For anyone who wants to use the lockdown time for something tasty and constructive, here’s a great recipe for a traditional Swiss Easter treat.  

Mini Osterfladen have been made in Switzerland since the 19th century. 

There are several different varieties, but the recipe for the one we’ve gone with comes from our friend Andie at Helvetic Kitchen, a great source for Swiss recipes of all varieties. 

The recipes are all in English and cover everything from traditional cakes to the world-famous Rösti – meaning anyone can emerge from this coronavirus lockdown as a master of Swiss cuisine. 

The link to the recipe can be found here along with several pictures of how the process should look. 

Photo: Helvetic Kitchen

Ingredients 

Dough

200g flour

2 tbsp sugar

pinch salt 

zest of half a lemon 

80g butter

125ml water

Filling

400 ml milk 

1 tbsp vanilla paste or extract 

pinch salt 

80g short grain (risotto) rice 

zest of half a lemon 

3 tbsp sugar 

1 tbsp butter 

100g raisins, plumped in tea or spirits 

2 eggs apricot jam

icing sugar

Pastry

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, and lemon zest. 

Add the cold butter in pieces and rub into the flour mixture with your fingers until you have small flakes. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the water. Mix this gently until a dough forms. Try not to overwork the dough or it will become tough.

Press the dough into a disc, wrap with plastic, and let cool in the fridge for about an hour. Roll out your dough and line a muffin tin. Keep the tin in the freezer until you have the filling ready.

Photo: Helvetic Kitchen

Filling

In a medium sized pot, bring the milk, vanilla, and salt to a boil. Add the rice and stir well. Reduce the heat to low and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring from time to time until the mixture thickens and the rice is soft. 

It’s best to taste the rice to make sure it’s cooked through. If the mixture is starting to look a little dry but the rice isn’t fully cooked yet, just add a splash of milk. 

Once the rice is cooked, take it off the heat and stir in the lemon zest, butter, sugar, and raisins. Let cool for at least 10 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 180 C / 350 F / gas mark 4. Using a separate bowl and an electric mixer, whip the egg whites until they are stiff. 

Once the rice mixture has cooled, mix in the yolks, then gently fold in the whites. 

Fill each tart with about a tbsp of apricot jam, then add the filling. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the tops are lightly browned and the bottoms are baked through. Dust with icing sugar.

Bunnies (as told by Andie)

Photo: Helvetic Kitchen

I rolled out some extra dough and cut out the ears freehand. 

I baked them for about 8 minutes (until they were slightly golden), then once the tarts were out of the oven I stuck them in. 

I used melted chocolate to make their bunny faces.