"Twice as much cheese and dripping with fat" was Sam's explanation of a true Käseschnitte. The ones served at the Alpabzug on Saturday, although delicious, were a very simple version, consisting of slices of bread with some melted cheese on top, dusted with paprika.

The most beloved form, or Militärkäseschnitte, demands a waiting time of three hours. When that just won't do, try this simple baked-not-fried variant instead.

100 g hard cheese, grated

1 egg

a squirt of mustard

2 tbsp quark or sour cream

2 thick slices of bread

Fire up your broiler.

In a measuring cup, stir together the cheese, egg, mustard, and quark.

Place the bread on a baking tray and spread the cheese mixture on the bread slices.

Put the tray under the broiler on the second highest rack. Broil until you can smell the cheese and it has become a nice golden colour.

• Keep an eye on the bread while it is broiling, and move the tray to a lower rack if it starts to get too dark. Alternatively, you can use a very hot oven, or a toaster oven.
• Nutmeg is a traditional flavouring that can be added to the cheese mix.