Mountain flavours bringing back memories

Husband and wife Sven and Amanda Wassmer, chef and wine manager respectively of the Michelin triple-star Memories restaurant in Bad Ragaz (Switzerland) won over the Andorra Taste auditorium this morning with their emotional cuisine and their close ties to the Alps, from which they obtain ingredients with incomparable flavours.

“We feel at home in Andorra, which has a lot in common with Switzerland", began Amanda, demonstrating her passion and firm commitment to high-altitude cookery, and most especially to the land that makes it possible. “It's an area with many weaknesses, but it also has some enormous strengths because, although it's difficult to grow crops there, the produce we offer is unique. The greatest threat is definitely seeking out the farmers of tomorrow, and so we must motivate our younger generations with innovation and decent employment. Because chefs are the ambassadors, but the producers are the real stars", acknowledged Amanda.

Sven took the floor to bring one of his favourite recipes to Andorra Taste, known as "Knöpfli", because “I grew up with this food, it's what I remember and it represents my culture, and so I want to pass it on to the future generations". They are like small dumplings fashioned from organic corn flour, caramelised mother-dough yeast, cheese whey and "organic eggs laid by a neighbour's happy hens", and their flavour is impressive, as those present at last night's dinner in El Diamant can confirm. The dish was rounded off with Périgord truffle purée and slivers of local truffle, and also wild cumin from the Swiss mountains because, "as my grandmother used to say, if you're cooking something rather rich, put some cumin seeds in there! The ingenious couple described their creation as "the flavour of the mountain. I hope this recipe arouses memories; that it conveys what we are, and helps you remember us", were their parting words.