The Project Spot: Oktoberfest: Cheese Spaetzle

I was traveling in Munich, Germany this summer. I enjoyed stopping at many small cafes and local joints to try all kinds of food. I can't say that brats are ever going to make my top 10 foods--but the Kaesespaetzle probably will. Everything about my first time with this dish is great--nice summer evening, outdoor restaurant with bright orange umbrellas, leisurely conversation with good friends--and then came this cheesey-carb-loaded nirvana! I can't believe I've lived my whole life without ever having the German dish spaetzle! Spaetzle is a cross between fresh pasta and a dumpling and you can prepare it sauteed with seasonings or eat it like it did--smothered in decadent cheese and crispy onions.

I'm not a souvenir kind of person--so I brought things like chocolate, gummi candy and cheese home from my trip. For this recipe I used an aged Dutch gouda--but any delicious melty cheese would be good (emmentaler is recommend in many other online recipes). I went looking for recipes and most had you make the noodles and then just layer it with cheese and bake it. I know the one I ate in Munich was more than just cheese--it had more creaminess than that. I did find a few references in some recipes that added cream and butter as well as cheese. I improvised a bit and made a bit of a roux that would help stablize the cheese sauce during the oven baking time.

Spaetzle

500 grams flour (its about 3.5 cups)
5 eggs
250 mL water (around 1 1/8 c.). I actually used about 1 cup water with 1/8 c. half and half

This made a TON of dough. Next time I'd cut the recipe in half (I ended up with enough for probably 8-10 servings of cooked spaetzle). The rule of thumb is 1 egg, 100 g flour and 50 mL of water. (I have a kitchen scale). Mix up the 3 ingredients and you'll have a very thick, sticky dough. I let it sit on the counter for about an hour while I did other prep like grate cheese or chop onions.

I do not have spaetzle press, so I used the "old school" method of putting the dough on a cutting board and slicing off small ropes of dough with a spatula. It took me a while to get it figured out, but keeping the dough in a rectangle about 2 inches across worked nicely. I also learned that the heat of the steam and water at the edge of the board (and on the spatula) helps the dough un-stick from the spatula.

You drop the dough straight from the cutting board into boiling water and let it cook for about 2 minutes (until the noodles float). Fish them out with a slotted spoon and put them in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. From here you can then drain your spaetzle and saute them in butter and eat them...or do like me and add cheese.

Cheese sauce
1/2-1 lb grated gouda, emmentaler or other sharp flavored melting cheese
2 Tbs. butter
1 tsp. flour
1/2 c. half and half
1/4 c. diced onions

I pulled out my cast iron skillet and slowly sauteed some diced onion. Once they were nice and brown (but not burned) I put the onions on a plate and added butter to the pan and a spoonful of flour. I cooked the flour mix for about 30 seconds and then added about 1/2 cup of half and half and added the cooked spaetzle (since my recipe made WAY more than I can possibly eat, I used about 3-4 cups of noodles). Then I added the shredded cheese. I used Gouda that I brought home from Europe and I added about close to a pound of shredded cheese. I sprinkled onions on top and then put the whole thing in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.