The King of Kaspressknödel
Hermann Krismer is the man for the rough stuff. At least when it comes to his cheese dumplings. They’re not meant to be perfect, but fresh and al dente. That’s why the landlord of the Walderalm in Gnadenwald cooks and kneads the dough himself – here, you can literally enjoy some excellent delicacies.
Hermann Krismer won’t have a machine in his house. “It works far too precisely,” laughs the landlord of the Walderalm. His cheese dumplings are unique: chunky, al dente, coarse. A bit like Hermann himself. This year marks his ninth year as tenant, and he’s living his dream at an altitude of around 1,500 metres. “You only have to step outside the door to see why I love being an alpine innkeeper.” Here, at the Walderalm, nestled in a breathtaking high plateau in the Karwendel Mountains, the world lies at your feet.
A delicacy that has won an award
High up, in the seclusion of the countryside, you’ll find them: the best Kaspressknödel in the whole of Tyrol. Award-winning! In the summer of 2016, Hermann Krismer won a readers’ poll run by the ‘Tiroler Tageszeitung’, the region’s largest daily newspaper. He is very proud of this. These 200-gramme delicacies are all handmade. Each one is unique! That’s important to Hermann Krismer.
“Our recipe is quite straightforward: cheese, egg, milk, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. But what makes us so special is the freshness of the ingredients. Each dumpling is kneaded, shaped and only fried fresh in the pan once an order has been placed. That’s crucial to the quality. The outside of the dumpling is really crispy.” Meanwhile, the five different types of cheese inside the dumpling melt in the mouth.
What makes the perfect Kaspressknödel?
“The dumpling must be al dente and crispy. And getting the cheese quantity just right is important.”
Hermann mainly uses Graukäse and a secret blend of mountain cheese, Spätzle cheese and other varieties. The landlord won’t reveal the exact recipe. “It comes from my partner’s mum. I’ve tried out various things and tweaked the recipe slightly.”
10,000 Kaspressknödel for hungry guests
On busy summer days, the landlord has to do a lot of prep work. He prepares at least 200 dumplings in advance, though these are only fried fresh when ordered. Three out of five guests at the Walderalm eat a Kaspressknödel – simply because it always tastes good. The dumpling is served in soup, with salad or sauerkraut. The portions are generous and the price of 7.90 euros for a bowl of Kaspressknödel soup is perfectly reasonable.
A lot has happened over the past six years: “Last year, the ten-thousandth Kaspressknödel was served,” recalls the landlord. Incidentally, Hermann Krismer never had any formal training in cooking – it was simply practice that made him a master. He is a landlady through and through – putting his heart and soul into it, and with a healthy appetite. It’s only at home that his wife does the cooking…
Update
Update: Hermann’s son Maximilian has been running the Walderalm since 2023. Naturally, the Kaspressknödel recipe has been passed on to him...
Recipe for Tyrolean cheese dumplings
If you’d like to try making Kaspressknödel at home, you can follow this Tyrolean recipe.
Link to Walderalm