled red […]
Älpermagronen – Swiss Alp Farmer Macaroni, Potato and Cheese
January 15, 2013 by 9 Comments
One of the heartier dishes served in Switzerland, especially common at restaurants on hiking trails and at ski resorts, is Älpermagronen. This rich pasta, potato and cheese dish is best topped with caramelized onions and accompanied by applesauce. Älper translates as Alps and Magronen was the Swiss German term for macaroni or pasta. Älpermagronen is said […]
Sandelholzläckerli – 200 Year Old Swiss Cookie Recipe
December 11, 2012 by 9 Comments
Every holiday season I make massive amounts of numerous varieties of classic European cookies along with marzipan creations and many different flavors of chocolate truffles. After sharing a platter of Christmas goodies with my husband’s Swiss colleague, she thanked me by sending a Christmas cookie recipe passed down through her family from her great, great, […]
Mom’s Sauerbraten
November 11, 2012 by 2 Comments
The great passion in both my professional and personal life is exploring and preserving family and regional food traditions. One of the many family food legacies I treasure is Sauerbraten (sometimes called Suure Mocke in Switzerland), meat marinated in vinegar and spices and then roasted. This dish has always held a soft spot in my heart because it was […]
Gâteau de Nillon – A Delicious By-Product of Nut Oil Pressing
October 22, 2012 by 2 Comments
One of my favorite weekend activities in Switzerland is attending small, regional food and tradition festivals. The latest one was the Autumn Fair and Cowbell Market, an incredible event held above the charming, tiny village of Romainmôtier in French-speaking Canton Vaud. We made the long trek (four trains and a shuttle bus) on a beautiful, sunny autumn […]
How To Cook Polenta
October 7, 2012 by Leave a Comment
On a recent trip to the renovated 12th century Bruzella Mill in the Muggio Valley of Ticino, Switzerland, I was fortunate enough to learn how to cook polenta by one of the millers. Below is her (time-consuming) method. Small batches (2 to 6 people) can take 30 minutes. Large batches, an hour. Huge vats, I […]
Apple Pressing in Graubunden
September 29, 2012 by Leave a Comment
It’s apple season – one of my favorite times of the year. I grew up not far from a huge apple orchard. Every season we would pile into the car and head to the now-closed Bell’s Apple Orchard near our home in Barrington, Illinois. Mom would buy baskets full of apples to make gallons of […]
Cooking A Wild Boar
September 26, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Wild boar are native throughout Northern and Central Europe. These impressive creatures can be quite destructive. While hiking with a friend who lives in Alsace, France, I was shown small huts set on stilts so hunters could see and shoot boar foraging in the middle of the tall crop fields. Several months ago, I was […]
Cheese Table
September 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Just one of the many reasons I love living in Switzerland. Cheese table at a party at the U.S. Embassy in Bern.
Zwetschgendatschi (Plum Cake)
September 18, 2012 by 3 Comments
I love this time of year. The heat is gone and there is a refreshing chill in the air. Everything is still lush green and, best of all, orchards are yielding their fruits. This season is so special to me because it is when Mom would always bake one of my Dad’s favorite cakes from […]
Wine Aging Barrels and Vessels at Jean-René Germanier
September 9, 2012 by Leave a Comment
I have had the good fortune, on several occasions, to visit the cellars Jean-René Germanier in Vértoz, Canton Valais, Switzerland. The founder, Urbain Germanier, harvested his first vintage in 1896. The company was passed to his three sons, Francis, Paul and Charles, whose wines claimed their place among the premiers crus. Today, third generation enologists Jean-René Germanier and Gilles Besse […]
Homemade Yogurt
September 6, 2012 by 1 Comment
Recently, I was driving through farm country up and over the mountain behind my house in Switzerland when I passed a sign advertising farm fresh fruits and vegetables. After driving through orchards, I reached a beautiful farm at the end of the road. I was expecting a typical outdoor farm stand, like the many found […]
