Alpine Mac'n'Cheese aka. Käsespätzle

In this video we are are making the alpine version of mac’n’cheese which is called Käsespätzle. Spätzle is a kind of pasta which is thrown together quickly and can be used with different toppings. We are making a traditional one from Vorarlberg with 3 different cheeses and one more American mac’n’cheese style.

https://youtu.be/f92FwtnWD6g

Print

Alpine Mac'n'Cheese aka. Käsespätzle

Yield: 4

Author: Traditional, but not

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 30 M

Ingredients

Dough

• 500 g Spätzle-flour or AP flour
• 5 big eggs
• 20 g salt
• about 100 ml lukewarm water

Traditional cheese variation

• 60 g butter
• 120 g Sura Käs (Vorarlberger Sauermilchkäse)
• 120 g Rässkäs
• 120 g Vorarlberger Bergkäse (min. 12 month old)

Crispy onions

• 700 g onions
• 125 g clarified butter or neutral oil

Mac’n’Cheese style cheese sauce

• 50g butter
• 50g flour
• milk (till you reach desired thickness)
• 70g Cheddar
• 70g Emmentaler
• 1tsp smoked paprika powder
• salt

Instructions

1. Halve the onions, slice thinly and fry in as large a pan in plenty of clarified butter over moderate heat until translucent without browning. Keep stirring. Then turn down to minimal heat and braise very gently for about 45-50 min. The slower and longer the better. Then increase heat and fry briefly until crispy brown - but not black! This is a delicate moment and it can be a matter of seconds! Lift the fried onion out of the fat with a slotted spoon and spread flat on paper towels to drain. Let stand open so it stays crisp.
2. Grate the three cheeses (or crumble them if the sura cheese doesn't grate well) and mix them together.
3. In a large bowl, mix flour, water, eggs and a pinch of salt with a wooden spoon until the dough binds but traces of yolk and flour are still visible. The dough should not be homogeneous, but "sloppy" mixed. In the end, the dough should be relatively firm and not "runny" at all. In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil and scoop the dough into the water in batches. You can use a Spätzle utensil oder press the dough through a slotted spoon (see video). Don't do too much at once, but in stages. When the Spätzle float to the top, skim them off with a slotted and lift them into a buttered bowl. On top, add a few flakes of butter and some of the cheese mixture and mix in lightly. On top comes the next layer of Spätzle, butter and cheese - and so on.
4. Last add some fried onion as a topping.
5. For the Mac’n’Cheese style sauce melt butter, add flour and cook for a minutes. Then add the milk and whisk thill it thinks. Add milk little by little till you get a think but still runny sauce. Then add cheese and salt. Last pour cheese sauce on top of the Spätzle and enjoy!