Alsatian Recipes

The Baeckeoffe dish in Soufflenheim pottery is not just for slow-cooking the famous eponymous dish. Used as a bread tin, it provides slow, even baking in earthenware that yields a golden, crispy crust and a particularly soft crumb, easily rivalling the finest Alsatian artisan bakeries.

Homemade gingerbread is one of the finest gifts you can give your Alsatian kitchen. Scented with honey, cinnamon, anise and cardamom, soft at heart and slightly crispy on the surface, it fills the house with an intoxicating fragrance that instantly evokes Christmas, Advent and Alsatian markets. The traditional recipe from Gertwiller, world capital of gingerbread, is simpler than one might think - you just need to follow a few essential rules to achieve a result worthy of the finest artisans.

Käsküeche - literally "cheese tart" in Alsatian - is one of the most comforting desserts of traditional Alsatian baking. This generous tart based on velvety fromage blanc, scented with lemon and vanilla, on a light brioche dough, has accompanied Sunday afternoon teas and festive desserts in Alsace for generations. Simple to make and deeply comforting, it deserves a place of honour in the repertoire of regional baking.

Alsatian frog soup is one of the most authentic and least-known recipes of Ried cooking. This wetland plain bordering the Rhine between Strasbourg and Colmar was long a paradise for frogs - and for the cooks who prepared them with artistry. Frogs' legs delicately poached in a Riesling-scented broth, bound with Alsatian crème fraîche and flavoured with parsley and garlic: a starter of remarkable finesse that deserves a revival on our tables.

Schenkele - literally "little thighs" in Alsatian - are one of the most original Christmas biscuit specialities of Alsace. Unlike oven-baked Bredele, these small roll-shaped biscuits are fried in oil then rolled in vanilla sugar or cinnamon. Crispy on the outside, soft and almond-scented on the inside, they always surprise the uninitiated with their unique texture and irresistible flavour. An ancestral recipe absolutely worth rediscovering during Advent.

Spätzle are the emblematic fresh pasta of Alsatian and Germanic cuisine. These small irregular pasta with a soft and slightly elastic texture, poached in boiling water then golden in browned butter, accompany both meats in sauce and cheese-topped gratin dishes. Simple to prepare with the right utensils, they are an essential of the Alsatian table that every regional cuisine enthusiast should master.

Savoury kougelhopf is the aperitif and indulgent version of the famous Alsatian cake. Far from the sweet kougelhopf with raisins enjoyed at breakfast, this savoury variation with smoked lardons, walnuts and fresh herbs is ideal as an aperitif, buffet or starter for a festive meal. Baked in the traditional Soufflenheim terracotta mould that gives it its characteristic crown shape, savoury kougelhopf is as beautiful as it is delicious and always much appreciated by guests.

Pumpkin soup with Riesling is one of the finest expressions of Alsatian autumn cooking. It marries the sweet, velvety mildness of pumpkin with the mineral and slightly tart notes of Alsatian Riesling for a result of remarkable finesse. Easy to prepare, comforting and elegant, this soup is served equally well as a starter for a festive meal or as a main course accompanied by good Alsatian bread.

In Alsace, the galette des Rois looks nothing like the rest of France. No puff pastry or frangipane here: the Alsatian tradition favours a soft and golden brioche, scented with orange blossom, garnished with candied fruits and pearl sugar, shaped into a crown. This Dreikönigskuchen - Three Kings cake - is an inheritance of the Germanic and Rhenish tradition that has crossed the centuries with the same generosity and the same childhood fragrance.

The quetsch plum tart is the iconic dessert of the Alsatian autumn. Every year in September and October, when the plum trees bend under the weight of their blue-violet fruit, Alsatian kitchens fill with the unmistakable scent of caramelised quetsch plums and cinnamon. On a crisp shortcrust pastry or a soft yeast dough, the plums arranged in a fan make a dessert as beautiful as it is delicious. A simple, generous recipe deeply rooted in Alsatian culinary tradition.

Fleischschnaka - literally "meat snails" in Alsatian - are one of the most endearing dishes of traditional Alsatian cuisine. These fresh pasta rolls filled with minced braised meat, poached in a Riesling-scented broth, are a perfect example of Alsatian farmhouse cooking: generous, ingenious and deeply flavourful. An ideal dish for using up leftover pot-au-feu or baeckeoffe and delighting the whole family.

Alsatian beer soup is one of the most authentic and least-known winter recipes in the regional repertoire. Velvety, slightly bitter, fragrant with cumin and softened with a touch of cream, it is served with toasted gingerbread croutons for a surprising and unforgettable pairing.

Onion soup with Riesling is the Alsatian version of the great French classic. Long-caramelised onions, a stock fragrant with Alsatian Riesling and generously Munster-gratinéed croutons - a comforting and refined soup that reinvents a popular dish with the finest produce of the Alsatian terroir.

Smoked palette with lentils is one of the most emblematic winter dishes of Alsatian cuisine. The long-simmered smoked pork shoulder pairs perfectly with soft, aromatic lentils. A generous, economical and deeply comforting dish, worthy of the finest Alsatian winstubs.

The Mannele is the unmissable Alsatian brioche of 6 December. This small golden figure, soft and lightly sweetened, is given to children on Saint Nicholas Day in every bakery across Alsace. Here is the traditional recipe to make it at home, with baking secrets and delicious variations.

Schniederspaetzle are one of the most comforting dishes in Alsatian cuisine. These homemade fresh pasta - cousins of Spätzle - are pan-fried in butter with long-caramelised onions. A simple, generous dish deeply rooted in the tradition of Alsatian winstubs.

Melted Munster with caraway is the simplest and most effective Alsatian hot starter. In under 15 minutes, this emblematic Alsatian cheese transforms into a melting, caraway-scented dish, irresistible served with toasted country bread and a glass of Gewurztraminer.

The Matelote of the Rhine is one of the great overlooked classics of Alsatian cuisine. This freshwater fish stew - carp, pike, perch, eel - simmered in Riesling with shallots, mushrooms and cream, is a recipe from the Rhenish river heritage of rare elegance and generosity.