I start by putting my ovenproof porcelain dish (you can also use a casserole dish) with milk, butter, half of the vanilla sugar plus the cranberry jelly for approx. 3-5 minutes in the oven at approx. 220°C.
Then I beat the egg whites together with the sugar with my mixer until stiff.
I mix 6 of the 10 egg yolks with the remaining vanilla sugar.
I gently stir this, together with the lemon zest and the flour mixed with corn starch, into the beaten egg whites.
Then it gets serious. I try to form three pyramids, which I place in the porcelain dish and I’m pleased that it seems to have worked well this time.
I then put the ‚Nockerl‘ in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes at approx. 220 °C. This Salzburg dessert speciality should remain somewhat creamy in the middle.
Whilst my sweet creations are browning slowly in the oven, I remember that the three pyramids are supposed to symbolize the three local mountains around the City of Salzburg – the Mönchsberg, the Kapuzinerberg and the Gaisberg and I note that Salome Alt, the inventor of Salzburger Nockerl, successfully created a true homage to the mountain world around Salzburg.
And suddenly I’m pulled out of my thoughts, as I now have to be quick. Dust the Nockerln with icing sugar and serve immediately as they can collapse when they cool down. For just a few minutes anyway they should look like the three Salzburg mountains after fresh powder snow has fallen.