I discovered the Tarte Cholera in one of my favorite mountain huts and I've been trying to come up with a recipe matching as closely as possible as the one I had there.
The Tarte Cholera is a specialty from Haut-Valais and is composed of ingredients that every household used to have in Winter a long time ago, even at times of pandemics, hence its reference to cholera (well so says the legend).
I am not sure there will be a "Corona" tarte or pie in the future, so in the meantime I will continue to bake this pie and share the recipe with you :)
Recipe & ingredients:
1 portion pâte brisée (pastry dough):
240 g flour (white or whole-wheat)
120 g cold butter
1 pinch salt
1 dl cold water
Filling:
300 g leeks
200 g onions
4 potatoes (medium-sized)
2 apples
200 g raclette cheese (I use Bagnes cheese)
salt, pepper, nutmeg
some butter
Prepare the dough 1 hour or more before you want to use it (I make it the day before). In a bowl mix flour and salt, then add butter and make crumbs with your hands. Add water, mix with a wooden spoon, and make a ball quickly. Flatten the ball a bit (into a disc), wrap it in plastic foil and refrigerate >1 hr.
Slice up leeks and onions. Warm up some butter (20-50g) in a pan, add leeks & onions, add some water, salt, pepper and nutmeg, and let simmer at medium heat (with lid on) for 10-20 minutes (until transparent and soft). Remove lid and let water evaporate.
Peel and slice potatoes (quite thin), throw into boiling water, let them cook for about 3-4 minutes, and then throw into cold water. Remove the water and put aside.
Peel and slice the apples into thin slices (as for the potatoes).
Grate or cut the cheese into thin slices.
Prepare a pie form with butter and then flour (about 26cm in diameter). Roll out the dough onto a floured table, transfer to the pie form, and prick the dough with a fork. Bake in the oven 12 minutes at 225 C.
Make a thin layer on the bottom of the pie with 1/3 of the potatoes and apples.
Add the mix of leeks and onions on top. Then cover with raclette cheese. Finish with a nice-looking layer of potatoes and apples. If you want you can finish the pie by brushing the potatoes and apples with some rapeseed oil or butter.
Bake the pie in the oven for 30 min at 200 C.
Serve luke-warm with a nice green salad.
