Chard with Mushrooms and Pine Nuts

Simple savory sauteed Swiss chard  with mushrooms

Appenzeller Cheese Spread

Cheesy spread with Swiss Appenzeller and caramelized shallots.

Swiss Pain au Chocolat

Simple pastry with French roots. Filled with Swiss chocolate takes it to a whole new level.

Swiss Open Faced Tomato Melt

Very tasty vegetarian open faced sandwich that reminds a bit of a French bread pizza, but the flavors are not Italian.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion  sliced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons dry white wine
• 1 (4-6 inch  piece) French baguette, split lengthwise
• Dijon mustard (to taste)
• 1 ripe heirloom tomato, sliced
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 ounces (4 slices) Emmental cheese

Method:

1. Saute onions in butter until soft; stir in the wine and reduce.
2. Spread bread halves with Dijon and top with tomato slices.
3. Cover tomatoes with caramelized onions, salt and black pepper to taste, then cheese slices.
4. Broil in an oven or toaster oven until cheese melts and is golden brown.

Serves 1-2

Time: 10 minutes

Perch with Creamy Wine Sauce

Simple fish with a creamy wine sauce.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon grainy Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 pound perch fillets (about 3 small pieces)
• 1 tablespoon Swiss Chasselas wine or other dry white wine, such as sauvignon blanc
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Method:

1. Heat butter in saute pan and stir in the Dijon mustard and thyme.
2. Add fish fillets skin side up and saute for 2 minutes, then turn fish over.
3. Add  wine to the pan and cook another 2-3  minutes or until fish flakes easily; remove to serving platter.
4. Add cream to pan and stir until mixed, then spoon around the fish.
5. Garnish with fresh thyme and lemon slices.

Serves 1-2 (recipe easily doubles for more)

Time to make:  10 minutes tops

Potato Gratin with Apple, Pancetta and Swiss

Alpine style gratin, a little different with the apple.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds small waxy red potatoes, thinly sliced 

2 large golden delicious apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced 

4 ounces pancetta ham, browned and crumbled

2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives

8 ounces grated Gruyere Swiss cheese, grated (I prefer cave-aged)

8 ounces heavy cream

salt and black pepper

2 tablespoons butter, cut into tiny cubes

1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Layer potatoes,  apples, and cheese in  a large buttered rectangular baking dish and  season with salt and black pepper.
3. Pour the cream over all and sprinkle with pancetta, chives, a touch of nutmeg and the tiny butter cubes.
4. Cover with foil and bake until potatoes are tender (about 90 minutes), then remove foil and bake 15 minutes more.
5. Let sit 15 minutes or so before serving to set up.

8 servings

About 1hr 45 mins total  time

Cheese Rosti

Swiss style hash browns--yum!

Ingredients:

• 2 Russet potatoes,  peeled, grated and squeezed dry
• 1/4 cup finely minced  or grated onion
• 1/3 cup shredded  imported Swiss cheese
• salt and  pepper to taste
• 2-4 tablespoons vegetable oil (depends on pan size really)
• pinch  paprika and/or fresh thyme sprig for garnish (optional)

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet (8  inches is fine, but you can use bigger with a little extra oil)
2. Sprinkle the potatoes and onion into the pan in a large circle.
3. Shore  up the sides of the circle with a spatula,  then press it flat with the spatula.
4. Season t he top with salt and pepper.
5. Cook on low for about 10  minutes, undisturbed.
6. Flip the pancake with an extra large pancake spatula, -or- you can  put a stoneware plate in there upside down, press it down and flip the skillet over and slide it back in, but please have strong wrists and don't make a mess or burn yourself  please. 
7. Sprinkle the browned  side with the cheese and cook on low another 10 minutes.
8. Slide onto a plate, sprinkle with paprika and thyme, slice and serve.

Swiss Fried Apples

I've heard this is a usual alpine breakfast dish. In  Ohio where Amish is very big, we do the same, except the addition of bread might seem  a little different. But with a cinnamon sugar  dusting,  it is quite good (and familiar) and joins well with the apples in the skillet.

Ingredients:

• 2 tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped (I used granny smiths)
• 3 tablespoons  butter, separated
• 1/4 teaspoon  cinnamon
• 2 pieces white bread,toasted
• butter and cinnamon sugar (for toast)
• small drizzle honey,  maybe  1-2 teaspoons

Method:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons  butter in a skillet and add the apples, and cook,  stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until they start to soften, but not all the way.
2. While they cook, toast the bread and add butter and cinnamon sugar to the toast to make cinnamon toast.
3. Cut the toast into cubes (I just used  kitchen shears).
4. After the five minutes are up, stir the toast cubes into the apples along with  that last pat of butter and stir.
5. Cook another 5 minutes, until the apples  soften and start to brown just a little bit; drizzle with the honey and stir again.

Serves 2-4

Total time:  15-20 minutes or so in all.

Dandelion Salad with Pine Nuts, Goat Cheese and Wild Blueberries

First person to make cracks about lawn weeds  gets pinched.  ;)
And  don't use that- really, it has chemicals on it and is quite unhealthy. Use organic from your grocer. That is quite a different thing altogether.

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch organic dandelion greens, thick stems removed
• 2 cups spring lettuces or mesclun
• 1/2 cup finely diced ham or pancetta 
• 1/4 cup chopped shallot
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 2 to 3 scallions, sliced
• 4 ounces cremini mushrooms, chopped
• 1/4 cup dried wild blueberries
• 2 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 2 1/2 ounces soft goat cheese (chevre), crumbled

Method:

1. Tear greens and lettuces to a manageable size and place in salad bowl.
2. Brown  the ham or pancetta with the garlic and shallot  just enough to render out some of the fat  in the meat- the pancetta tends to have more.
3. Add the browned pancetta to the bowl along with the toasted pine nuts, scallions, mushrooms, and blueberries.
4. Whisk together the vinegar and maple syrup, add the oil in a slow stream.
5. Season salad with salt and pepper, then gently toss with vinaigrette and top with crumbles of goat cheese.

Serves 4-5

Takes about 20 min in all if you don't poke about