Potatoes are plentiful, inexpensive, versatile in the kitchen, highly nutritious and simple to prepare – but what variety should you select?

I’m turning into a potato freak – and with good reason too!

Potatoes are plentiful, inexpensive, versatile in the kitchen, highly nutritious and simple to prepare. The only real question with potatoes is deciding on the appropriate type for your recipe…and in Switzerland, that means considering some twenty different varieties.

Most people simply take the potato for granted. It has become a common serf amid more noble vegetables…and very few seem willing to elevate it.

But not me!

Let me bring you into my world of potatoes and introduce you to one of my steadfast culinary friends. More...

Our recipe conversion tips for making a successful zopf in the U.S.

Since our original posting on How To Make Zopf appeared, we have received a number of conversion questions from our readers in the U.S. – and rightfully so!

There are always a number of issues to consider, which can affect the outcome of most recipes. Different measurement standards (U.S. system of weights vs. British system vs. metric system), temperatures (C vs. F), and ingredients are the major factors to think about when reviewing a recipe.

Measurement and temperature conversions are easy enough to find or calculate, but the ingredients often require some special considerations. This is also true with our original zopf recipe as we discovered last year while attempting to make a fresh zopf in the U.S.

Here’s how we converted the recipe and produced a successful and tasty version of zopf:   More...

Laughing Lemon Food & Wine introduces fresh artisan chocolates

Why on earth would an American cook want to enter the very competitive Swiss chocolate market?

Good question…and one I guess we could anticipate in the future. But for now, we are quite content in our relative anonymity.

Our interest and experience in learning how to produce quality chocolates have been measured during the past 12-18 months. We’ve carefully sought out select advice and professional training from some of Switzerland’s finest producers, and of course…tried out some of our successes and failures on many willing participants. So…we’re now ready for our…eh…dare I say it – beta release!

Our initial chocolate line will be available for sampling and purchasing on November 8th at The Pie Shop in Zürich, and on November 15th at The Fine Food Emporium in Thalwil from our friends at the Cheese Club.

Our assortment will include Earl Grey Pralines, Lemon Verbena and Ginger Milk Chocolates, Whisky Butter Truffles, Peanut Butter Cups, Piedmontese Gianduja, Lemon Cheesecake Pralines, Creamy Caramel-Filled Milk Chocolate Pralines, and finally Turkish Coffee and Cardamom Pralines.

All of our chocolates are handmade using all natural products. We do not use any artificial flavorings or preservatives…which means they need to be consumed within 10-14 days.

We are producing on a very limited basis at the moment, but we will have a selection at both locations at least once per month.