"Wähen" - The Swiss Fruit Quiche !

The Swiss have their own version of quiches. These tarts are kind of a mixture between the French quiche and a clafoutis. Since way back in the medieval times the people in Switzerland, which are mostly Roman-Catholic Christians, were not allowed to eat meats on Fridays. The rich could afford to eat fish on Fridays but the mostly pheasant population had to go with something a little less fancy and more readily available. They invented the Friday tradition of what is commonly known as "Wähen" day. Still today most bakeries and even supermarkets in Switzerland do offer some selection of "Wähen" each Friday. These tarts come in savory and sweet versions. People eat first a piece of the savory "Wähen". The savory kinds are usually either cheese or onions. These are very similar to the French quiches. They are made in a pie form using either a pie dough or a puff pastry dough. The filling is a simple mixture of eggs, cream, milk, condiments and either cooked onions or grated cheeses. After the savory piece they move on to the sweet version of the "Wähen", which is really a fruit quiche. They use fruits that are seasonally available. Most commonly you can find cherries, apple, rhubarb, apricots or plums. I have tested a few recipes and found a fruit version of this delicious fruit tart that is extremely easy to make. It does not require any time, skills or special ingredients. This will be most likely the easiest tart you will ever make and everybody will enjoy it.

Simple Swiss Fruit "Wähen" Recipe

one pack of frozen puff pastry (usually available in every supermarket)

3 whole, large eggs
1/2 cup of sugar
3/4 cup of heavy cream
1/2 cup of whole milk
1 teaspoon of corn starch
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 pinch of salt

use fruits of your choice (best with apples, cherries, apricots, rhubarb or plums)

Let the puff pastry thaw. Sprinkle a little flour on a surface and roll the puff pastry out so you can fill a 9 inch tart form and do a little double dough on the sides of the tart form. Then fill up the form with the fruits of your choice. Use apricots half's, or cherries, plum half's or eights of apples. Use fresh fruits only. Once the fruits are tidily set in the form use a bowl to assemble the filling. Start with the three large, whole eggs (best at room temperature) and beat in the sugar. Than add the heavy cream, the whole milk, the vanilla and the salt. Completely dissolve the corn starch with two teaspoons of cold water and add to the mixture. Than pure the filling right over the fruit. Fill up the form quite well. The fruits should be almost covered with filling. Transfer the tart carefully to a preheated oven and bake it at 350 F for about 40 minutes. The top should have a nice golden color but must not become dark brown. Take the tart out of the oven and let it cool on a rack. This tart is at its best when almost cold.