Hello my fellow foreigners
This is a positive outlook on what Switzerland has to offer. Like they say, "Always look on the bright side of life...".
This Blog talks about getting to know Switzerland, the culture, the night life, saving money in this expensive country, get togethers, language, etc.
Enjoy!
Baking American Classics in Switzerland
Posted 10.11.2009 at 09:33 by SoCalCoise
I don’t know about you, but one of my favorite things to do during the winter is pack on the pounds with a few sinfully delicious treats. So during my first winter in Switzerland I searched high and low for all my favorite desserts: donuts, fluffy chocolate cake with white frosting, peanut butter cookies, NY cheesecake, sweet potato pie and apple pie just to name a few. Surprise! I couldn’t find most of what I was looking for. Okay, not so bad that wasn’t so bad since I love to bake anyway.
So next I went to Migros to collect all the ingredients I needed to make the perfect chocolate chip cookies dough. As I walked down the baking aisle I noticed that liquid vanilla, fine grain white sugar, and baking soda are not Swiss commodities.
So I’d like to share a few of my quick tips for baking your favorite in Switzerland.
· Use measuring cups and spoons
Instead of frustrating myself with trying to immediately take on the kilo & grams system, I brought measuring cups and spoons with me to Switzerland. I did want to learn cooking the European way, so I also bought a scale and tried baking recipes written in kilos and grams. This allowed me to bake all my favorite recipes when I wanted to bake for relaxation and familiarize myself with the kilo/gram system when I was feeling more adventurous. (Let me know if you want a set and I’ll send it.)
· Substitute baking powder for baking soda.
Baking soda is about 3 times the strength of baking powder, so if a recipe calls for 1 tsp of baking soda use 3 tsp of baking powder. (Let me know if you want some and I’ll send it.)
· Baking vanilla is out there, but you have to really search for it.
In the States, vanilla extract comes in a dark brown bottle and the extract itself is dark. The best I’ve been able to find here is a yellow hued vanilla extra that comes in packets of 4 small capsules. These capsules get the job done, but are not quite like the vanilla extract that we grow up with in the States. I usually bring back multiple bottles of vanilla to get that nice vanilla flavor and aroma that I love. (Let me know if you want some.)
· Finer grain white sugar is available in stores.
I know it sounds ridiculous, but at first I tried using the larger grain sugar in my cookie recipe. I’m sure you know that my experiment didn’t really work. For recipes that require you to cream butter and sugar you should definitely find fine grain sugar. If you looked toward the bottom of the sugar shelf in the baking aisle, you should be able to find just what you’re looking for.
I’m sure that there are many other tips and tricks I haven’t mentioned, so what can you suggest?
So next I went to Migros to collect all the ingredients I needed to make the perfect chocolate chip cookies dough. As I walked down the baking aisle I noticed that liquid vanilla, fine grain white sugar, and baking soda are not Swiss commodities.
So I’d like to share a few of my quick tips for baking your favorite in Switzerland.
· Use measuring cups and spoons
Instead of frustrating myself with trying to immediately take on the kilo & grams system, I brought measuring cups and spoons with me to Switzerland. I did want to learn cooking the European way, so I also bought a scale and tried baking recipes written in kilos and grams. This allowed me to bake all my favorite recipes when I wanted to bake for relaxation and familiarize myself with the kilo/gram system when I was feeling more adventurous. (Let me know if you want a set and I’ll send it.)
· Substitute baking powder for baking soda.
Baking soda is about 3 times the strength of baking powder, so if a recipe calls for 1 tsp of baking soda use 3 tsp of baking powder. (Let me know if you want some and I’ll send it.)
· Baking vanilla is out there, but you have to really search for it.
In the States, vanilla extract comes in a dark brown bottle and the extract itself is dark. The best I’ve been able to find here is a yellow hued vanilla extra that comes in packets of 4 small capsules. These capsules get the job done, but are not quite like the vanilla extract that we grow up with in the States. I usually bring back multiple bottles of vanilla to get that nice vanilla flavor and aroma that I love. (Let me know if you want some.)
· Finer grain white sugar is available in stores.
I know it sounds ridiculous, but at first I tried using the larger grain sugar in my cookie recipe. I’m sure you know that my experiment didn’t really work. For recipes that require you to cream butter and sugar you should definitely find fine grain sugar. If you looked toward the bottom of the sugar shelf in the baking aisle, you should be able to find just what you’re looking for.
I’m sure that there are many other tips and tricks I haven’t mentioned, so what can you suggest?
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Comments
 | I don't know where you are living, but Globus gormet shop has vanilla extract - quite expensive, but well worth it since the vanille aroma you get at Migros & Coop is only about 1 teaspoon - and these bottles at Globus have much more. Do you know where I can get brown sugar (nicht Roh Zucker) in Bern? |
Posted 21.11.2010 at 14:25 by reckon  |
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- Aren't You Cold???... (08.12.2009)
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