What a fabulous surprise to see that MyKugelhopf is nominated for two categories in the 2009 Lonely Planet Travel Blogger Awards:  Best Themed Blog and Best Image Blog. 

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Voting has begun, and will continue until 12am on Wednesday, March 20th (Pacific Time, USA).  A big thank you to all who are voting for MyKugelhopf !  Thanks, merci beaucoup and danke schön !!  :)

When you live in a new country, discoveries are quite the regular occurrence.  At the beginning, it’s a daily thing.  Every little activity – whether it’s taking in the mail or buying milk – tends to be totally different and needs getting used to.  Mayonnaise in a squeeze tube, dinner at 6:00pm, calling people by their last names only, no small talk with the grocery cashier lady and people telling time by the impeccable arrival of trams. Six months in Zürich, Switzerland, and I’d say it’s rare that I don’t scratch my head at something new at least once a week.

The latest: market police!  Ah yes, policemen full clad in uniforms, tall leather boots, pants weighed down with intimidating objects sticking out of the pockets, strolling through the market.  Why?  It was 11:00am.  That’s why.  The Bürkliplatz market is open from early morning until 11:00am.  That’s it.  If you are caught on either side of those piles of fruits and veggies, selling or buying, you will be fined!  Market hours are over, go home!  I had a little laugh about this with one of the vendors.  I put on my most incredulous face, scrunched up my forehead as much as possible, looked him in the eyes and said, “really?!”  His reply, “Yup.  The Swiss police don’t have much else to do here in Zürich.”  Now that’s something I can get used to.

The snow is still falling here in Zürich – actually make that snow, rain and sleet – and no one dares go outside without a hat, scarf and gloves on.  Despite all that, the days are getting longer, if little by little, and the market was once again a buzz this morning, as if spring were just around the corner.  I don’t think we’re quite there yet!  Before spring flowers do start popping up and the snow starts to melt away, I thought I’d take a wintery stroll through some recent trips throughout Switzerland.

There is a real beauty to the gray days of winter in Switzerland.  Sometimes the fog just slightly masks tall church steeples or clock towers in the distance, making for an almost magical landscape.  As below in Lucerne, with its beautiful lake and old bridges, omnipresent seagulls and swans gliding along the water with no regard whatsoever to the freezing temperatures outside.

A huge pack of sheep didn’t seem to mind the snow either, which we saw when driving through the northeast region of Switzerland, near the border of Lichtenstein.   

And back here in Zürich it wasn’t only the animals whose feathers went unruffled.  The sun did shine, and a few courageous people even took to the lake themselves.  

I hope you’re all staying warm; and if you’re reading this from some hot, sweltering climate, then I hope these photos gave you a breath of fresh, Swiss mountain air !

About 2 weeks ago on February 2nd, crêpe pans were sizzling the world over in celebration of La Chandeleur – crêpe day in France!  How can you not love a country that has a holiday when everyone makes crêpes?!  It’s been a tradition in my home since I met my French husband, and no matter where we have found ourselves on this day, we had our crêpe pan in hand, ready to flip.  Nowadays, most people only make the association with crêpes, yet La Chandeleur is a Catholic holiday (Candlemas), 40 days after Christmas that commemorates the purification of the Virgin Mary and the presentation of baby Jesus.

Crêpes bring with them romantic images of Paris – grabbing a warm crêpe on the street, filled with butter and sugar (or Nutella and banana, a popular choice of Americans) and walking along the Seine.  Watching the men behind the crêpe stands pour the batter on to the hot, large round grill, spread it around with the mini wooden tool, effortlessly turning their wrist in a circle, so smooth and fast.  Then they slide the long metal spatula underneath and in one fell swoop, flip it over with even more agility.  Voilà, a perfect crêpe every time. 

Granted, making crêpes at home might not be as romantic.  (That said, it was just Valentine’s Day yesterday!)  But it can certainly be more fun.  Try to flip it as high in the air as you can – while catching it in the pan of course.  A few things to keep in mind to assure a successful flip: Make sure the pan is extremely hot before you pour the batter. Then, cautiously rub the surface with oil, using a paper towel or cloth; this will stop it from sticking.  We use oil because at such high temperatures, butter would burn and turn black. Run a spatula around the edge to loosen it a bit from the pan.  Give it a little shake, and go.  And remember, it’s all in the wrist!  If you really get the hang of it, you may want to try a French tradition to determine your fortune for the year ahead – while holding the pan in one hand, hold a gold coin in the other (most especially the French Louis d’or – a gold coin with a portrait of King Louis XIII on one side).  If you catch the crêpe in the pan, your family will be prosperous for the rest of the year. I recommend practicing first!

