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Discover a variety of delicious recipes with Swiss roots
Fraise à la Ritz
Ritz was a poor mountain child. He lost his first job at the local tavern since the innkeeper did not see any potential in him. But then Ritz turned his fate around. He became a gifted entrepreneur and established the most luxurious hotels of his time. To this day his name is a trademark for glamour and pride in Swiss gastronomy.
Together with the famous French chef Auguste Escoffier, Ritz launched transformative innovations in gastronomy. Many of Escoffier's famous dishes, such as Fraises à la Ritz, recall past glamour.
Ingredients:
Fresh strawberries
Sugar
Grand Marnier
Powdered sugar
Heavy cream
Vanilla extract
Full recipe in the book
Together with the famous French chef Auguste Escoffier, Ritz launched transformative innovations in gastronomy. Many of Escoffier's famous dishes, such as Fraises à la Ritz, recall past glamour.
Ingredients:
Fresh strawberries
Sugar
Grand Marnier
Powdered sugar
Heavy cream
Vanilla extract
Full recipe in the book
Anna Weckerin Roasted Salmon
Anna Wecker’s Ein Köstlich new Kochbuch (A Delightful New Cookbook) is the first cookbook ever written by a woman. We know little about Anna Wecker’s life. She was born in Basel and was married to a famous physician at the time of the Reformation, Humanism, and the plague.
Thoroughly protestant, her recipes were not intended for enjoyment, but for healthy nutrition. Even so, they are delicious and clearly reflect the culinary tastes of the Middle Ages and the northern Renaissance. In a way, her dishes were a precursor of one of the most famous Swiss dishes, Müesli.
Ingredients:
Salmon filets
White vinegar
Ground clove
Ground nutmeg
Fish or seafood stock or broth
White wine
Sage
Parsley
Cream
Butter
Salt and pepper
Full recipe in the book
Thoroughly protestant, her recipes were not intended for enjoyment, but for healthy nutrition. Even so, they are delicious and clearly reflect the culinary tastes of the Middle Ages and the northern Renaissance. In a way, her dishes were a precursor of one of the most famous Swiss dishes, Müesli.
Ingredients:
Salmon filets
White vinegar
Ground clove
Ground nutmeg
Fish or seafood stock or broth
White wine
Sage
Parsley
Cream
Butter
Salt and pepper
Full recipe in the book
Joseph Favre Salvator Pudding
Favre’s life was a tireless quest for progress: progress in culinary art and progress through political ideas. He worked in the Belle Epoque’s most prestigious restaurants, and he frequented the most revolutionary circles of his time.
Favre’s vast knowledge is compiled in a monumental dictionary of culinary art. In Switzerland, Favre once prepared a meal for his anarchist friends such as Bakunin and Malastesta. Only one of his dishes proved to be acceptable to all: Favre’s Salvator Pudding.
Ingredients:
Apricot marmalade
Maraschino liqueur
Ginger
Angelica
Milk
Sugar
Eggs
Flour
Butter
Eggs
East
Heavy cream
Full recipe in the Book
Favre’s vast knowledge is compiled in a monumental dictionary of culinary art. In Switzerland, Favre once prepared a meal for his anarchist friends such as Bakunin and Malastesta. Only one of his dishes proved to be acceptable to all: Favre’s Salvator Pudding.
Ingredients:
Apricot marmalade
Maraschino liqueur
Ginger
Angelica
Milk
Sugar
Eggs
Flour
Butter
Eggs
East
Heavy cream
Full recipe in the Book
Chef Dunand's Poulet Marengo
Dunand was the chef of Emperor Napoleon I. His most famous dish is Poulet Marengo, which recalls Napoleon’s decisive victory over the Habsburg Monarchy in 1800. Dunand went to the battlefield with Napoleon and was a master at preparing sumptuous dinners.
Before joining Napoleon, Dunand, like his father, worked for the Prince de Condé in Paris, where Thomas Jefferson sent his chef, Hemings, to introduce French cuisine to the United States later on.
Ingredients:
Chicken
Olive oil
Onion
Garlic
Flour
Thyme
Bay leaf
Tomatoes
Button mushrooms
White wine
Chicken stock
Butter
Lemonjuice
Parsley
Salt & pepper
Eggs
Croutons
Full recipe in the book
Before joining Napoleon, Dunand, like his father, worked for the Prince de Condé in Paris, where Thomas Jefferson sent his chef, Hemings, to introduce French cuisine to the United States later on.
