A favorite dish for Swedish Midsummer, Västerbottenostpaj (Cheese Pie), can easily be prepared in the comfort of your home. Creamy, nutty, and simply delicious — reaching for a second slice is already a given!
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Västerbottenost is hands down, my favorite Swedish cheese. Nutty, not too salty, and with a slight bitterness at the end.
But wait! Gruyere is also an excellent substitute for it.
Both cheese work so well with this easy-to-make cheese pie recipe because it balances out the creaminess, and it does not make this dish heavy at all.
IF YOU WANT MORE AUTHENTIC SWEDISH RECIPES, THEN YOU WILL LIKE THESE POSTS!
Ingredients
- Flour – you need all-purpose flour for preparing the cheese pie pastry.
- Butter – unsalted and chilled for the pastry as well.
- Eggs – three eggs for the filling of the pie.
- Cream – you can use either light cream (half & half) or heavy cream (double cream); it’s up to you.
I use whatever I have on hand. But if you want the cheese pie to be really creamy, you should use heavy cream instead.
- Ground black pepper – for seasoning.
- Cheese – I am fully aware that Västerbottenost is hard to find outside the Nordics, but don’t you worry, Gruyere will work great for this recipe as well.
I often used both interchangeably.
- Chives – you only need this for garnish.
Preparation
Start with the pastry dough by combining flour, chilled butter, and one tablespoon of cold water. You can do this manually or by using a food processor (photo 1).
Mix until they’re just barely combined, and form the dough into a disc. Wrap the disc in plastic and place in the refrigerator to chill for thirty minutes (photo 2).
Roll and place the dough in an 8-inch pie tin. Place the tin in the freezer for thirty minutes.
While the dough is still in the freezer, preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F).
Take the pie tin out of the freezer and use a fork to make holes in the dough. Place pie tin in the oven for twelve to fifteen minutes. Set aside to cool.
Adjust the oven temperature to 200°C (375°F).
Using a large mixing bowl, combine grated cheese, pepper, eggs, and cream. Mix until they’re evenly combined (photo 3).
Pour the cheese mixture into the cooled, prebaked pastry. This amount of filling is perfect for an 8-inch pie pan (photo 4).
Place cheese pie in the oven for forty to forty-five minutes or until the cheese mixture has solidified.
Set aside to cool down for at least twenty minutes. Garnish with chopped chives and serve.
Helpful tips
- You can replace the pastry dough with your favorite one, but do NOT skip the prebaking. It’s an important step to prevent the pastry from getting mushy once we add the mixture.
- Use a whisk to mix the cheese mixture; it makes combining it easier. However, you will not whip the cream; just combine it evenly with the cheese and eggs.
- A 9-inch pie tin will also work for this cheese pie recipe, but a 10-inch pie form is not advisable. You will end up with a filling that’s a bit too thin.
- Do not hesitate to cover the top with an aluminum foil if you think the cheese pie is getting too dark too quickly. I usually cover mine after twenty minutes and remove the foil for the last five minutes.
Looks absolutely delicious right? So, give this Swedish cheese pie recipe a try and let me know! 🙂
Swedish Cheese Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
- 125 grams butter, chilled (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tbsp water, cold
- 3 cups Gruyere or Västerbottenost, grated
- 3 large eggs
- 200 ml cream (about 3/4 cups & 2 tbsp)
- dash ground pepper
Instructions
For the Pastry Dough:
- Combine the flour, chilled butter, and 1 tbsp of cold water in a food processor. Mix until they're barely combined, do not over mix. You can also do this manually.
- Form a disc with the dough and wrap it in plastic. Place the disc in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Take the dough out of the refrigerator. Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough and place it in an 8-inch pie form.
- Trim the sides and place the pie form in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- While the dough is still in the freezer, preheat the oven to 220°C (425 °F).
- Make holes in the dough by pricking it randomly with a fork.
- Place dough in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes.
- Set aside to cool.
For the Cheese Filling:
- Adjust oven temperature to 200°C (375°F).
- In a large bowl, combine cheese, pepper, eggs, and cream. Use a whisk to mix evenly.
- Pour cheese mixture into the prebaked pastry.
- Place pie form in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the mixture has solidified.
- Take cheese pie out of the oven and set aside for at least 20 minutes.
- Garnish with chopped chives and serve.
Notes
- Cook’s Tip #1: If you have a go-to savory pie dough recipe, feel free to use that. Just do NOT skip the prebaking step. It helps in preventing the pastry from getting mushy.
- Cook’s Tip #2: You can use a light cream or a heavy cream; it depends on the creaminess you prefer.
- Cook’s Tip #3: Use a whisk to mix the cheese mixture evenly.
- Cook’s Tip #4: This recipe is perfect for an 8-inch pie form but would also work for 9-inch pans. 10-inch pans would result in a cheese filling that is too thin.
- Cook’s Tip #5: Depending on your oven, if you see that the top is getting too dark, cover it with an aluminum foil and remove the foil during the last five minutes of the baking time.
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says
This looks like such a delicious pie – perfect for the summer season! Definitely going to have to try this with some salad.