Swiss Meal

Two things prompted me to make this meal. One was the Swiss macaroni and cheese and the second was the soft two strand braided bread zopf. The loaves were so delicious they were all gone before we sat down to have this meal. I just about managed to get pictures.

Once I finalized the bread and pasta I needed something simple for a side. If I find something with potato in it I include it in the menu. Rosti or potato pancake seemed to fit the bill perfectly and was much loved by my daughter. What is a Swiss meal without a fondue? I culd not make a cheese fondue as that would mean too much food. Instead I made a chocolate fondue and we used apples to dip into the chocolate. I used my chocolate fondue pot to serve the fondue. I had to prepare it after the meal when we were ready to have dessert so as to not thicken the chocolate. So in the picture you see some chopped up chocolate and a whole apple. Overall a very enjoyable meal instead.

No new ingredients in this meal. I did use a new braiding technique for the Zopf. I do believe that I messed up somewhere while making this two strand braid. It was a little lop sided. The macaroni and cheese was very interesting. First the recipe called for potatoes to be used with the pasta. And second it was eaten with a side of apple slices and applesauce. I had never eaten pasta with apple before but it tasted really good.

As they say in Switzerland, En Guete!

Here are the recipes for the dishes on the menu

• Älplermagronen (Swiss Macaroni and Cheese) 
• Rosti (Potato Pancake) 
• Zopf (2-Strand Braided Bread)

And for dessert

• Chocolate Fondue

Zopf (Swiss 2-Strand Braided Bread)

Zopf is a soft bread that tastes delicious hot out of the oven. It is usually eaten with honey or jam. But when freshly baked it tastes great by itself.

It is braided with just two strands in a simple repetitive pattern. I think I may have rushed things a little and allowed the braids to cross over. That broke the even weave pattern but of course it did not affect the taste. They were so good we finished one of them right out of the oven.

Recipe adapted from here
You will need
480 gm bread flour
8 gm yeast
1 tsp. salt
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 1/3 cup milk
1 egg white
1 1/2 tsp. water

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add the yeast to it. Now add the egg yolk, butter and milk to the flour and form into a soft dough. Knead until smooth and elastic. Cover and keep aside until doubled in volume or about an hour.

Roll the risen dough into a rectangle and cut into four strips. Work with one strip at a time. Fold it over lengthwise and roll to form a smooth strand.

Repeat with the other portions. Place the strands at 90 degrees as in the picture below.

Fold the left arm of the lower arm over the strand above it. Repeat for the right arm.

Do the same for the vertical arms.

Continue to work the braid until you reach the end. Tuck the ends together and seal. Repeat for the second braid.

Cover and keep aside for 30 minutes or until the braid doubles in size. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 425 F. Combine the egg white and water and brush the top of the braid.

Bake for 30-40 minutes until the bread sounds hollow and is brown on the top.

Best eaten fresh out of the oven.

Rosti (Swiss Potato Pancake)

Rosti is the Swiss version of potato pancakes. This is the potato dish I added to the menu because my daughter loves potatoes. It is super simple and makes a filling side to any menu. Alternately, you can have it for breakfast.

You will need
1 potato
1 tbsp. butter
salt to taste

Place potato in a pan of water and bring to a boil. When the potato is fork tender drain the water. Wrap the potato in foil and place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Remove the potato from the refrigerator and peel off the foil. Peel the potato and shred it using a large holed grater.

Melt butter in a pan and add the shredded potato. Add salt to taste and using a spatula combine the potato with the salt and butter. Pat it down into shape and let it cook on medium heat until the bottom is brown.

Rosti does not have flour in it, so it is not easy to flip it over. Place a dish over the top and flip the pan over so that the pancake drops on to the dish. Slide the pancake brown side up on the pan and cook the underside until brown.

When done take off heat and enjoy.

Älplermagronen (Swiss Macaroni and Cheese)

Everyone knows macaroni and cheese. Potatoes are added to the casserole in this Swiss version and it is served with apple sauce and cooked apple slices. Hence the name Älplermagronen.

The idea of eating noodles with apples was totally new to us. The flavors do go well together. As for the casserole itself the potato and macaroni was one of the most flavorful macaroni and cheese I have ever made.

Recipe adapted from here
You will need for 5 servings
1 large yukon potato
~ 3 handful of penne pasta
1 cup Gruyere cheese
100 ml milk
100 ml cream
salt and pepper to taste

For the onion topping
1/2 onion
1 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. olive oil

For the applesauce
1 cooking apple
2 tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup water

For the apple slices
1 apple (I used Gala)
1 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. sugar
a pinch cinnamon powder
2 tbsp apple cider or apple juice

To make the applesauce wash, peel and core the apple. Cut it into pieces and cook in a pan with the sugar and water until mushy. Mash to prepare the applesauce.

To make the apple slices Wash and core the apple. Slice with the peel into thin slices. Cook with the sugar and butter until tender. Sprinkle cinnamon powder and add the cider or juice. Mix and cook another couple minutes. Turn off heat and keep aside.

