Osterchüechli

Osterchüechli is a shortcrust pastry based pie that may not be missed from a Swiss Easter brunch table. Personally, I have fallen in love with this elegant and simple pie after the first bite. The filling is a fragant vanilla and lemon zest flavoured milk rice with almond. Of course in this kind of pies raisins may not be missed, however not in my kitchen, because I just can not make myself like them. I think these little cakes are a perfect Easter treat! Happy Easter!

 

Ingredients:

makes 10 pieces of 10 centimeter pies

for the pastry:
250 g flour
180 g butter
3 tablespoon sugar
1 egg
1 pinch of salt

for the filling :
250 ml milk
50 ml water
60 g round grain rice
60 g sugar
60 g ground almond
3 eggs
50 ml cream
1 lemon
1 vanilla pod
1 tablespoon raisins (optional)
icing sugar for serving

Sift flour and make a mould into the middle, add diced butter, pinch of salt and start to crumble the ingredients together. Then add sugar and egg and knead a smooth dough. Chill for 1 hour.

Half and scrap out the seeds of the vanilla pod. Bring milk and water together with the vanilla pod and seeds to the boil. As soon as it is boiling add rice, reduce the heat to the lowest, put a lid on and cook until the rice is soft. It takes about 30-35 minutes. Pour milk rice into a bowl and let it stand for 10 minutes.

Beat egg yolks with sugar until pale and fluffy, then stir it to the milk rice. Stir in cream, ground almond, lemon zest and raisins. Finally fold in beaten egg white.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Roll out dough on a floured surface and with the help of a cookie cutter cut out round pieces and press them into the baking forms. Divide filling in the forms and bake for 15-20 minutes and cool them on a wrack. Sprinkle icing sugar on top before serving.
 

Spinach-sheep's milk cheese rolls

We had such a wonderful spring day yesterday, however it is raining now and it is so cold. Brrrrr...! Although there are still plenty of typical winter ingredients in my pantry, I decided to bring some spring onto the table. We still have to wait for all those beautiful spring veggies, but I found some spinach at my green grocer. I couldn't think of anything else, but to pair it with sheep's milk cheese. A good old classic combnation that never disappoints you.

Ingredients:
for the dough:
400 g flour + extra for dusting
75 g butter
250 ml milk
25 g fresh yeast
¼ teaspoon salt
for the filling:
250 g sheep's milk cheese
300 g spinach
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon butter
salt
pepper
nutmeg
sliced almond
1 egg for brushing

Melt butter, add milk and let it cool until lukewarm. Dissolve yeast in the milk-butter mixture. Sift flour into a bowl, add the milk-butter-yeast mixture, salt and knead a smooth dough. Let it rise on room temperature for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 180°C. For the filling melt butter, add finely chopped garlic and sautee spinach just until it wilts. Remove from the heat and pour everything into a strainer. With the help of a wooden spoon press out any liquid. Cut dough in half and roll out each piece about 5 mm thick. Spread half of the sheep's milk cheese, top with the spinach and roll it up. Cut rolls in about 2 cm thick pieces. Brush rolls with egg and sprinkle with sliced almond. Bake for 25-30 minutes.