A lushly photographed cookbook and travelogue showcasing the regional cuisines of the Alps, including 80 recipes for the elegant, rustic dishes served in the chalets and mountain huts situated among the alpine peaks of Italy, Austria, Switzerland, and France. “A passionate exploration of all things Alpine . . . this one is a must-have for every ski bum foodie.”-- Vogue NAMED ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW From the wintry peaks of Chamonix and the picturesque trails of Gstaad to the remote villages of the Gastein Valley, the alpine regions of Europe are all-season wonderlands that offer outdoor adventure alongside hearty cuisine and intriguing characters. In Alpine Cooking , food writer Meredith Erickson travels through the region--by car, on foot, and via funicular--collecting the recipes and stories of the legendary stubes, chalets, and refugios. On the menu is an eclectic mix of mountain dishes: radicchio and speck dumplings, fondue brioche, the best schnitzel recipe, Bombardinos, warming soups, wine cave fonduta, a Chartreuse soufflé, and a host of decadent strudels and confections ( Salzburger Nockerl , anyone?) served with a bottle of Riesling plucked from the snow bank beside your dining table. Organized by country and including logistical tips, detailed maps, the alpine address book, and narrative interludes discussing alpine art and wine, the Tour de France, high-altitude railways, grand European hotels, and other essential topics, this gorgeous and spectacularly photographed cookbook is a romantic ode to life in the mountains for food lovers, travelers, skiers, hikers, and anyone who feels the pull of the peaks. Praise for Alpine Cooking “This generous cookbook and travelogue will have readers booking trips to the Alps of Italy, France, Austria, and Switzerland. . . . Erickson beautifully captures Alpine food and culture in this standout volume.” -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) ...

“A book to enjoy when it blusters outdoors, even without a plane ticket to Europe or a pair of skis.”—The New York Times

“This is one of my favorite cookbooks, ever.”—David Lebovitz

“Cookbook meets outdoor-adventure memoir in Meredith Erickson’s *Alpine Cooking, *which will satisfy your yen for Europe’s rustic mountaintop fare with dishes like schlutzkrapfen (stuffed half-moon pasta) and Salzburger nockerl (Austrian soufflé).”**—*enRoute

"Then, there are books that transport me to where I’ve never been. Meredith Erickson’s Alpine Cooking: Recipes and Stories from Europe’s Grand Mountaintops sends a welcome shiver down the spine. The photographs, with gleaming, clear light and the brightest blue skies against snowy peaks, conjure the imagined nostalgia of a perfect après ski moment. Her treatise on schnitzel is contagiously passionate; her mention of the hidden basement workshops of grand hotels captures the romance of those industrious spaces; each section is marked by a love letter to the geography of a region. Erickson situates you in the landscape and saves a space for you at the table, with raclette and cornichon waiting."—The Globe and Mail*

“A wide variety of readers, and their friends, will enjoy the kaleidoscope of recipes, photos, history, and anecdotes.”**—**Library Journal

“This is big, bold, gloriously old-fashioned and the perfect title to snuggle up with to dream about the skiing holiday you can’t afford.”**—Diana Henry, The Telegraph

“Meredith Erickson delivers both the coziest as well as the most elegant cookbook of the fall. . . . Just looking through this beauty will transport you from your messy apartment to après ski somewhere in the Alps.”—Inside Hook

Autorentext
Meredith Erickson is the co-author of numerous cookbooks, including The Art of Living According to Joe Beef, Le Pigeon, Olympia Provisions, Kristen Kish Cooking, Claridge's: The Cookbook, Joe Beef: Surviving the Apocalypse, and the forthcoming Frasca. She has written for the New York Times, Elle, Saveur, Monocle, and Lucky Peach, and also plans and hosts tours throughout the Alps. Meredith splits her time between Montreal and Milan.

Leseprobe
INTRODUCTION

I was told by a station agent that the ski from Plan Maison station in Cervinia, Italy, to the Riffelalp hamlet above Zermatt, Switzerland, would take “about two hours, if that.” But what I should have paid attention to was the sign posted outside the lift ticket booth. “Weather conditions can change rapidly,” it said. “Please be particularly careful in event of wind, rain, fog, hail, or snowfall.”

And so, for the following hours as I made my way across the Italian border at an elevation of nearly 3,900 meters (13,000 feet), the winds increased, the sky turned black, and I couldn’t see my ski poles in front of me. I felt I was in the Upside Down, with little ability to orient myself. As I inched along, I encountered few people, which eventually turned into no people. The last person I saw was the Klein Matterhorn lift operator, who told me he was shutting down the lifts due to wind and even if I wanted to go back, I couldn’t.

I told myself to keep calm as I started the descent. What would normally take twenty minutes for an average skier like me took a lot longer, but I can’t tell you the specifics because I was scared, but also angry. Angry at the weather, angry because of the lifts, but mostly angry at myself for doing this—all for the purpose of eating Zürcher Geschnetzeltes (see page 212).

Alpine Cooking will take you from the Olympic glory of Italy’s Cortina d’Ampezzo, through the towering Dolomites to the northern Italian province of Alto Adige/South Tyrol, past Ötzi the Iceman’s place of discovery in Tyrol, Austria, down the slopes of Zermatt, Switzerland, and over to Mont-Blanc, ending in the twenty-one hairpin turns of the Alpe d’Huez in France. This book took six years to research, write, and travel . . . more if you count the incubating stages when I was trying to wrap my head around how to capture the enormity of these Alpine mountains and the food served within, alongside, and atop them. After completing a handful of Alpine trips myself, I wanted to share the experiences with my family and friends, who were inspired by the stories—often about food—I brought back home to Montreal. I yearned to buy books, or even a book, that combined the narrative of my past Alpine experiences with actual how-to tips and on-the-ground knowledge. I wanted a book about everything Alpine: from the best rifugios (mountain huts) to kitsch mountain films (it’s a genre!), Swiss folk art, mountain literature, hotels and the families who run them, history, and ghost stories. And, oh yes, recipes too. And maps. Lots of maps. Except that book didn’t exist.

Sure, there are Frommer’s and Lonely Planet and “just the facts” guidebooks. There are also haute cuisine cookbooks written by Alpine chefs. But that wasn’t my speed nor my vision. So, I decided to write this book; partly because no one else had done it yet—fit all of this skiable feast under one roof—and partly because I couldn’t resist the adventure of what lay ahead.

I remember early in my travels taking the chairlift in Alta Badia, Italy. As I ascended toward the church of La Crusc, with the alpenglow of the Dolomites behind it, I looked down, around, and behind me at the rifugios and huts all scattered in the snow like roasted chestnuts, and wondered what set one apart from another? Who served wha…