Preparation
Remove the seeds from the squash and cut into cubes. Peel the onion and garlic and chop finely.

Heat some oil in a pot or large frying pan (a wok if you have one) and add the onion, garlic and squash. Sweat the vegetables lightly over a medium heat.

Add the lentils, fry briefly (caution: do not let the lentils brown) and then add the stock. Add the spinach and then cook with the lid on for 15-20 minutes. Stir now and again so the spinach mixes through.

Add the coconut milk and stir. Season with salt, pepper and turmeric. Cook for a further 10-15 minutes until you reach the desired consistency.

Garnish with coriander and serve.

Preparation
Peel the shallot. Clean and peel the white beetroots. Chop the shallot and one of the white beetroots finely. Halve the chestnuts.

Heat one tablespoon of oil in a pan, add the shallots and sauté on medium heat for two minutes. Add the chestnuts and diced beet and continue to sauté a further three minutes. Add the stock and simmer for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, cube the remaining beets and chop the hazelnuts. Core and cube the pear.

For the garnish, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan. Add the cubed beets and fry for 5-7 minutes, and then add the nuts, pear cubes, honey, turmeric and orange juice. Caramelise on medium heat for two minutes.

To finish, blend the soup with cream until silky smooth and season to taste. Chop the parsley. Top the soup with a generous amount of the garnish, sprinkle on the parsley, and serve.

Preparation sponge base

Line the springform baking tin with baking paper.

Gently warm the eggs through, add with the sugar and stir until frothy. Sift both flours and carefully fold them into the eggs.

Pour into the cake tin and bake at 200°C for 10 to 15 minutes.

Allow to cool, then remove the sponge from the tin and slice off the top. Return the sponge base to the cake tin and set aside.

Sponge ingredients

Preparation tiramisu

Soak the rye bread in the milk and sugar for one to two hours.

Bring the rye bread mixture to the boil, puree with a hand blender and allow to cool to approximately 50°C.

Squeeze out the soaked gelatine and stir it into the in the warm rye paste until completely dissolved.

Quickly beat the mixture, add the whipped cream, spread on and smooth over the sponge base (steps below).

Crumble the leftover piece of sponge, sprinkle over the tiramisu, and chill. Cut it into pieces and serve with a rye crisp.

For the rye crisps, slice the rye bread thinly, brush with butter and dip in the sugar. Then caramelise in a frying pan until golden brown.

Tiramisu mixture ingredients

Preparation venison

Place the roe deer fillet, juniper, thyme, and rosemary in a vacuum bag and seal.

Cook sous-vide (in the vacuum bag) in a 54°C water bath for approximately 45 minutes.

Remove the venison from the vacuum bag, dry with a paper towel and season with salt. Fry in a hot pan until well sealed, then slice. For the sauce, reduce 0.5 litres of good red wine and stir in the meat juices.

Ingredients (for 4 persons)

Preparation Brussels sprout puree

Cook the Brussels sprouts until done, then blend with the cream in a food processor, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Ingredients

Preparation gnocchi

Wash the potatoes and cook in boiling water for approximately 30-35 minutes. Then drain and allow to cool slightly.

Peel the still-warm potatoes and press through a potato ricer. Let the potato mixture cool completely.

Knead the potato mixture with egg yolks, flour, and semolina to form a dough. Season with salt.

Roll into strands about 3 centimetres thick on a lightly floured surface.

Chop the strands into small pieces, gently shape to form Gnocchi.

Cook in batches in salted boiling water for 4-6 minutes or until they float to the surface.

Ingredients

Throughout Europe’s Alpine regions, Genepi is well known. The Alpine herbal liqueur, flavoured with glacier wormwood (Artemisia glacialis), has been produced in the Alpine valleys of northern Italy, France, and Valais for centuries. In the Saas Valley, as with many other Alpine villages, it is a matter of pride and tradition for families to produce their own Genepi.

Sure, drinking wormwood tea can help with stomach problems and colds. But enjoying the herb’s healing effects as a liqueur is certainly more pleasant.

In July and August, the aromatic glacial wormwood flower tops, known locally as Edelraute, are harvested. They are then dried, chopped and added to a 40 percent alcohol solution to seep for at least 30 days. The herbs are then sieved, and sugar is added to sweeten the final liqueur. As a famous liqueur critic once said, “A good Genepi is a real pleasure. A bad one tastes like cough medicine.”

Flavio Anthamatten, a natural health practitioner from Saas-Grund, recommends a glass of Genepi from time to time because it “invigorates mind, body and soul.” Flavio also produces his own Genepi, which he supplies to Saas-Grund-based county rock band The Genepy. At their shows, the band likes to invite the audience to a tipple of their namesake.

Bring the Gewürztraminer to a boil in a pan, then reduce the heat by half.

Then add the water and hayflower, and bring back to the boil.

Remove from the heat and let it sit for approximately 20 minutes before straining.

Melt the butter in a saucepan, and add the flour to form a light roux.

Mix the roux into the hayflower water and bring the mixture back to the boil.

Add the cream, and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Pour the soup into serving bowls and garnish with the fresh blossoms.

Ingredients

Melt the cooking fat in a frying pan.

Stir in the flour until it binds with the fat.

Adjust amounts to taste. More flour will make a thicker spread. If you prefer a thinner spread, use less flour. Likewise, add the sugar to taste. For a less sweet dish, use less than 30g.

Mix to combine. Heating temperature and cooking time depend on your preference. Heating the mixture over a higher heat for longer for a darker spread. Or keep the heat low and heat for a shorter time for a lighter coloured spread. Spread the warm mixture directly onto a slice of bread and enjoy your breakfast.

Roscht can be kept in the fridge, though it will set. When you’re ready to use it, simply warm it through briefly in a microwave or pan

Ingredients

Peel the potatoes and onions and chop roughly.

Gently heat the olive oil in a frying pan (skillet) over medium heat. Take care not to let the oil get too hot.

Add the potatoes and onions to the pan, and gently fry for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and season with salt and pepper.

When the potatoes and onions have softened, drain half the oil from the pan and add the whisked eggs.

Once the surface of the tortilla has set (at least 10 minutes), carefully turn it out onto a flat plate. Slide it back into the pan to finish cooking the other side for at least 10 minutes.

Ingredients