Swiss Chäschüechli — Mini Cheese Tarts Like the Bakery's, in 35 Minutes
Yvonne Ammann VegetarianLine small tins with puff pastry, sprinkle the base with breadcrumbs, add the cheese and fill with a custard of egg, cream and milk. Bake at 200 °C for 25 minutes until golden on top and barely wobbling in the centre. Eat warm.
Every Swiss bakery sells Chäschüechli, and yet making them yourself is worth it: with shop-bought puff pastry they take 35 minutes, and you decide how much cheese goes in — at the bakery it is usually too little. The only thing that can go wrong is a soft base, and a spoonful of breadcrumbs takes care of that.
Ingredients
- 1 piece Puff pastry (ready-rolled round, about 320 g)
- 2 tbsp Breadcrumbs
- 150 g Gruyère (grated)
- 100 g Emmentaler (grated)
- 2 pieces Eggs
- 1½ dl Double cream
- 1 dl Milk
- 1 tbsp Flour
- ½ tsp Salt
- Pepper
- Nutmeg
Method
- 1
Line the tins
Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Cut 8 circles from the pastry, slightly larger than the tins, and press into buttered muffin or tartlet tins. Let the edge stand a little proud.
- 2
Protect the base
Prick the bases with a fork and sprinkle half a spoonful of breadcrumbs into each. They soak up moisture from the filling and the base stays crisp.
- 3
Add the cheese
Mix both cheeses and divide evenly between the tins. Fill them generously — the custard needs less room than you think.
- 4
Make the custard
Whisk the eggs with the cream, milk, flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Pour over the cheese to just below the rim.
- 5
Bake
Bake in the lower half of the oven for 25 minutes until the tops have risen golden and the custard barely wobbles in the centre. Rest 5 minutes, then ease out of the tins and serve warm.
Tips
- Chäschüechli reheat well: 8 minutes at 180 °C in the oven, not the microwave — there the pastry goes soft.
- They are the ideal snack for children and travel well cold in a lunchbox. Also a good apéro idea — then in mini muffin tins with 15 minutes' baking.
- The flour in the custard is no mistake: it stops the filling curdling and turning watery in the oven.
What can I substitute?
This is how most bakeries do it — crisper base, less flakiness. Same baking time.
Lighter. With quark the filling is firmer and slightly tangy — then use one more egg.
Appenzeller makes them more pungent, raclette creamier. Good for cheese ends — as long as it melts.
Nutrition per serving
Estimated from the ingredients.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the base of my cheese tarts go soft?
Because the custard soaks into the raw pastry before it bakes. Two remedies: breadcrumbs on the base, and the tins in the lower half of the oven where the heat comes from below. To be safe, blind-bake the bases for 8 minutes first.
Can I freeze Chäschüechli?
Yes, baked and cooled. Reheat straight from frozen at 180 °C for 15 minutes. They come out almost like fresh.
What is the difference between Chäschüechli and Käsewähe?
Only the size. Käsewähe is the large round tart for a family meal, Chäschüechli the individual bakery portion. Filling and custard are the same — for a 28 cm tart, double these amounts and bake 35 minutes.
What goes with Chäschüechli?
A green salad or grated carrot salad — the tarts are rich and want something fresh. Two per person make a supper, one a snack.
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