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Excursion: Slope with saffron fields in Mund


Here's a view looking down one of the saffron slopes. The land serves a dual purpose as rye (Roggen) is grown on it for part of the year to combat weeds.

If you look carefully, you might be able to make out some buildings way in the lower distance on the right hand side of the photo, just above the trees in the foreground. As I mentioned earlier, Mund lies at 1200 meters (3937 feet) above sea level and the valley is at 700 meters.

Here's a short video (in English, 2.47 minutes) on the swissinfo website about the saffron in Mund. Very nice images, do check it out:
Swiss Saffron

Some of you have mentioned that you're familiar with certain dishes that use saffron. If you have the recipes and would care to share them, I'll do a special post tomorrow.

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10 comments:

Tanya Breese said...

Such beautiful countryside. I'm not sure if I've actually used Saffron before but I know I've come across it in recipes before. I'll have to look through my spice cupboards :)

Anonymous said...

Most interesting post. I wish I could have seen the village closer.

Sharon said...

I'd be happy to send you the recipe you asked about. Do you want me to add it as a comment, or email you? You can email me at ancks@cox.net with the answer.

Halcyon said...

I have never used saffron. I would be interested in how the cheesecake comes out. Both dishes sound delicious!

USelaine said...

My Cornish grandfather never cooked from written recipes, so his "way" of making saffron buns died with him. The wikipedia article, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saffron_bun , describes the idea pretty well, although in addition to the dried currants, he used candied melon rind bits and similar colorful ingredients.

Sharon said...

Here is the recipe for Saffron and Stem Ginger Cheesecake:
1 large sponge flan base
3/4 tsp saffron threads
3 or 4 knobs stem ginger
3 Tbsp ginger syrup
8 oz mascarpone
12 Tbsp crème fraiche
9 Tbsp sour cream
8 1/2 Tbsp superfine sugar
3 Tbsp lemon juice
3 large eggs, separated
powdered sugar (to dust)

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Use a 9-inch springform pan. Cut the sponge base to fit the pan. Cut it slightly large and press in for a snug fit.
2. Soak the saffron in 2 Tbsp boiling water until cool. Finely chop the stem ginger.
3. Beat the mascarpone with the crème fraiche, sour cream, sugar, lemon juice, and egg yolks. Add saffron water and strands, the ginger and syrup.
4. Whisk the 2 egg whites until soft peaks form and gently fold into the mixture. Pour this into the pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes until lightly firm and golden on top. It will wobble slightly.
5. Cool and chill in the pan; then run a table knife around the inside. Use a long palette knife to slide the cheesecake onto a flat plate. Serve wedges dusted with powdered sugar.

Kris McCracken said...

Another beautiful one.

Tash said...

your saffron crocuses series of photos is just beautiful & fascinating. and it brought up another memory - white & lavender corcuses in spring on Rigi

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...

saffron's the "order" of the week :DD

Z, I dont have a recipe of my own but I have this one sourced from find.myrecipes.com which comes closest to what I think how my mom cooked it:


Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon warm water
* 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled
* 1 1/3 cups uncooked basmati rice
* 2 cups cold water
* 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
* 3 whole cloves
* 2 bay leaves
* 2 1/4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
* 2 tablespoons raisins
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted

Preparation

Combine warm water and saffron.

Rinse rice well; drain. Combine rice and 2 cups cold water in a bowl, and let stand 30 minutes to 2 hours. Drain.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add cloves and bay leaves; cook 1 1/2 minutes, stirring occasionally (be careful not to burn the bay leaves). Stir in saffron mixture, rice, broth, raisins, and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Discard cloves and bay leaves; sprinkle with almonds.


My 2 cents:

1) Since my parents are vegetarians: mom never used chicken broth for sure. Instead, she used water to boil rice.

2) I know for sure that she'd sprinkle rose water on the rice for the fragrance.

Hope this fits the bill :)

Janet said...

Very interesting about saffron.