The preparation of absinthe, a whole ritual
Take note of our seven typical Swiss 'pairings' to drink absinthe (and without getting drunk):
1. Frozen
Alcohol and ice cream are two of those good remedies (or excuses) for combat difficult digestion after a meal. And since the Swiss are very into mixing things (see milk chocolate) to see what happens, they have not missed the opportunity, when summer arrives, to finish off a carnivorous gastronomic tribute with this delicacy. Although it gives that preventive fear for its star ingredient, the final result is fantastic, with a amazing creaminess and with a taste journey that goes from the expected sweetness to the herbaceous and special touch that the wormwood gives it. The most recommended, the one tested in the Ferme des Brandt .
Ice cream with absinthe from Ferme des Brandt
two. Bonbons and truffle
Here they do not take the Oscar for originality, but let no one allow themselves the luxury of not trying these two cocoa coated vices . The first is still the classic in which the liquor inside is replaced by absinthe. But with a very professional touch, since in Switzerland they know how to make the fine chocolate cabbage melt at the right time in which the tongue accesses the warm heart to melt everything and, ah!... reach the drunken orgasm . The truffle uses the absinthe to compact the mass of egg yolk, butter and milk cream and give the delicacy a country touch.
3. Chocolate
Of course, we are in Switzerland. And, of course, they weren't going to add absinthe to the watches (watchmaking would be the other healthier alternative to spend the winter entertained) or to the cheese, so they pulled the third Swiss classic: the chocolate . The result are perfect chocolate bars (the kind that is sold by the ounce and that would remind even Sauron of his childhood) with a wild touch. Is it peppermint? Is it mint? Is it chamomile? Boy, you better not tell your parents...
Four. sausages
The cuisine of the Jura is quite simple and elemental. A lot of cheese, a lot of meat and a lot of those sausages that end up being part of the family hanging in strings from the roofs of the old farmhouses. And here too? You are right. Their tasty sausages (or dry sausages) have a trick: its explosive flavors . In the catalog of any traditional store you can find the one with hazelnuts, the one with walnuts, the one with an extra bit of garlic and… the absinthe one! Of course, what better way to start warming up quickly with a dish that is usually eaten as a gourmet starter. Pretentious, yes, but surprising.
absinthe sausages
5. pate
From neighboring France, the Swiss Jura receives every day a jug of Gauls in search of cheaper gasoline and the occasional culinary influence. Come on, you have learned how to make a duck pâté of an acceptable quality before which they could not avoid the temptation of mix a little bit with absinthe . And yes, it is finger licking good. And no, it is not the classic invasion of flavors typical of the radical gastronomy of Central Europe.
6. chip cookies
They are about wafer thin pasta that can be confused with a potato chip. The taste does not differ too much from the typical pasta that made with brandy or pomace in convents throughout Europe. Not in vain, the origin of absinthe is in a cloister where the nuns prepared a concoction with wormwood that removed all evil (and worries). Then it was commercialized and In the middle of the 19th century, the fever for this drink exploded in Paris . Come on, eating a biscuit is transporting yourself to a time when neither the Moulin Rouge nor the paintings and vices of Toulouse Lautrec existed. A roll, come on.
7. Candy
"Young man, do you want an absinthe candy?" This phrase could prove right to those mothers who have spent decades with so much fear warning their offspring about the danger of candy given at the gates of school. However, among the mountains of these valleys it is a widespread custom. Evidently they do not carry alcohol and, in addition to sweetening the lives of children and adults for a while, it introduces the new generations to the tradition of wormwood flavor . An aftertaste that rises to regionalist pride.
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Absinthe sweets, for children and without alcohol