Ingredients:
Chicken
Olive oil
Onion
Garlic
Flour
Thyme
Bay leaf
Tomatoes
Button mushrooms
White wine
Chicken stock
Butter
Lemonjuice
Parsley
Salt & pepper
Eggs
Croutons
Full recipe in the book
Vatel's Meringue
Fritz-Karl Watel originally came from the area of Zurich. He is remembered as the chef who committed suicide when the fish delivery arrived too late for a dinner in honor of Louis XIV of France.
The famous French author Madame de Sévigné immortalized his suicide as an example of conscientiousness and she gave him the more elegant name of Vatel. Vatel was an event manager rather than a chef. Crème Chantilly is attributed to him and its vanilla flavor perfectly reflects the culinary tastes of Versailles.
Ingredients:
Eggs
Cream of tartar
Sugar
Berries
Whipping cream
Powdered sugar
Vanilla bean seeds
Vanilla extract
Full recipe in the book
The famous French author Madame de Sévigné immortalized his suicide as an example of conscientiousness and she gave him the more elegant name of Vatel. Vatel was an event manager rather than a chef. Crème Chantilly is attributed to him and its vanilla flavor perfectly reflects the culinary tastes of Versailles.
Ingredients:
Eggs
Cream of tartar
Sugar
Berries
Whipping cream
Powdered sugar
Vanilla bean seeds
Vanilla extract
Full recipe in the book
Oscar of the Waldorf Salad
Oscar Tschirky was the maître d’hôtel of the Waldorf=Astoria for fifty years, from its opening in 1893 until 1943. The famous hotel owes its reputation to him to a large extent.
Today Oscar’s American Brasserie at the New York Waldorf=Astoria recalls the well-known creator of the Waldorf Salad and other dishes. He was born in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1866 and is remembered as one of the most gifted chefs of Swiss origin.
Ingredients:
Celery
Apples
Grapes
Walnuts
Yogurt
Crème fraîche or sour cream
Lemon juice
White pepper and salt
Walnut oil
Full recipe in the book
Today Oscar’s American Brasserie at the New York Waldorf=Astoria recalls the well-known creator of the Waldorf Salad and other dishes. He was born in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1866 and is remembered as one of the most gifted chefs of Swiss origin.
Ingredients:
Celery
Apples
Grapes
Walnuts
Yogurt
Crème fraîche or sour cream
Lemon juice
White pepper and salt
Walnut oil
Full recipe in the book
Delmonico's Steak
Nothing has left more of a mark on the development of the restaurant culture and haute cuisine in the United States than Delmonico’s. Still today dishes such as Delmonico Steak, Delmonico Potatoes, Lobster Newberg, and Baked Alaska recall the restaurant’s heyday. Emigrants from the Canton of Ticino founded Delmonico’s and made it famous.
The history of Delmonico’s is also the history of the Delmonico family, a complicated family saga with many and very different figures and fates.
Ingredients:
Prime Rib-Eye Steaks
Virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Black pepper
Butter
Meat Butter
Bay leaf
Thyme
Sea salt
Full recipe in the book
The history of Delmonico’s is also the history of the Delmonico family, a complicated family saga with many and very different figures and fates.
Ingredients:
Prime Rib-Eye Steaks
Virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Black pepper
Butter
Meat Butter
Bay leaf
Thyme
Sea salt
Full recipe in the book
Maestro Martino's Ravioli
Martino Rossi was the first celebrity chef. His home village was in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. Maestro Martino had an outstanding career in Rome and worked for two notorious Renaissance popes.
Rossi invented many dishes and could speak about cooking for hours. The librarian of the Vatican immortalized his recipes in a book that soon became the most important cookbook of its time. Martino Rossi’s original recipes can be found at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.
Ingredients:
Pork belly
Chicken brest
Chicken stock
Parmesan cheese
Mozzarella
Parsley
Fresh herbs (thyme, basil, oregano)
Pepper and salt
Cloves
Ginger
Salt
Saffron infused water
Fresh Pasta sheets
Full recipe in the book
Rossi invented many dishes and could speak about cooking for hours. The librarian of the Vatican immortalized his recipes in a book that soon became the most important cookbook of its time. Martino Rossi’s original recipes can be found at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.