The most fun of all is when you have a pile of crêpes before you, and it’s time to eat! Mix and match your fillings as you please.  Sugar, sugar and butter, sugar and lemon, Nutella, slices of banana, honey, maple syrup, confiture de lait (dulce de leche), any fruit jam, even a scoop of ice cream.  My husband and I are quite predictable.  For me, it’s always the classic: sugar and butter – salted butter of course.  I fold it twice and pick it up with my hands.  For him, it’s one scoop of Nutella, folded in to a small triangle, and also eaten out of hand.  My mother-in-law rolls her crêpe up like a sleeping bag and cuts it in half.  You may like to leave it flat or even eat it with a fork and knife. Everyone has their favorite.  It’s your crêperie, and with some French music in the background, you may even believe you are in France after all.

Crêpes

2 cups (250 grams) flour
4 eggs
2 cups (1/2 liter) whole milk
1 pinch of salt
1 Tablespoon vanilla sugar
1/4 cup (50 grams) butter, melted
Oil for pan

Whisk together the first five ingredients in a big bowl.  Try to get rid of any lumps. Incorporate the melted butter.  Cover the bowl with a kitchen cloth and let the batter rest at room temperature for at least 2 hours.  

When you are ready to cook your crêpes, add a little bit of water to thin the batter. Using a paper towel with oil on it, cautiously rub the surface of your crêpe pan or skillet. Make sure it is very hot.  As you ladle the batter, rotate the pan in a circular motion to spread the batter evenly.  Wait until the edges start to turn golden brown, and little air pockets start to form on top.  Use a spatula to loosen the edges from the pan.  Then slide the spatula underneath, and in one swift gesture, lift and flip the crêpe over back into the pan on its uncooked side.  Or hold the handle of the pan and using your wrist, flip the crêpe up in the air and catch it in the pan.

Cook for 1 more minute, and then slide the crêpe out of the pan onto a plate.  

Have fun with the different fillings, and bon appétit!

After our marathon of fondue in the Swiss region of Gruyères, I was determined to take a break from melted cheese.  I returned home to Zürich and baked my usual sweet treats and indulged in different chocolates, as is normally the case.  But when we went skiing for the weekend in the French Alps, it was fondue again!  After all, what’s après-ski without fondue?

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After sharing my love for dark chocolate and salt, a friend told me about her obsession with a certain bar of dark chocolate made with Hawaiian sea salt.  I was immediately intrigued.  When she said it was a Knipschildt bar, I knew I had to get my hands on it. Knipschildt?!  That would be Fritz Knipschildt, a young, charming Danish chocolatier, now living in Connecticut, making chocolates with original flavor combinations in beautiful packaging.   As is the case for many pastry chefs, Fritz’s background was in the savory side of the kitchen, working in restaurants in Denmark, France, Spain and the US.  The transition was quite natural, as he has stated before, “I loved to experiment with sweet and savory flavors and I continued to do so with chocolate.”

But more on his signature line of chocolates in a minute, each one with a different woman’s name by the way.  Back to the bar above (and below)!

Burnt Caramel and Hawaiian Sea Salt.  Difficult to go wrong there.  It’s a hefty bar with deliciously smooth dark chocolate – 71% Ecuadorian single bean.  When you break into it, your first reaction may be disappointment, that there’s very little caramel in relation to the chocolate (that was my first thought too).  But when you taste that thin layer, the amount of flavor that fills your mouth does not disappoint.  It’s a powerful hit of rich chocolate, caramel and strong salt.  Just look at the underside of the bar, and you’ll see why.  It’s a masterful combination of strong flavors.

If you want to taste the caramel in a more dominant – and runny – form, you should meet Hannah.  That’s one of Knipschildt’s chocolates, of course.  The same combination of flavors, burnt caramel and Hawaiian sea salt, in an individual praline.  My personal favorite of his chocolates in fact.  I used to buy his handmande paper boxes when I was living in the states at Dean & Deluca, Whole Foods and Food Emporium in NYC, and at Formaggio Kitchen in Boston.  Fortunately, they are easy to find, and come in seasonal colors.  Hannah went too fast; I didn’t have a chance to photograph her!  But below you’ll see Valentina, another irresistible caramel, this one made with lavender; and Cleopatra, made with raspberry liqueur.

