Try this tasty recipe for Rita's Alpine Eggs with French Sauce! The recipe calls for Der Alpine Kase cheese from Goot Essa, which you can find on the PA Wilds Marketplace. This recipe will be loved by everyone for those lazy weekend mornings at home or a tasty brunch with to impress your friends. Although the presentation can feel upscale, the recipe is very accessible and tastes like a homestyle kind of "toast and eggs" breakfast you remember from your childhood... just upgraded!
What are Alpine eggs?
This is an old European recipe with fried eggs over carefully toasted bread, layered with cheese and ham. Adjust the recipe as your tastebuds inspire you to! Although the recipe calls for ham, you can use a different meat or forgo it entirely. Try the recipe with different types of bread and see which one is your favorite. Opt for a locally produced or free-range egg for an even richer taste.
The Alpine portion of the name also refers to Goot Essa's Der Alpine Kase case, which is used in the recipe both in the sauce and on the eggs and toast.
What do you mean by French sauce?
This French sauce is a take on the classic Béchamel sauce, a white sauce that is one of the five mother sauces of classical cuisine. It's made with milk, flour, butter, and spices.
This recipe slightly resembles the Mornay sauce style of the Béchamel sauce. A Mornay sauce is enhanced with cheese and is a perfect, creamy addition to eggs. This particular recipe calls for Der Alpen Kase from Goot Essa, which you can find here on the PA Wilds Marketplace.
A French sauce makes a boring breakfast feel a little more special. Everything seems a little classier with a French sauce! However, don't be fooled by the fancy name. This sauce is a crowd-pleaser and a favorite for both kids and adults.
What does Der Alpine Kase cheese taste like?
Goot Essa Der Alpen Kase is an artisanal, cave-aged, Alpine-style cheese with all the tang of the best aged cheeses, and yet still has the creaminess to be part of your favorite cheese recipes. The flavor is a wonderful blend of sweet, salty buttery, and nutty flavors and with a smooth clean finish. The cow's milk cheese has been aged for 18 months and is available in vacuum-sealed wedges.
This farmstead, raw cow milk cheese is made according to our traditional Amish recipe that was handed down from our German-Swiss ancestors. This hand-made, all-natural, gruyere-style cheese features a hard but smooth texture with an acidity and creaminess that make this cheese truly gourmet. Der Alpen Kase means “Alpine cheese” in Pennsylvania Dutch.
Rita’s Alpine Eggs with French Sauce
Ingredients (Serves 4)
For the French Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup grated Der Alpen Kase
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
- Salt and pepper
For the Swiss eggs:
- 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
- 4 3/4-inch thick slices sandwich bread
- 1/2 cup grated Der Alpen Kase
- 8 slices country ham, thin sliced
- 4 large eggs
Instructions
In a medium heavy saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes, or until well blended and beginning to smell toasted.
Gradually stir in half the milk and bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Stir in other half of milk and bring back to boil.
Simmer and stir until sauce thickens.
Remove from heat and stir in Der Alpen Kase until melted.
Stir in mustard and nutmeg, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.
Preheat broiler. Line a heavy baking sheet with foil.
In a large heavy skillet, heat ½ tablespoon of butter over medium heat until bubbly. Add 2 pieces of sandwich bread and toast about 3 minutes on each side.
Transfer bread to prepared baking sheet and repeat with other 2 pieces of bread and another ½ Tbsp of butter.
Divide half of the grated Der Alpen Kase among the toasts, then top each with 2 slices of ham, then scatter remaining cheese on top of ham.
Broil about 3 minutes, or until cheese is brown and bubbling. Transfer cheese toasts to plates.
Meanwhile, in a heavy nonstick skillet, melt ½ Tbsp butter over medium heat. Crack 2 eggs into the skillet and fry about 3 minutes, or until egg whites have set and the yolks have thickened but not set.
Place on top of cheese covered toasts.
Cook remaining 2 eggs for other 2 toasts.
Pour the warm French sauce evenly over all toasts and serve immediately after adding a dash of paprika over each egg.
How else can you use Der Alpine Kase cheese from Goot Essa?
Der Alpen Kase is a signature cheese on a cheese board or dessert plate, and somewhat surprisingly, melts into a complex mixture of earth, butter, and nut flavors. As the star cheese in almost any macaroni and cheese recipe, or as a compliment to smoked meats, grilled meats and smoked salmon, this cheese offers another taste dimension so demanded by cheese connoisseurs. This cheese also adds to soups and salads, pasta dishes and casseroles. This pairs well with Amish preserves, mustards, and apple butter. Der Alpen Kase pairs well with dry fruity white wines, medium to full bodied reds, and almost any beer or ale.
