Tricolor Spaetzle

Sherry made three separate spaetzle batters, coloured with carrot juice for orange, a green colourant, and beet for deep red, then pressed through a spaetzle maker or colander into boiling water. Judges found the texture disappointing and noted that covering the coloured spaetzle in a pale sauce undermined the whole exercise. However, the technique itself is sound: spaetzle is an accessible, forgiving dish for home cooks. Tossing finished spaetzle in brown butter rather than a pale sauce would have preserved both colour and flavour.