Bramata -- Swiss Kiss--Caroline Hoestettler

By CheeseDiva

Bramata Rules

There’s three keys to a great Bramata:
Never pour the corn into the bubbling hot water. Do remove the pan from the heat, add the corn and keep the pan off of the burner for a few minutes, while constantly stirring. This extra time you take will avoid nasty (and in some cases, painful) splattering.
Second: Stir as often as possible, always with a wooden spoon, and always clockwise. (It’s what the old Swiss ladies recommend, and their Bramatas are the best.)
And lastly: Bramata needs time! Don’t rush, don’t look for short cuts. If dinner has to be on the table in under an hour, forget about Bramata.

Bramata is firm enough to be scooped out into balls (with an ice cream or melon scooper, depending on your preference of size) and served this way.

A classic and elegant way to serve Bramata family style, is to (abundantly) butter a ring shaped baking dish and fill it with the cooked Bramata. Pound the baking dish down hard a few times in order to avoid air pockets. Then keep the Bramata warm in a Bain Marie. To serve, put the baking dish onto a large enough platter upside down and carefully let the Bramata ring slip out.

Ingredients

• 1 lbs Bramata
• 1 quart water
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• aged cheese (preferably Sbrinz), to be grated on top of the dish

Details

Adapted from happystomachs.com

Preparation

Step 1

For the Bramata, bring water to a boil in a large and heavy pan. Add salt, shortly let it dissolve.

Remove pan from the heat and reduce heat to medium.

Slowly but steadily add Bramata to the hot water, while constantly stirring. Keep on stirring for two minutes, then put pan onto the burner again.

Bramata corn, cooking

If necessary, adjust heat in order to get to a light simmer. Keep on stirring.

Let the Bramata cook, covered, for 45 minutes to one hour. Check and stir frequently. Add water if needed. Once the Bramata gets close to being ready, it can be pulled away from the sides of the pan without sticking.

To serve, ladle Bramata into the center of a plate.

f prepared in advance with the intention of serving later, pour cooked Bramata onto a wooden board. Spread it out evenly and in the desired height, with a knife or spatula. Later, this Bramata can be cut (with a knife or string) into individual portions (squares, strips, etc.) and then pan fried with butter, baked in the oven or on the grill.

Bramata from the wood board, or any left over Bramata can be served as a sweet dish by cutting it into individual portions, frying it in butter and then dusting it with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon. Coarse apple sauce or plum compote are classic accompaniments of this simple, sweet meal. (A scoop of ice cram doesn’t hurt it, either.)

Rather thinly spread Bramata can replace the dough of a pizza or vegetable tart.