Swiss Cheese Pie (with French cheeses)

This is a take on a very traditional Swiss cheese pie (Chaschuechli). It would normally be made with emmental and gruyere cheeses but I have instead used comte and a little bit of roquefort. It is what I had in the fridge and it worked out really well.  Any strong firm cheese will do. I also used a little bit of yoghurt instead of cream as I think it adds a healthy softness. Once cooled, it is nice at room temperature and slices easily so it’s great for picnics. But really, it is best on a cold winter’s day not long out of the oven; bringing back happy memories of standing in Petersplatz in Basel at the Christmas fair and eating a small one of these piping hot off a paper plate.

Ingredients:

1 packet roll out puff pastry

130g grated comte cheese

20 g crumbled roquefort cheese

2 free range eggs

1tbsp cornflour

130ml cream

1good tblsp low fat Greek or Turkish yoghurt

pinch nutmeg

salt

Cooking Method:

Take the pastry out of the fridge 10 minutes or so before starting as it will make it easier to handle (it should be cold and firm but softer than straight from the fridge). Turn the oven on to medium hot (about 220c).

Lay the bottom of a shallow baking tin  with the pastry. I use a non-stick tin 23cm wide and 3.5cm deep with a loose base. Gently press the pastry to the bottom and sides of the tin and cut around the top leaving a bit of pastry over and above the sides.

Lay about half of the grated comte over the pastry. Mix together all the other ingredients gently and pour them over the pastry and cheese. It should come about 2/3 the way up.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until gold brown on top. Take it out of the oven and let it cool for five or ten minutes during which time it will sort of collapse back into place. Slice and eat. The hot cheese filling might ooze out a bit and that is one of life’s real pleasures.