We've known the BIO HOTELS for a long time. Longer than most, perhaps. We've holidayed in some of them, and our spirits are stocked in others. So when Jürgen Schmücking approached us about being part of the new BIO HOTELS cookbook, we were immediately on board. Now the result — Kochlust PUR 3 — is here, and we couldn't be more delighted. But let Jürgen tell you himself:

"My tour of 26 Bio Hotels in autumn 2017 was a tour de force through the most exciting culinary destinations in Central Europe. What the hosts, chefs and cooks of these establishments offered me was so fantastic and impressive that I feel compelled to dedicate a page here to this extraordinary association and the people behind it. The BIO HOTELS see themselves as different — and they truly are. Not only do they stand apart as a group from the rest of the domestic hospitality scene; within the community itself, diversity takes centre stage. The BIO HOTELS were founded by a group of innovative hoteliers from western Austria and southern Germany. At first — as so often when 'Bio' enters the picture — they were met with smiles and scepticism. Today, they are at the forefront of clean, sustainable organic hospitality. And it's no longer a small association with a handful of members. Nothing illustrates that better than a look at the new Kochlust PUR 3.

What you are served in the BIO HOTELS is food from organic farming — 100 percent, and fully certified — along with the finest seasonal and regional produce. Pure culinary passion, in every sense. Each hotel has developed its own distinct style for conjuring creative dishes from these ingredients. When I'm not working on culinary books or articles, I travel as a restaurant critic. I know the kitchens of Austria and Germany well, and I speak from experience: dining at a BIO HOTEL is always a truly special experience."

Here's a sweet example, in which our MOSTELLO plays the perfect companion:

Sour Cream Schmarren with Rum Plums

(Recipe for 4 people)

She was no gourmand, our Empress Sissi. If dessert there must be, then it had to be Hungarian — Somlauer Nockerl, or Gundel crêpes. But that's quite another story. In any case, she was figure-conscious, or put another way, a culinary diva, and at some point it came to pass that she refused to eat a dessert made from crêpe batter that had been created especially for her. So His Most Serene Majesty, the Emperor, had to step in and said — or so the story goes — 'Well, just hand it over, that Schmarren.' And so Kaiserschmarren became part of Austria's culinary heritage. A ski hut without it is virtually unthinkable.

Sauerrahmschmarren is the culinary superlative of Kaiserschmarren — even fluffier, even more indulgent. And just as easy to make.

250 g sour cream

10 g vanilla sugar

5 egg yolks

5 egg whites

35 g cornflour (cornstarch)

50 g caster sugar

1 pinch of salt

Orange zest, lemon zest

8 plums

Sugar

Rum

Stir the sour cream, vanilla sugar, egg yolks, cornflour and zests together until smooth. Whisk the egg whites with the caster sugar and salt until stiff, then gently fold into the sour cream mixture. Pour into a buttered dish and bake at 150°C for approximately half an hour.

Halve the plums and sprinkle with rum and sugar. Leave covered overnight.
To serve, tear the Schmarren into rough pieces, dust with icing sugar and serve alongside the plums. And don't forget the MOSTELLO — it's what makes the experience truly unforgettable. The recipe, by the way, comes from the Biohotel Rupertus in Leogang, where our spirits are also shaken and mixed at the bar. But more on that later.

Kochlust PUR 3 can be ordered here.