Our Favourite Alpine Hut Meals
After a long day walking in the mountains, there's nothing better than tucking into a hearty hut meal.
Our alpine destinations serve a variety of tasty dishes and we always enjoy their culinary delights during our research trips and holidays! So, we couldn’t resist the temptation to run through a few of our favourites, and reliving some delicious memories…
Depending on which country exactly you are visiting, the menu might vary slightly, but as a general rule cheese, eggs and dairy feature heavily in most areas.
Whilst they originated in Switzerland, you can now find melted-cheese classics like raclette and fondue all across the Alps. There’s nothing more indulgent than a huge portion of molten cheese for dinner…
Then there’s rösti, the delicious dish of chopped and fried potatoes, often served on it’s own, or sometimes as a side. Again, it’s native to Switzerland, but you will sometimes find it in other German-speaking alpine countries.
Continuing the cheese and potato theme, in the French Alps make sure to try tartiflette, a baked miracle of potatoes, reblochon cheese, lardons and onions.
Italy also provides an interesting mix as you travel the country from North to South. Close to Austria, South Tyrolean cuisine is known for its ravioli and potato dishes. Bread is also very important: it is served with almost every meal. As you travel further South, polenta starts to make an appearance as an interesting side (or main) to many meat or vegetable dishes.
Austria, in contrast, is famous for its many sweet dishes such as strudel and sweet dumplings with apricot or plum jam (germknödel). Among our team members, kaiserschmarrn, a thick, scrambled pancake served with applesauce, is a firm favourite - and absolutely counts as a main course.
So if you’re looking to recreate your Alpine holiday feeling at home, we’re here to help. Below we’ve put together recipes for kaiserschmarrn if you need a sweet pick-me-up, or tartiflette for a warming weeknight dinner!
Kaiserschmarrn Recipe
(Makes 4 portions)
4 eggs
125 g flour
125 ml milk milk
1 pinch of salt
1 tsp baking powder
40 g sugar
80 g sultanas
4 tsp butter
1 tsp icing sugar for sprinkling
Step 1
Separate the eggs. Mix the egg yolks with the flour, milk, salt, baking powder and sugar to form a smooth batter and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
Step 2
Beat the egg whites until stiff and carefully fold into the batter. Then add the sultanas.
Step 3
Place 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan and fry a crispy pancake over a medium heat. Turn the pancake and add the remaining butter. Once cooked, tear the pancake into pieces and sprinkle with icing sugar. Serve with stewed fruit or apple sauce.
Tartiflette Recipe
(Makes 4 portions)
1000 g potatoes
400 g Reblochon cheese (alternatively, try Brie, Camembert or Port Salut)
250 g diced bacon
2 small onions
5 tbsp white wine
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove of garlic
150 ml crème fraîche
Step 1
Peel the potatoes and cut into slices of 3-5 mm. Place them in a pan, add cold water and bring to the boil. Cook for about 15 minutes.
Step 2
In the meantime, chop the onions and sauté briefly in a pan with olive oil. Add the diced bacon and fry for about 5 minutes. Pour in the white wine and cook over a low heat until the white wine has evaporated. Cut the Reblochon (or your cheese of choice) into 4-5 mm thick slices.
Step 3
Rub the bottom and sides of an ovenproof dish with a halved clove of garlic. Pour the onion and bacon mixture into the dish, then alternate layers of potato and cheese slices (the last layer being cheese).
Step 4
Season with ground black pepper and salt and pour over the crème fraîche. Bake in the oven at 190 °C fanfor 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.