The taste of Lech Zürs

As a world-renowned gourmet village, there is no question that Lech Zürs spoils its guests with all kinds of culinary delights during their stay. The taste of the finest home cooking, traditional dishes or international plates with a regional twist burns itself into the taste buds as an indelible memory; a synapse firework eternally linked to the moment of delight experienced here on the Arlberg.

A magical moment that is unfortunately far too fleeting and, at the latest, becomes a distant memory when one returns home...until now! With the following recipes at hand, one can revive the memories of this wonderful time at home and easily bring the culinary holiday feeling home. This is how one tastes Lech Zürs all year round!

Recipe der Berghof

Miso-poultry beurre blanc with smoked hay essential oil

Ingredients

200 g butter
3 shallots

5 white peppercorns
2 bay leaves

2 twigs tarragon

350ml poultry stock

50 ml white wine

50 ml dessert wine

200 ml Noilly Prat

Miso

Preparation

Sauté shallots in a small amount of butter, cut remaining butter into small cubes and refrigerate for later. Now add the herbs and spices and add alcohol bit by bit, then simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add poultry stock and reduce until about half the liquid has gone. Now add the refrigerated butter cubes to get a creamy consistency. Remove bay leaves and tarragon twigs, season to taste with miso.

For a final touch add smoked hay oil to taste until a type of “marbled effect” is created.

Recipe die Krone von Lech

Slices of zander with wild herb mash, champagne cabbage, chanterelles, and mustard pickles

Ingredients serve 2

Char

4 zander filets, 70 – 80 g each
salt, pepper, coriander seeds, some butter

Mashed potatoes with wild herbs

250 g potatoes, mealy
30 g butter
30 ml milk
Pinch nutmeg
Pinch salt, pepper
40 g wild herbs, finely chopped (e.g. thyme, rosemary, mugwort, wild marjoram, garlic mustard, sorrel)

Champagne cabbage

250 g sauerkraut
30 g bacon, diced
40 g onion, diced
1/2 garlic clove
50 g butter
20 g sugar
125 g beef stock or vegetable stock
Some caraway seed, juniper berry, bay leaf
Pinch salt, pepper
200 g whipping cream
70 ml champagne

Chanterelles

200 g chanterelles
40 g shallots
15 ml white wine
30 g vegetable stock
40 g butter
salt, pepper

Mustard pickles

4 gherkins
125 g apple cider vinegar
125 g water
7 g salt
25 g spice mix (peppercorns, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, allspice)

Preparation

Peel the gherkins and, together with all the spices, put them in a jar. For the brine, bring all liquid ingredients to a boil and pour into the jar. Close the jar and can over steam at 86° C for about 15 minutes.

Peel potatoes, cut into cubes, and cook in salted water until tender. Strain and mash potatoes after adding heated milk, butter, and spices. To finish, add finely chopped herbs and season to taste.

Rinse sauerkraut with cold water and press to remove liquid. Sauté bacon, onion, and garlic in a small amount of butter, add a bit of sugar and stir well. Add stock and then caraway seeds, juniper berries and the bay leaf, season with salt and pepper. Add the sauerkraut and simmer for about 25 minutes until soft. Add cream and champagne at the end and simmer for another 10 minutes until creamy.

In a pan, roast the chanterelles with finely chopped shallots, season and add liquid at the end, reduce.

Brown zander, skin down, in butter and season with spices.

For the finish arrange everything beautifully on a plate.

Happy cooking and enjoy your meal!

Recipe Tian am Berg

Vegetable beuschel* with dumpling slices *in traditional Austrian cuisine, “beuschel” is a lights stew

Ingredients 3 to 4 servings

Vegetable beuschel
3 carrots
2 yellow carrots
1/2 celeriac
3 stalks celery
2 red onions
6 king oyster mushrooms
2 tbsp capers
1 organic lemon
125 – 150 ml oil
Hot mustard
Some flour for thickening
1 litre vegetable stock
100 g sour cream
1 dash white wine vinegar
1 bunch chives
Marjoram for garnish

Dumplings

2 onions
90 g butter plus a little extra for cooking the dumplings
200 ml milk
Some freshly ground nutmeg
300 g stale white bread (e.g. baguette)
1/2 bunch chives
50 g spinach
5 eggs
Salt
Pepper
1 twig thyme

Preparation

Clean, wash, and peel the root vegetables. Wash the celery stalks, trim, and remove threads if necessary. Peel onions. Clean mushrooms. Cut the vegetables into fine strips (julienne) and put aside in separate containers. Strain the capers and cut into small cubes. Wash the lemon, rub dry, grate the peel, and press.

Heat 125 ml oil in a pan. On low to medium heat, gently sauté the onion and king oyster mushrooms for 5 to 10 minutes, add oil if needed. Add the capers, stir in some mustard, dust everything with flour and add vegetable stock. Now, add carrots and celeriac and bring to a boil. Let the vegetables cook on medium to high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, then add the celery. Add sour cream and season to taste with lemon juice, lemon zest, and vinegar. Wash chives, shake dry, cut into small rings, and stir in.

For the dumplings, peel the onions and chop finely. In a pan, heat the butter and sauté onions on low heat for 5 to 10 minutes until translucent. Add milk and season with nutmeg. Cut bread into 1 cm cubes and add to the milk mixture. Wash and dry chives and spinach, chop roughly and add as well. Separate eggs. Add egg yolks to the bread mixtures. Beat egg whites and a pinch of salt with a hand mixer until stiff, gently fold into the mixture, season with salt and pepper. In a low, wide pot, bring water to the boil. Pour dumpling mixture onto a buttered kitchen towel (less environmentally friendly alternatives are aluminium foil or cling film), roll up towel to form a log and carefully tie up the ends with kitchen twine. Cook in simmering water on medium heat for 20 to 30 minutes. Steaming is an alternative. Remove dumpling from the towel and cut into slices before serving. Roast dumpling slices with butter and thyme, 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown.

Serve beuschel with dumpling slices and garnish with marjoram.

Recipe Gourmethotel Rote Wand

Sig-dumplings

Ingedients for 20 dumplings

Dough

2 eggs
500 g curd cheese (at room temperature)
50 g butter, softened
50 g powdered sugar
1 pinch salt
1 pinch ground vanilla bean
Zest from 1 organic lemon
75 g breadcrumbs
7 g all-purpose flour
35 g cake flour
28 g Sig (a sweet, caramelised whey product, in some areas referred to as “Bregenzerwald chocolate”)

Crumble
5 tbsp breadcrumbs, roasted and mixed with 1 tbsp sugar

Preparation

Separate eggs. Mix curd cheese, butter, egg yolks, powdered sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest with a food processor or hand mixer until smooth. Fold in breadcrumbs and flour. Now beat the egg whites in the food processor and carefully fold into the mass. Refrigerate for one day.

Using an ice cream scoop, scoop out equally sized balls of dough. Lightly dust your hands with flour and gently press each ball of dough until flat, place one of the portioned Sig-balls (about 1.5 cm in diameter) in the middle. Fold over the dough and once again form a ball. Bring water to a boil in a pot and place Sig-dumplings in the water. Turn down temperature and let the dumplings cook in lightly boiling water until they float to the surface.

Lift dumplings out of the water using a slotted spoon when ready.

Coat the Sig-dumplings with roasted and sweetened breadcrumbs, drizzle with melted butter and serve.