Military Cheese Toast
From our favorite Swiss cookbook Helvetic Kitchen.
Markus hasn’t made this cheese toast since his days in the Swiss Army, decades ago, because, as he says, “There are too many memories. As soon as you put on the green dress Swiss uniform, you get tired and take a nap. And you get fat. We eat 3-4 times a day. You get an 8am assignment. Drive 2.5 hours away. Build an antenna. Sit 12 hours, then test it. Drive back. Restaurants were important during the day for meals around 10am and 3pm. Cooks in the army are the soldiers, so the recipes for breakfasts and dinners are very basic and the food is horrible. But the Swiss Army cheese toast was OK. It was such a simple dinner, they couldn’t mess it up.”
Some tips that may come in handy: Gruyere, Emmentaler, Appenzeller or any other hard cheese will work. You need quite a bit of fat in your frying pan to make sure the cheese doesn’t stick. Our Markus Ancient Vines Bechthold makes an excellent pairing, because the good, fresh acidity cuts through the cheese nicely. It’s light enough not to overpower the toast.
So, if you’re ready to get a feel for Swiss Army life, grab your frying pan and some bread and let’s get started…
125g Hard Cheese, grated (1 cup)
40g Flour (1/3 cup)
1 Egg
125mL Milk (1/2 cup)
Pinch of Nutmeg, Salt and Pepper
2-3 thick slices of Bread
Knob of butter
2 cups Markus Bechthold, to taste and drink
In a medium bowl, mix together the cheese, flour, egg, milk, and seasonings. Cover and let rest in the fridge for a couple of hours.
After it has rested, give the cheese mixture a good stir and spread half on the bread slices, pressing it down a bit to make sure it sticks.
Heat butter in a large frying pan on medium heat until it bubbles and sputters.
Place the slices of bread cheese side down into the frying pan. Try not to move them around in the pan too much, just let them crisp up. As the cheese melts, it will adhere better to the bread.
While the slices are frying face down, spread the remaining cheese mixture on their exposed side.
After a few minutes, once you can smell the cheese, take a peek underneath and if it is golden brown, carefully flip the bread.
Fry the second side for a few minutes, until golden brown. Fill glasses with Markus Bechthold and enjoy! Serves 2.