King’s Cake (called Dreikönigskuchen throughout the Swiss German-speaking Cantons) is the first food tradition of the year. As it turns out, this recipe is simple to make and has many possible variations…allowing you to enjoy a fresh version for more than just one day!

Virtually everyone in Switzerland is in some way touched by the special bread overflowing from every bakery on January 6th.

Enjoying a King’s Cake is an old tradition with distinct Christian roots falling on the Festival of Epiphany. The cake itself is an odd-shaped bread consisting of 7-11 small rolls, which are often garnished with almond slivers, coarse sugar and sometimes raisins. One of the rolls contains a surprise buried inside, which allows whoever finds the hidden icon (mostly a plastic figurine) to be named king or queen for the day…and of course, also explains why these breads are sold with paper crowns.

The tradition in Switzerland can be traced back to the early 1300s, but its popularity waned considerably over the years and nearly disappeared altogether.

That is until large Swiss bakeries revived the tradition during the early 1950s and quickly flooded the market with mass-produced King’s Cakes…conveniently with a paper crown included! The bakers' marketing efforts were rewarded and the King’s Cake has now become the number one selling specialty item for bakers in Switzerland with over one million being produced – an astonishing number for such a small country…but also leaving everyone with pretty decent odds of being crowned king or queen for the day.    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...

Candied Nuts Offer Wonderful Contrasts To Many Fall Dishes...And Great Snacks Too!

Nuts are distinctive and appealing.  They are slightly sweet, slightly fatty and slightly bitter.  All attractive qualities to the cook interested in balancing textures and tastes.

But nuts can be much, much more.

Gently roasting nuts can coax hidden aromas to emerge, transforming them into rich tasting morsels. Taking it a step further and putting a layer of caramelized sugar on them will emphasize the nut’s natural sweetness and create wonderful contrasts between sweet and savory.

Roasted and candied nuts are perfect during the fall months. They can be added to salads, tossed about with game dishes – especially if a fruit sauce is involved, pulverized and mixed together with a little flour and butter to create an interesting pie shell, coated in chocolate or simply enjoyed alone as a snack.

But difficulties await the uninitiated!   More...

Fresh Mountain Cranberries Make Fantastic Preserves, Chutneys, Compotes, Sauces and Pies

One of the real special treats this time of year has to be the arrival of fresh Mountain Cranberries (Preiselbeeren). You have to be quick and persistent to find these seasonal treats as they are only available for about 2-3 weeks each year and only with a few vendors at fresh food markets – but your efforts will be rewarded.

Fresh mountain cranberries make fantastic preserves, chutneys, compotes, sauces and pies. They are a core autumn ingredient throughout central and northern Europe, often paired with a variety of game dishes.

As its name suggests, the mountain cranberry is closely related to the large American cranberry. Both fruits are extensions of the Ericaceae family tree, which also bring us the blueberry. Most of these fruits are quite tart and have high concentrations of vitamin C, dietary fiber and high levels of antioxidants.     More...

Quick...what's the first thing that springs to mind when thinking of rosemary?

Ok, maybe the title and picture influenced your answer, but I am guessing most people did not quickly associate fruits with rosemary.

Rosemary is by its nature quite assertive. Its sweet pine-like fragrance can enhance a variety of full-flavored dishes – usually those involving meat or strong-tasting vegetables. It naturally mixes well with smoky grill flavors, in chicken or eggplant stews or in a variety of roasted dishes – particularly in its classical pairing with lamb.

Rosemary is also an herb that works well in baking. The well-known Ligurian focaccia bathed in fruity olive oil and perfumed with onions and rosemary is simply delicious. Lesser known, but equally delectable, are rosemary-flavored buttermilk biscuits or baked polenta gnocchi with chopped rosemary butter drizzled over the top.

But rosemary and fruit?

That is usually the response I get from the unsuspecting when I introduce one of my favorite late summer or early fall dishes: rosemary-scented apples.  More...

We've recently updated our video on how to make zopf, which has a few important changes.

First, we've changed the music (and added some creative credits), which is now completely original.  This unique music is the work of our Swiss friend Gavin Norton, and replaces the 'borrowed' work of John Carpenter from the movie Escape From New York.

The second major change was a bit of tune-up work in the blog engine, which allows the silverlight video to function in all major browsers (Opera, Internet Explorer 7, Firefox 2 and 3 and Safari).  You will still need to download the newest version of silverlight if you do not already have it installed (don't worry, it's free and painless).

We hope you have a chance to view the posting on making zopf and become inspired to give it a try at home.  Feel free to leave a comment or drop us a line and let us know if you have any questions or comments.