Cheese Nockerln

When Sepp and Annemarie Hoedlmoser opened the Tiroler Hof in Marquette, Michigan, in 1966, no one could have blamed them for thinking that they owned a little piece of Heaven on Earth.

Their classic Alps-style chalet in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, built directly into a hillside above Lake Superior and surrounded by 12 acres of verdant forest, was designed to offer guests “quietness and privacy.” That it did. There was the cool-running Carp River, filled with trout in the summer and salmon in the fall, snaking around the south side of the property before it emptied into Lake Superior. And there, winding around a rugged landscape of timbered ravines, were miles and miles and miles of moss-covered trails used for hiking, mountain biking, and skiing. And in some places you’d have a postcard-perfect view of the fire-red Marquette Harbor Light Station, one of the nation’s most famous and picturesque lighthouses.

Sepp Hoedlmoser, a onetime member of the Austrian National Ski Team, had originally come to the area with his wife to manage Cliffs Ridge, a downhill ski resort that’s now known as Marquette Mountain. Over time the Hoedlmosers built the Tiroler Hof into a five-building recreational resort that drew guests from all over the world.

In May 2003 the Tiroler Hof property was acquired by a consortium of four local businessmen led by Bob Mahaney, a financial planner, and Dave Ollila, the creator of a high-quality helmet-based camera system and founder of Marquette-based Viosport (now V.I.O., Inc.). They completely renovated the interior spaces of the Tiroler Hof and its Roter Alder (Red Eagle) restaurant, reopening them as the Nordic Bay Lodge and Trailhead Restaurant and Bar. “We are trying to revive their original dream,” Ollila said at the time, referring to the Hoedlmosers.

It wasn’t, however, to be. The new owners closed the Nordic Bay Lodge in the fall of 2007 and announced in June 2008 that the historic property would be demolished to make way for an $18 million, 42-unit luxury condominium development.

“While we are very respectful of that history, the reality of the situation was these buildings are over 50 years old,” Mahaney explained. “They were never designed to last this long.”

Sepp Hoedlmoser died in 2007 at age 82; Annemarie Hoedlmoser died in 2009 at age 87.

Print Recipe

Cheese Nockerln

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Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter, plus extra for greasing baking dish
• 1 small onion, sliced thin into half-moons
• 3 cups flour
• Dash salt
• 2 cups water
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 8 ounces grated or thinly sliced Swiss cheese

Instructions

1

Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat, add the onion slices, and sauté until they soften, about 10 minutes. Remove from the skillet from the heat and set aside.

2

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 13-by-9-inch baking dish

3

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the water and eggs. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, stir together to form a soft batter.

4

Bring a large pot filled with salted water to a gentle boil.

5

Using a coffee or dessert spoon (a smaller version of the teaspoon), drop a dollop of the batter—not more than 1/2 teaspoon—into the boiling water to form small dumplings (nockerln). Repeat this process, dipping the spoon into the boiling water after forming each dumpling (to prevent sticking), until all the batter is gone.

6

Remove the pot from the heat and allow to cool for 2-3 minutes. Drain the nockerln in a colander and rinse them with cold water. (To avoid overcooking the nockerln, you can also remove them in batches with a slotted spoon.)

7

Put the nockerln in the buttered baking dish in one layer and sprinkle evenly with the grated cheese; top with the sautéed onions, Transfer to the oven and bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.