Recipes: Classic Dishes from Kleinwalsertal

Enjoy Käsknöpfle (Chääschnööpfle) and other Walser classics also at home. Chefs from the Kleinwalsertal chat about their recipes.

Kaiserschmarrn (sweet pancake speciality) with apple purée

The ingredients and quantities are for 4 people:

For the Kaiserschmarrn:

6 egg yolks
260 g flour
240 ml milk
90 g butter
6 egg whites
180 g granulated sugar
A pinch of salt
Some grated orange zest
Some grated lime zest
Raisins (according to personal taste)
Almonds (according to personal taste)
1 shot of rum

For the apple purée:

20 g butter
10 g brown sugar
500 g of apples (cored and cut into quarters)
A dash of lemon juice
1 pinch of vanilla
60 ml of apple juice

Preparation:

Place the flour with 90 g of the sugar in a bowl with the orange and lime zest and the salt. Gradually add the milk to form a batter. Separate the eggs and add the egg yolks to the basic mixture. Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl with 10 g of the sugar and carefully fold into the batter.

Now add 45 g of butter to a frying pan and caramelise with approx. 40 g of sugar. Set aside the remainder of the butter to use at the end. Now add the batter and cover everything with lid and allow to rise on a low heat. Alternatively, you can place the pan (only pans with a metal handle) in a fan oven set at 200°C.
The pancake can be turned over when it has risen nicely. Be careful that the batter does not burn during the frying process. Shred the pancake next and add the raisins, the rest of the butter and sugar along with a dash of rum. Reheat the pancake once again on the hob for a few minutes. The Kaiserschmarrn can be served once it has risen nicely and has caramelised.
To prepare the apple purée, first place the butter in a pan and allow to melt on a medium heat. Then add the cane sugar. As soon as the sugar has caramelised, add the quartered apples, fry for a few moments and then pour over the apple juice.
Add a pinch of vanilla, cover the pan with a tight lid and allow to soften. Finally, blend the purée to the desired consistency.

An Guata!/Guten Appetit! Alpengasthof Hörnlepass Family Keck

Käsespätzle (cheese noodles) with green salad

The ingredients and quantities are for 4 people:

For the Käsespätzle

500 g flour
5 eggs
200 ml milk
Salt
Nutmeg
170 g of grated alpine cheese
2 onions (cut into rings and halved)
100 g butter

For the salad and the dressing

30 ml vinegar (5%)
30 g sugar
6 g salt
50 ml water
1 tsp mustard
1 egg yolk
40 ml sunflower oil
1 tsp of pumpkin seed oil
1 tsp of wild garlic oil
Fresh or dried herbs (for the dressing and salad)
Salad leaves
A pinch of pepper

Preparation:

We will start with the salad.
For the salad dressing, mix the vinegar with the sugar, salt and water and whisk everything together. You can make this basic dressing in any quantity you like as you can use it as the basis for numerous different dressing recipes. Whisk the basic dressing with the mustard and the egg white in a tall container. Then gradually blend in the oil, the herbs and the pepper with a stick blender or food mixer until you achieve a smooth consistency.

Here at the Hörnlepass, we dry the herbs that we harvest from our own alpine herb garden during the summer and the autumn so that we always have a supply of our own herbs that we can use during the winter. If you don’t have the opportunity to grow your own herbs, you can obviously buy them from a store. Using your own produce usually tastes so much better and costs much less.
When the dressing is ready, it is time to wash the salad leaves and herbs and tear them into bite-size pieces. Put the salad and dressing to one side. Do not mix them together yet.
For the Spätzle, firstly place a pan of salted water on the hob.
To make the dough, place the flour in a large bowl and add the salt and nutmeg. Then add the five egg yolks and the milk. Slowly mix everything together with a wooden spoon. As soon as all of the dry ingredients have formed a cohesive dough, you can start to knead the dough to introduce some air. The dough is ready when bubbles form and it looks smooth. It should be firm but slightly loose.
Next, add the butter to a pan and gently sauté the sliced onions on a low heat. You need to be patient during this stage as it takes a while for the onions to take on a lovely brown colour. The results definitely merit the wait.

You can start cooking the spätzle when the water has come to the boil. You can add them to the boiling water using a special spätzle grater or press. Stir the pan once to ensure that the spätzle do not stick together and allow to boil for a few minutes. Be careful to ensure that you do not add too many spätzle to the water at the same time otherwise they will very easily stick together. As soon as the spätzle rise to the top of the pan, remove them with a slotted spoon and place them in a pan or dish. Repeat this step until you have used up all of the dough.
Now add a layer of spätzle to a pan or dish and cover with some grated cheese. Then add another layer of spätzle and another layer of cheese. The quantities should enable you to add four layers of spätzle and three layers of cheese.
Finally, pour the golden brown onions and butter from the pan over the dish. All done!
Now it is time to add the dressing to the salad and to mix them well together. The dishes are now ready to serve.

An Guata!/Guten Appetit! Alpengasthof Hörnlepass Family Keck

Chäässüpple - Walser alpine cheese soup

The ingredients and quantities are for 4 people:

1 onion
1 clove of garlic
100 ml white wine
300 ml beef stock
300 ml of sweetened cream
300 g Walser alpine cheese (Bergkäse) (available at the Walser Buura Farmers’ Cooperative market stall)
10 g of cornflour
Freshly ground salt and black pepper
8 thinly sliced pieces of bread
Wild garlic pesto (available at the Walser Buura Farmers’ Cooperative market stall)

Preparation:

Chop the onion and sauté until transparent in melted butter. Finely chop the garlic and sauté briefly with the onion ensuring that it doesn’t brown. Pour over 50 ml of white wine and the beef stock.
Bring to the boil and vigorously beat in the cream. Ensure that the cream does not curdle. Stir continuously as you bring the mixture to the boil.

Now add the grated alpine cheese and continue to stir constantly until it comes to the boil again. Purée with a stick blender until all of the cheese has completely melted.
Now mix in 10 g of cornflour with 50 ml of white wine and thicken the soup. Pass through a sieve and season with some salt and white pepper.

An Guata!/Guten Appetit! Walserstuba Family Riezler

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