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.
How to describe the flavor?
Nutty, not too salty and with a slight bitterness at the end. It works so well with this savory pie recipe because it balances out the creaminess, and it does not make this dish heavy at all.
WHAT YOU NEED TO PREPARE CHEESE PIE
WHAT KIND OF CREAM SHOULD I USE?
You can use light cream (half & half) or heavy cream (double cream); it’s up to you.
I tend to use whatever I have on hand. Needless to say, if you want it to be incredibly creamy, then go for the heavy cream. Nothing wrong with that. 🙂
CAN I USE OTHER TYPES OF CHEESE?
I am fully aware that Västerbottenost is hard to find outside the Nordics — but don’t despair, Gruyere is just as good for this recipe.
On the same note, I bet Emmental would also work well. Full disclosure though, I have not tried that yet. If that is what you’ve got available, let me know how it turns out in the comment section!
HOW TO MAKE CHEESE PIE
Start with the pastry dough by combining flour, chilled butter, and 1 tbsp 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 30 minutes (photo 2).
Roll and place the dough in an 8-inch pie tin. Place the tin in the freezer for 30 minutes.
While the dough is still in the freezer, preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Take pie tin out of the freezer and use a fork to make holes in the dough. Place pie tin in the oven for 12-15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Adjust the oven temperature into 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 40 to 45 minutes or until the cheese mixture has solidified.
Set aside to cool down for at least 20 minutes. Garnish with chopped chives and serve.
TOP TIPS FOR MAKING THIS CREAMY CHEESE PIE RECIPE
- 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 are not going to whip the cream, just combine it evenly with the cheese and eggs.
- A 9-inch pie tin will also work, but a 10-inch pie form is not advisable. You will end up with a cheese filling that’s a bit too thin.
- Do not hesitate to cover the top with an aluminum foil, if you think it’s getting too dark too quickly. I usually cover mine after 20 minutes and remove the foil for the last 5 minutes.
IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR MORE SUMMER DISHES, THEN CHECK OUT THE FOLLOWING POSTS –
PERHAPS VÄSTERBOTTENOSTPAJ MADE YOU CURIOUS ABOUT SWEDISH CUISINE? THEN YOU SHOULD READ Swedish Food Recipes You Must Try.
OR IF YOU NEED TO MORE IDEAS FOR A SIDE DISH, THEN YOU WOULD LIKE MY SIDE DISHES COLLECTION!
Swedish Cheese Pie
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
- 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.
- You can use a light cream or a heavy cream; it depends on the level of creaminess that you prefer.
- Use a whisk for mixing the cheese mixture evenly.
- 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.
- 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.