To make the onion topping slice the onions and caramelize with the butter and olive oil in a pan on medium heat. When tender and brown turn off heat and keep aside.

Shred the cheese and preheat oven to 400 F. To prepare the potato put it in a pan of salted water and bring the water to a boil. Let it simmer until the potato is almost cooked but not completely tender. Drain the water. Peel the potato and dice into cubes. Bring another pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and diced potatoes. Cook until pasta is done. Drain the water.

Add half the potatoes and pasta to a casserole dish. Sprinkle half the cheese over it and then add the remaining potatoes and pasta. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. Finally top with the onion topping.

Put it in the oven until the cheese melts. Meanwhile heat the milk and cream, do not boil. Remove the casserole from the oven and pour the heated milk mixture over the top. Return to the oven for 5-10 minutes until the pasta is heated through. Warm the apple slices.

Enjoy the macaroni and cheese with apple slices and applesauce.

This is one of those dishes that has to be eaten hot out of the oven.


This is my entry for week 48 to the 2014 52 week challenge for the theme Unexpected combinations.

Toblerone Chocolate Fondue

In Switzerland fondue usually refers to cheese fondue. But a few decades back in an attempt to popularize Toblerone chocolates a restaurant owner introduced the chocolate fondue made with Toblerone. This is an attempt to recreate that recipe.

Chocolate is very much loved in my family. When we were kids my father used to bring home these huge bars of Toblerones from his Europe trips. They would last for days. Though it is pretty rich I sometimes bring home a small tobler from the checkout area. I made made chocolate fondue before but this is the first time I used a tobler. I usually use chocolate chips. This version was simply delicious. It had the rich taste of the toblerone.

The chocolate is melted in a double boiler and mixed with melted butter and cream. The resultant gooey chocolate is served in a fondue pot. Apples or cake are used to as dippers.

Recipe adapted from here
You will need for a small batch
2 Toblerones 1.7 oz. each
2 tbsp. or a splash of cream or half and half
1/4 tbsp. of butter

Dippers
apple chunks
pound cake cubes

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Add the melted butter and cream (or half and half). Cook for a couple minutes until it thickens. Transfer to a fondue pot and keep warm. Serve with chunks of fruit or cake.

Enjoy!

Weizenbrot (Swiss Rustic Bread)

Weizenbrot is a Swiss rustic yeast bread. It can be used for sandwiches but it is best dipped in fondue.

The bread is made using a fairly simple process but takes time to cook. The bread is first cooked briefly at 425 F and then for a longer time at 350 F. This ensures a beautiful crunchy crust and soft center.

You will need
2 cups bread flour (I used King Arthur bread flour)
3 1/4 oz. packets Fleischmann instant yeast
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. oil
2 tbsp. honey
9 oz warm water

Mix all the ingredients except the water in a large mixing bowl. Using the water knead into dough. It will be very sticky. Do not use additional flour, oil or water.

Continue kneading and the dough will turn soft and will not be sticky anymore. It will stick to the bowl and will be springy and bounce back. Cover the dough and let it rise for about 20 minutes or to almost double in size.

Knead the dough again and shape it into a long rope. Start rolling the rope in on itself from one end. Tuck the outer edge under the roll. Never cut or break kneaded dough. Instead work with your hands to get it to the desired shape.

Place the shaped dough on a greased baking sheet and let it rest for about 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 F.

Bake for 10 minutes. Turn the bread around in the oven to get even browning. Bake for another 35 minutes or until a knife in the center comes out clean and the bread has a nice brown crust.

Enjoy!

Fondue

Cheese Fondue is the National dish of Switzerland. In the mountain valleys of Switzerland, where very little was available during the harsh winter months, freshly baked rustic bread like Weizenbrot coated with warm cheesy fondue made a hearty and filling meal.

I have fond memories of fondue. Outside my daughter's dance school every Friday night the Moms would set up a tailgate party. Fondue takes me back to the parking lot on the far side of the school. We talked and laughed around the food. When the girls got out they made a beeline for the leftovers. We always had plenty and it would be gone within minutes. That was when I invested in a fondue set. Nancy made the best fondue and I wanted to try it at home.

I have not used the set in a long time and we are having a really cold spell so fondue seemed ideal on a particularly cold night. Warm fresh out of the oven Weizenbrot covered with gooey cheese...dinner was good.

Fondue contains a good amount of wine. I substitute apple cider and it tastes great. Make sure you use good quality cheese as it is the cheese that will determine the taste of the fondue. If you don't have a fondue pot you can use any stove safe pot or pan.

You will need

7 oz Gruyere
7 oz Emmenthaler
3/4 cup apple cider divided
1 pod garlic
1/2 tsp. cornstarch

Dissolve cornstarch in a little cider and keep aside. Place the fondue pot on medium heat with cheese and the remaining cider. Cook until the cheese melts.

Add the cornstarch and cider mixture. Cook until the mixture is homogeneous.

Light the warmer on the fondue server. Transfer the pot of cheese to the fondue server. Serve with fresh made Weizenbrot cut into bite size pieces.

Enjoy on a cold winter night.