I’ve settled into a bit of a routine here in Switzerland. Each morning I make a hearty breakfast for Keith , Siena, and Gabriel and see them off. Then I write for an hour or two and head off for a long walk, which I aim to take me past my favorite vending machine in the whole world or the grocery store. I pick up supplies for a recipe that I’ve researched and head home to make lunch. By the time my red-cheeked family returns full of tales of goats spotted on the mountainside or sipping hot chocolate on a bench made of snow, lunch is ready.

Finding recipes has been a joy, especially since I discovered Helvetic Kitchen. The site is packed with inspiring photographs and everything I’ve made has been fantastic. From the cholera pie (see the recipe for background on the puzzling name) to the Swiss barley soup (sound rather basic, but tastes extraordinary, especially paired with sandwiches made on pretzel rolls).

My favorite though has been the chäswähe, or cheese tart. Partly because it’s so simple I could put it together in five minutes, and whip up cream of mushroom soup while it baked, resulting in a satisfying meal in no time. And partly because I have fallen head over heels in love with the cheeses here, and this is a showstopping way to celebrate them. The recipe works best when made with more than one cheese, so it’s a great way for me to use up all those odds and ends of cheeses, thus clearing the deck for the next time Keith stops at a farm while they ski or I pause at a random village vending machine and spy local alpine cheeses next to packages of Toblerone and the bottles of Rivella, a Swiss soda made with whey and fruit juices that tastes like apple soda with a splash of red fruit. Really, though, I love this recipe because it’s just so dang good. Picture a quiche, just…cheesier. More flavorful. Over-the-top buonissimo.

You can certainly make your own pie crust, but I’ve really been enjoying picking them up at the grocery store. Both basic pie crust like for this cheese tart, and also the puff pastry for the cholera. I wondered about using a springform pan for this, since the liquid doesn’t fill the pan, but I loved how the pie crust collapses, falling in soft folds around the edge of the tart. Beautiful as a dream.

Chäswähe, Swiss Cheese Tart

(reprinted with permission from Helvetic Kitchen, with my notes)

Ingredients

one recipe pie crust, enough to cover your pan
150 ml milk
125 ml cream
3 eggs
pinch of nutmeg, salt, and pepper
350 g hard cheese, grated (if you can’t just pick up whatever hard cheese is sitting outside a farm, get any Alpine hard cheese: Gruyere, Appenzeller, Emmentaler, or a firm Vacherin.

Process

Preheat oven to 200° C / 400° F / gas mark 6.
Roll out your dough and line a 28 cm (11 inch) round springform or tart pan. Poke the bottom of the dough all over with a fork, then keep the tart shell cool (preferably in the freezer) until you have the filling ready.
Whisk together the milk, cream, eggs, and seasonings. Add the grated cheese and mix together.
Place your tart pan on a parchment-lined baking sheet, then pour the cheese mixture over.
Bake for about 50 minutes, or until the top is brown and the filling has set.

Buon Appetito!