The walnut tart sold in every Swiss train station was invented by bakers from this valley, who took it with them when they emigrated across Europe.
In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, poverty sent thousands of Engadin families away. Many became pastry cooks in Venice, Bordeaux, Warsaw and St. Petersburg. Some came back rich, built the grand houses with the finest sgraffito in the valley, and brought the walnut tart with them.
What goes in
Shortcrust with plenty of butter, walnuts, sugar cooked to a dark caramel, and cream. That is all. The secret is patience: the caramel must be dark enough to taste almost bitter, and the tart must rest for a day before it is cut.
Our pastry chef bakes six every morning. One goes to breakfast, one to the bar, and the rest are wrapped in paper for guests who want to take a slice up the mountain.
