Chäschueche literally means ‘cheese cake’ in Swiss German, which might make you think we’re preparing dessert. But ‘cheese tart’ would be a better translation, as Chäschueche is savoury, more like a quiche. You can use any hard cheese to make this Swiss cheese tart, such as Raclette, Tilsit, Appenzeller, Vacherin Fribourgeois, Gruyère or a mixture; my favourite is Gruyère. A pie tin with a perforated base helps ensure your Chäschueche has a crisp bottom. If you don’t have one, you may find it helpful to blind bake the pastry case for 10 minutes or so before filling it. Serve your cheese tart with a typical Swiss salad, like kohlrabi and herb, or cucumber salad. Little cheese tartlets, called Chäschüechli, are also very popular in Switzerland. Make your own shortcrust pastry if you feel inclined (it’s super quick and easy), or use a good commercial one like Carême. Use the pastry off-cuts to make tasty little shortcrust cookies to serve with drinks. I like a glass of Mercer’s picpoul blanc with my Chäschueche – this aromatic southern French varietal has enough body for the cheesy tart and plenty of acid to balance the richness. See the video below for another favourite Swiss tart.
Serves 4–6
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