Älplermagrone Herdsmans Macaroni Recipes

ÄLPLERMAGRONE (HERDSMAN'S MACARONI)

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 100 °C (212 °F).
• Boil potatoes in a saucepan without lid for 5 minutes.
• Add macaroni and cook them "al dente".
• until the liquid is almost absorbed. Strain and return to pot.
• Pour cream and muscat (wine) over the potatoes and Macaroni, season to taste.
• Alternating with cheese, place the macaroni in layers into a 2 litre dish.
• Top with cheese.
• Bake for approximately 10 minutes in the center of the preheated oven until the cheese has melted.
• Optional Onion Ring Topping:.
• Melt the butter. Mix onions and flour, shake off extra flour.
• Fry in the butter at medium heat for about 5 minutes until crisp.
• Place onions on paper towels and keep warm.

ALPLERMAGRONEN SWISS ALPINE MACARONI

Steps:

• In a nonstick skillet over medium heat add bacon strips and fry on both sides until crispy, approximately 8 minutes. Remove crispy bacon strips with tongs and cool on a paper towel-lined plate. Leave 1 tablespoon of bacon fat in then pan and discard the rest.
• Return the skillet to medium heat and melt the butter. Add the sliced onions, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring regularly until crispy and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Set aside.
• Place the apples in a medium pot with water and cover. Simmer gently on medium-low heat, stirring once or twice, until the apple is completely tender, about 20 minutes. Mash with a fork until smooth. Set aside.
• Add the diced potatoes to a large pot and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil, add the macaroni and continue to cook until the macaroni is barely al dente and the potatoes are tender, approximately 7-10 minutes. Drain in a colander.
• Return macaroni and potatoes to the pot and add the cream and white wine over medium heat. Once the sauce is simmering add the grated cheese and freshly grated nutmeg. Keep stirring until the cheese has melted into a thick and velvety sauce.
• Serve the cheesy Alpine macaroni in individual bowls topped with caramelized onions, and crispy bacon lardons. Serve with applesauce on the side.

ÄLPLERMAGRONE

Steps:

• A variant on the theme: in the Swiss canton of Nidwalden, Aelplermagrone is prepared with equal amounts of macaroni and potatoes (peeled and diced). Dried apple slices are traditionally served as a side dish.
• Bring the milk and one tablespoon of salt to a boil. Add the noodles, reduce the heat, and cook over a low heat until done, stirring occasionally. The noodles should absorb enough milk so that the dish is still moist (if necessary, add more milk).
• While the pasta is cooking gently saute the onions in butter, and garlic cloves, keeps it low and slow so as not to burn the onion or garlic, which would make it bitter.
• Empty the noodles into a pre-heated bowl: mix in cheese and pepper. Top with onions which have been sauteed in butter, and garlic cloves.
• The aelplermagrone can be served at this point: often a green salad is served alongside. But if you prefer, you can also turn the mixture into a casserole and bake it in the oven long enough to brown the top nicely -- usually about twenty minutes at 400° F / 200° C.

MACARONS

Steps:

• Place egg whites into a metal mixing bowl and refrigerate overnight. The next day, bring egg whites to room temperature.
• Preheat oven to 280 degrees F (138 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Whisk confectioners' sugar and almond flour in a bowl. Beat the egg whites with salt in metal bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until foamy, about 1 minute; increase speed to high and gradually beat in superfine sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, until the egg whites are glossy and hold stiff peaks, 3 to 5 more minutes.
• Gently fold almond flour mixture into whipped egg whites until thoroughly incorporated; spoon meringue into a pastry big fitted with a 3/8-inch tip.
• Pipe 1-inch disks of meringue onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches of space between cookies. The batter will spread. Lift the baking sheets a few inches above the work surface and hit them lightly on the work surface several times to remove any air bubbles from the cookies. Let the cookies stand at room temperature until the shiny surfaces become dull and a thin skin forms, about 15 minutes.
• Place the baking sheets in the preheated oven and bake with the oven door open slightly until the macarons' surfaces are completely dry, about 15 minutes. Let cookies cool completely on a baking sheet before peeling parchment paper from the cookies.
• Spread half the cookies with any desired filling, top with remaining cookies to make sandwiches, and refrigerate at least 2 hours to overnight to let the cookies soften.

AELPLERMAGRONEN (SWISS PASTA)

Steps:

• Peel and dice the potatoes.
• Boil in salted water.
• Add the noodles shortly before the potatoes are done (read the directions on the package first).
• The potatoes should be soft.
• Drain and arrange in alternate layers with the cheese in a deep baking dish. Pour in the cream and place in the hot oven for a few minutes until the cheese melts.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet.
• Slice the onions and saute until they turn light brown.
• Spread over the noodles and potatoes.
• Serve with apple puree or salad.