Gratinated Spätzle with Gruyèreirregular fresh pasta and golden cheese
Fresh Spätzle is cooked directly in water, drained, and layered with Gruyère before gratinating until bubbling and golden brown.
Spätzle is a soft egg dough, not a rolled and cut pasta. It falls through holes or a board directly into boiling water and cooks in minutes, forming irregular pieces. Draining without rinsing preserves starch to help the butter and cheese adhere; the short gratin heats the layers without drying the pasta.
Ingredients
Dough
Assembly
Assembly and dish
Seasoning
Preparation
Mix the dough
Combine flour, eggs, milk, and salt until a sticky dough that forms bubbles; rest for 10 minutes.
15 minutesCook the spätzle
Pass the dough through a special grater over boiling water and remove each batch as it rises, in 2 to 3 minutes.
20 minutesDrain and butter
Drain well without rinsing and toss with 40 g of butter to separate the pieces.
10 minutesAssemble the layers
Alternate spätzle and Gruyère in a buttered dish, lightly seasoning each layer.
10 minutesGratinate
Bake at 210 °C for 20 minutes and use the grill for 3 to 5 minutes until golden.
25 minutes
Substitutions
Another good melting cheese may work but changes the dish's German-Alpine profile.
Storage
Refrigerate covered and reheat in the oven with a spoonful of milk.
Approximate shelf life: Up to 3 days refrigerated.
Nutrition values are estimates and may vary by brand, substitution and actual yield.
