45mSpaetzle with Cheese
German/Austrian cheese spaetzle made with tender egg noodles, melted Gruyere, butter, and browned yellow onion. This vegetarian dish keeps the classic spaetzle noodle format with a rich, savory cheese finish.
- Cuisine
- German and Austrian
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- large eggs-4 each
- all-purpose flour-2 cups
- whole milk-0.5 cups
- water-0.25 cups
- unsalted butter-4 tbsp
- hot cooking water-0.25 cups
- yellow onion-8 oz
- kosher salt-4.5 tsp
- Gruyere cheese-8 oz
- black pepper-0.25 tsp
- ground nutmeg-0.13 tsp
Thinly slice the yellow onion, shred the Gruyere cheese, measure the remaining ingredients, and bring a large pot of water with 1 tablespoon kosher salt to a boil.
Use caution around boiling water and steam.
Keep fingers clear of the box grater while shredding cheese.
In a large bowl, whisk the large eggs, whole milk, and 1/4 cup water until smooth; stir in the all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and ground nutmeg until the batter is thick and elastic, then let it rest for 10 minutes.
Because the batter contains raw eggs, avoid tasting it before the spaetzle is fully cooked.
Melt the unsalted butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add the yellow onion and remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, then cook, stirring often, until deep golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.
Use caution with hot butter to avoid splatter burns.
Reserve one-third of the browned onion for topping and keep the rest in the skillet over low heat so the onion butter stays warm.
Press the batter through a spaetzle maker into the boiling water in batches; cook each batch until the spaetzle noodles float and look set, 2 to 3 minutes.
Press the batter slowly through the spaetzle maker to reduce splashing from boiling water.
Cook the egg-based spaetzle until the noodles float and look fully set.
Lift the cooked spaetzle with a slotted spoon and transfer it to the skillet; toss with the browned onion butter, black pepper, and 1/4 cup hot cooking water.
Let excess boiling water drain from the slotted spoon before moving spaetzle to reduce splashing.
Fold in the Gruyere cheese by handfuls over low heat until melted and glossy, then serve hot topped with the reserved browned onion.
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