Cosmopolite, la Partie Cinq

It's spring in DC!! I can hardly believe it after the snow-filled winter Washingtonians experienced this year. Even more difficult for me to grasp is that just one month ago, I was in the company of wonderful friends in one of the most beautiful countries I've seen: Switzerland.

Thanks to my friend Felix, I spent ten amazing days exploring Verbier, Lucerne, Konstanz (Germany), and Geneva. My first five days were filled with ski lessons, getting lost around the village of Verbier, para-gliding, sledding, walking, and of course, eating. Luckily, all four people I shared this time with enjoy eating, cooking, and sharing, so every evening was akin to a nice dinner out at a semi-fancy restaurant. More memorable than the food was the grace and gratitude with which it was received. Every meal was accompanied by a big thanks to the chef and a toast to a happy life.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Felix, Julia, Max, and Lizzie once again for allowing me to share this holiday with you. I am so grateful to meet you all, and I hope to see you again!

Now, I would like to share with you a little bit about food in Switzerland and Germany. As you may know, Switzerland excels in its selection of meats, dairy, and of course, CHOCOLATE. Here's a peek at some mouth-watering items I sampled:

This was my first hint that Switzerland is indeed my kind of country. These cookbooks were spotted in the post office!


On my first night, Julia made this dish, which was described to me as the "ancestor to the pizza." It has bacon, creme fraiche, onion, and a little cheese on a wafer-thin crust.


Felix has vacationed in Verbier since he was a small child, and he was kind enough to share a gastronomic family tradition with us during this holiday. This tart, a specialty of Verbier, is made on a puff pastry-like crust, filled with a light, sweet cream, and topped with raspberries. According to a local bakery, the tart MUST be eaten within two hours of being prepared.


While jumping off La Ruinette with a parachute attached to me, I worked up an appetite! I slowly ate this beautiful chocolate croissant while savoring the time I had left in such a beautiful place.


And finally, while in Konstanz, I sipped coffee while playing Patience. If those cards look familiar, it's because they are Washington, DC-themed cards I bought for Felix and Julia.

While in Switzerland, I stocked up on chocolate bars, only to return home and realize that I don't particularly like eating bar chocolate. Instead of giving them all away, I combined one delicious bar of Swiss milk chocolate, one bar of bittersweet chocolate, and a brand-new kitchen appliance to make something delicious, creamy, and cold.


Yes, that's chocolate frozen yogurt served with a raspberry sauce. Here's the recipe:

CHOCOLATE FROZEN YOGURT WITH RASPBERRY SAUCE

1 cup whole milk
4 oz. milk chocolate (for the love of your ice cream, choose an imported brand), chopped
4 oz. bittersweet baking chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
2.5 cups low fat vanilla yogurt
1 bag frozen, sweetened raspberries

In a large saucepan, heat milk, chocolate, and sugar on medium-high while stirring constantly. Do not stop stirring as the chocolate could burn. Once the chocolate has melted, take the saucepan off of the heat. Once chocolate mixture has cooled to room temperature, cover and store in your refrigerator for at least two hours.

Mix cold chocolate mixture with vanilla yogurt.

Put chocolate-yogurt mixture into your prepared ice cream maker, and freeze as directed. If you like soft ice cream, you could probably eat the frozen yogurt straight from the ice cream maker. However, if you like frozen yogurt with an edge, freeze the yogurt overnight.

When ready to serve, heat frozen raspberries on low heat until they are warm. You may want to add a little water to create a more liquidy sauce.

Top the chocolate frozen yogurt with raspberries. Consume while day-dreaming of Switzerland's immense beauty.