With all of these chocolates and beautiful red boxes, this has me thinking one thing. Isn’t Valentine’s Day coming up real soon? Ah yes. Good thing Fritz thought about that too! 

I love jam.  I always have about a dozen different jars in my cupboard – jams that I brought back from my travels (jam and chocolate – always in my suitcase!), homemade jams, or homemade just not in my own home – those from friends or especially my mother-in-law.  I eat a few spoonfuls every day, mixed into a Greek yogurt (usually with Medjool dates too), or slathered on crusty bread with salted butter from Brittany. I’ve had an urge to make raspberry jam lately, since I miss eating fresh raspberries straight from the market.  Making jam from frozen berries will tide me over until berry season once again.  But before I do that, I figured it was a good time to empty one of my mason jars and make room for the new jam to come.

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While spending time in the Swiss region of Gruyère, it wasn’t very difficult to know what to order at meals. As the saying goes, “when in Rome…,” right?!  So it was meringues à la crème double for dessert, and for savory, Gruyère cheese in all its glory.  Especially fondue!

It was hard to find a restaurant without fondue on the menu.  But you’re not completely off the hook on making decisions – you still have to choose which fondue! You’ll find different combinations of cheese or even some including other ingredients, like mushrooms, tomatoes or herbs.  One place we ate at actually had fondue made with Champagne.  Whatever the case, for every city or region or even country that you visit, you will find just as many answers for what is the “traditional” recipe for fondue.  Swiss versus French. Beaufort versus Appenzeller. Kirsch, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, lemon juice… what else to add?  As long as you are in Gruyères, Switzerland though, what is true and authentic is unanimous. Moitié-Moitié, the half and half fondue, reigns.  

A good thing about the variety of fondue on one menu is that whether you are 2 or 10 people at the table and you all want fondue, you don’t have to agree on which one.  Just get fondue for one person!  It has become somewhat of a norm for us, but I will admit that individual fondue was a funny concept when we first arrived in Switzerland.  I had never seen it before, but it is quite common for people to order single portions.  And why not?  Everything is the same, it just comes in a small pot.  Quite logical in fact.  So one time, I had my fondue with chanterelles, and my husband had his without. Another fondue during our short stay was the obligatory classic recipe, the half and half – and this one was in a pot for two.  I am sure you all guessed one of the halves: Gruyère cheese, of course.  The other: Vacherin Fribourgeois.  Vacherin is another mild cow cheese that melts extremely well, and lends a thick, creamy texture, as well as a very pleasant taste, to the fondue.  I don’t mean to take sides, but I will be honest and say that this was my favorite fondue yet.  It was much softer in taste, with a less pronounced flavor of alcohol, and still irresistibly creamy – as most fondues tend to be.

Below you will see the classic recipe for the Moitié-Moitié.  Feel free to try it at home and practice your fondue etiquette, which is very important!  Always keep in mind a few things, and you’ll be a pro in no time.  First, make sure your piece of bread is real secure on your fondue fork – people have all sorts of funky rules and traditions about how to handle the person whose bread falls in the pot!  Next, don’t just dip your fork in the cheese, but stir it around a few times (some people will say in a figure eight), so that the fondue keeps its creamy consistency and does not separate.  Lastly, it’s not recommended to drink cold water with your fondue, as this may cause the hot cheese in your stomach to congeal.  Wine would be a much better option.  Once you’ve mastered the traditional half and half recipe below, you may even start experimenting on your own with different cheeses.  But if you’re calling it a Moitié-Moitié, and telling anyone in the region of Gruyère about it, I’d be sure to make sure one of those halves is Gruyère!

Fondue Moitié-Moitié (Half and Half)

Serves 4

1 garlic clove, cut in half
3.5 cups (400 grams) Gruyère cheese, grated
4 Tblsp cornflour
1.5 cups (3.5 dl) white wine
1 Tblsp fresh lemon juice
3.5 cups (400 grams) Vacherin Fribourgeois cheese, grated
2-3 Tblsp (3?4 cl) Kirsch

Rub the interior of your fondue pot with the garlic clove.  Add the Gruyère and the cornflour to the pot, followed by the wine and lemon juice.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat, and add the Vacherin, while continuing to stir until smooth. The fondue should no longer boil.  Add the Kirsch.  Keep the fondue warm, with the pot sitting on its burner.

Serve with bite-sized pieces of bread, small boiled potatoes, gherkins (cornichons) and pickled onions.