“Eichmühle”, Wädenswil: Time for Maibock!
Our author sharpens his knife with Oliver Eder – and gets the lowdown at “Bianchi” on this noble game meat.
May 28, 2025 | Photos: Nik Hunger
May is game season! Why wait until autumn? For many gourmets, the game season begins as early as May – especially if they love saddle of roe deer. Right now, the so-called Maibock is already back on countless menus. And among star chefs, it is considered one of the noblest game animals of all. For instance at the idyllic “Eder’s Eichmühle” above Wädenswil, awarded 16 points, where today I can be there as it is prepared. And even lend a hand: Oliver Eder wants me to trim the saddle of roe deer he ordered from Bianchi Comestibles.
This nearly two-kilo Maibock saddle needs to be broken down.
This nearly two-kilo Maibock saddle needs to be broken down.
Trimming – not entirely without risk. Trimming a saddle? I have never done that at home. But Eder, who also trains several apprentices in his business, shows me exemplary technique: how to remove the fine silver skin from the almost two-kilo cut of meat and then release the entrecôte and the fillet from the backbone. “I don’t have a stainless-steel glove, though,” he says with a laugh – hinting that, in this work, a cut can sometimes go astray. And even he will never stand on the side of the table that my blade is pointing towards while I am trimming.
A talented head chef and a patient mentor: Oliver Eder.
A talented head chef and a patient mentor: Oliver Eder.
Trimmed and ready: entrecôte, bones, silver skins & fat, fillets (top to bottom).
Trimmed and ready: entrecôte, bones, silver skins & fat, fillets (top to bottom).
In summer, only bucks are hunted. So what is the story behind the Maibock, also known as summer roe deer? Fortunat Gregori explains it to me. The Grisons native is the game specialist at the family business Bianchi Comestibles: “The fawns and does are still protected at this time – but to keep the population under control, individual bucks are already taken in summer. The go-ahead for this lease hunt is at the beginning of May.” That applies in Switzerland and in nearby Austria, where most of the product comes from.
Ready to serve: Maibock with asparagus, morels, jus, rosemary oil & Spätzli.
Ready to serve: Maibock with asparagus, morels, jus, rosemary oil & Spätzli.
Meat professionals: Dario Bianchi & Fortunat Gregori of “Bianchi”.
Meat professionals: Dario Bianchi & Fortunat Gregori of “Bianchi”.
Little stress & good feed. As I listen to him, it quickly becomes clear to me what makes the summer roe deer’s quality so exceptional: these are, across the board, wild animals – “because roe deer are solitary, they cannot be bred in herds.” And: during the summer months, hunters do not drive the animals, but often wait for hours in a raised hide for the male roe deer. Stress for the animal? Close to zero. Gregori adds another factor that contributes to the high quality: in summer, the buck feeds mainly on fresh herbs, grasses and buds, which has a positive effect on flavour: “In autumn, grain and maize are added, which, among other things, increases the fat content in the meat.”
In summer, you sit here beneath cooling trees: “Eder’s Eichmühle”, Wädenswil.
In summer, you sit here beneath cooling trees: “Eder’s Eichmühle”, Wädenswil.
A family business: senior Jürgen, hostess Debi & head chef Oliver Eder (l. to r.).
A family business: senior Jürgen, hostess Debi & head chef Oliver Eder (l. to r.).
“Not bad for a first time!” By now, I am the one removing the fine silver skins from the saddle of roe deer. “You need to hold the blade a little steeper against the skin,” Oliver Eder explains. Then he shows me how to get to those prized cuts. “You always cut along the bone! Can you feel where it is?” Where Eder makes precise cuts, I sometimes have to saw a little so that as little meat as possible remains on the bone. “Otherwise it’ll turn into a rather expensive game stock,” Fortunat Gregori jokes at my expense as he watches. When the bones, tendons and skins, the two fillets and the entrecôte are lying neatly separated in front of me, I am quite proud. And: my fingers have stayed intact. Oliver Eder also gives me praise: “Not bad for a first time!”
Author Böniger trims the saddle of roe deer…
Author Böniger trims the saddle of roe deer…
Spätzli by father Jürgen Eder. In the kitchen, the Eichmühle head chef takes charge: the meat is salted, seared hard and finally goes into the 180°C oven for a few minutes. Because the typical game side dishes would feel rather out of place in the warmer season, it is served – alongside a jus that has already been reduced and stuffed morels – with two kinds of asparagus: the green spears are from Wädenswil, the white ones from Gian-Battista von Tscharner. “And of course we serve Swabian Spätzli made by my father, who still supports me here!”, says Oliver Eder.
… and then eats it with visible delight.
… and then eats it with visible delight.
Butter-tender roe deer entrecôte. At the table, Dario Bianchi, Co-CEO of Bianchi AG, joins us. He, too, does not want to miss the first Maibock of the year. How do we like this noble meat? The entrecôte and the fillet are butter-tender and create a fine contrast with the asparagus, still ever so slightly crisp. The morels add just the right earthy, mushroom notes to the plate. With great pleasure, all of us at the table drag our Spätzli through the game jus, which Oliver Eder has refined with little green dots of rosemary oil. I smile at the thought that sometimes it is the small details that turn a very good meal into a truly fantastic one – for example, when you have trimmed the saddle yourself. And if I want to try again at home: how long does the season last? “Usually until mid-August,” says Fortunat Gregori. “After that, the rut begins. And the Maibock is no longer particularly easy to digest.”