Ingredients:
Pork belly
Chicken brest
Chicken stock
Parmesan cheese
Mozzarella
Parsley
Fresh herbs (thyme, basil, oregano)
Pepper and salt
Cloves
Ginger
Salt
Saffron infused water
Fresh Pasta sheets
Full recipe in the book
Helvetia: The Personification of Switzerland
Helvetia is the personification of Switzerland as a nation. The name comes from the Celtic people of the Helvetii, whose culture dominated many parts of Switzerland before the Roman period. Helvetia is usually depicted as a woman with a shield and a spear, more rarely with a sword. Helvetia looks very similar to the American Lady Liberty, which is not a coincidence. Both figures were modeled after the Roman Lady Justice, the allegorical personification of the moral force in judicial systems. In Switzerland, with its four languages, the term Helvetia is often used in place of writing the name Switzerland in four languages. That’s why you find the word HELVETIA on Swiss coins and stamps.
There are countless dishes named after Helvetia. They have little in common and range from exquisite haute cuisine creations to simple everyday recipes. Helvetia Pie is one of them.
Ingredients:
350 g diced veal
350 g diced chicken
250 g mushrooms
1 onion
Butter
0.5 dl cream
3 tbsp cornstarch
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
1–2 tbsp chopped parsley
Rolled out puff pastry dough cut into rounds
270 g egg yolk for brushing
Full recipe in the book
Sweet Treats for Peace Negotiations
The Swiss city of Baden was the place where the Swiss Diet (Tagsatzung) regularly met from 1426 to about 1712. The city hosted three rounds of peace negotiations. In 1656 and 1718, treaties that ended wars between Catholic and Protestant Swiss cantons were signed. The most important peace treaty, however, was the one in 1714 that marked the end of the War of the Spanish Succession—a major European war that even extended to the Americas and the Indian subcontinent.
Even though the Swiss were not asked before the great powers met in Baden, the Peace of Baden can be considered a precursor to Switzerland’s role as a neutral country hosting international negotiations.
The periods of peace negotiations were heydays for the local bakers. Badener Aniskräbeli was one of the sweet treats created by those bakers.
Recipe
Ingredients:
500 g powdered sugar
6 eggs
0.7 dl water
650 g white flour, sieved
1 pinch of salt
½ lemon, grated and juice
35 g anise
Preparation:
Whisk eggs, sugar, water, grated lemon, juice and salt in a bain-marie at 40–45ºC like a sabayon. Add anise, gradually mix in flour and let sit for 45 minutes.
Shape into rolls as thick as a finger, cut into pieces 5 cm in length, bend into a horseshoe shape, and cut the rounded outer surface 3 to 4 times diagonally.
Place on a greased baking sheet dusted with flour and let them sit overnight at room temperature for at least 12 hours.
Bake 15–20 minutes at low bottom heat.
Please note:
The Kräbeli should be shaped into little feet on the bottom and stay light yellow; they keep for a long time.
Beverage: tea or coffee
Even though the Swiss were not asked before the great powers met in Baden, the Peace of Baden can be considered a precursor to Switzerland’s role as a neutral country hosting international negotiations.
The periods of peace negotiations were heydays for the local bakers. Badener Aniskräbeli was one of the sweet treats created by those bakers.
Recipe
Ingredients:
500 g powdered sugar
6 eggs
0.7 dl water
650 g white flour, sieved
1 pinch of salt
½ lemon, grated and juice
35 g anise
Preparation:
Whisk eggs, sugar, water, grated lemon, juice and salt in a bain-marie at 40–45ºC like a sabayon. Add anise, gradually mix in flour and let sit for 45 minutes.
Shape into rolls as thick as a finger, cut into pieces 5 cm in length, bend into a horseshoe shape, and cut the rounded outer surface 3 to 4 times diagonally.
Place on a greased baking sheet dusted with flour and let them sit overnight at room temperature for at least 12 hours.
Bake 15–20 minutes at low bottom heat.
Please note:
The Kräbeli should be shaped into little feet on the bottom and stay light yellow; they keep for a long time.
Beverage: tea or coffee
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