Västerbottenpaj (or Västerbottenostpaj) is a Swedish cheese pie made with a cheese produced in the north of Sweden and known as Västerbottenost (Västerbotten cheese). Västerbotten cheese is considered a flagship cheese of Sweden, its production is strictly regulated and it needs to always be aged a minimum of 14 months. This gives it the distinctive crystals that crunch as you bite, that remind a little of Parmigiano. Hence the nickname of "Parmesan of Sweden".
Despite this similarity, Västerbotten is not as dry as Parmigiano, and reminds me rather of a less aged Grana. The fatty texture might also remind of aged Cheddar or Comté. It's a cheese with a lot of character, and one of Sweden's national foods. The cheese pie featured in this post is a staple at Swedish holidays, featuring on Christmas and Midsommar buffets, but also as a side dish to summer's crayfish festivals.
Maybe not so many readers of my blog will come across this cheese very easily, but this is a recipe that I dearly wanted to feature. The good news is that you can use other cheese types (read on for that). After all, I make khachapuri adjaruli without the original Georgian cheeses and I still love it!
Ingredients and equipment
- Västerbotten cheese
- Flour
- Butter
- Water
- Eggs
- Cream
- Black pepper
For detailed quantities, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post. There is no salt listed as per the original recipe, as in Sweden regular butter is salted. If using unsalted butter, you may want to add ⅓ teaspoon salt to the pie crust.
This Swedish cheese pie you fits a 24-cm (9in) tart pan. The crust comes together in a food processor, while for the filling you need a bowl and a whisk. I usually grate the cheese with the food processor before making the pie dough, but a grater with large holes is what you need.
How to make Swedish cheese pie
A preliminary step: make the crust. Add the flour and butter (cubed) to a food processor and blitz until it resembles coarse crumbs. As the blades are still rotating, add water, little by little, until the dough comes together. If you need more detailed instructions on how to make shortcrust from scratch, please follow this pie crust tutorial.
Preheat the oven to 200C (392F).
1. Crack the eggs in a bowl, add the cream and whisk together.
2. Aside, grate the cheese through large holes.
3. Add the cheese and black pepper to egg mixture and mix in.
4. Press the pie dough onto a tart pan covering the bottom and sides. Prick with a fork and bake for 10 min.
5. Take the prebaked crust out of the oven and pour in the filling mixture distributing it evenly.
6. Return to the oven for 20 more minutes, then take out and let deflate before serving.
Tips and substitutions
No Västerbotten cheese? No problem! While this recipe is the official recipe from Sweden, I think it is a nice recipe to use even if you find yourself without the original cheese. Västerbotten cheese is often compared to parmesan for its strong flavour and crunchy crystals, but the texture is somehow creamier and not as dry. The general rule is that if you need to sub Västerbotten, you need to go ¾ cheddar (for the texture) and ¼ parmesan (for the flavour and crystals).
For best results, chill the dough before baking. Press it onto the tart pan and let it rest 10 minutes in the freezer before you put it in the oven to prebake. My oven is slow in getting to temperature so I always end up having to wait. Better in the freezer than at room temperature.
Got cheese leftovers? Västerbotten cheese goes great in pesto! Try my take at Nordic pesto with Scandi ingredients!
More Swedish recipes!
Make it a Swedish feast and pair your Swedish cheese pie with other Swedish dishes. Just click the image below to access more recipes!
If you tried this recipe, let me know your thoughts in the comments. If you're planning to try it another time, pin this recipe to Pinterest. Please consider subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Instagram and on Pinterest.
Swedish cheese pie
Equipment
- Food processor
- Tart pan 24 cm (9in)
Ingredients
- 300 g Västerbotten cheese
- 190 g flour
- 125 g butter
- 1 tablespoon water
- 3 eggs
- 200 ml cream
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Add the flour and butter (cubed) to a food processor and blitz until it resembles coarse crumbs. As the blades are still rotating, add water, little by little, until the dough comes together. If you need more detailed instructions, please follow this pie crust tutorial.
- Preheat the oven to 200C (392F).
- Press the pie dough onto a tart pan covering the bottom and sides. Prick with a fork and bake for 10 min. Chill in the fridge as the oven comes to temperature.
- Crack the eggs in a bowl, add the cream and whisk together. Aside, grate the cheese through large holes. Add the cheese and black pepper to egg mixture and mix in.
- Take the prebaked crust out of the oven and pour in the filling mixture distributing it evenly. Return to the oven for 20 more minutes, then take out and let deflate before serving.
Notes
- Swedish butter is salted, hence the lack of salt among the ingredients. If using unsalted butter, add ⅓ teaspoon butter to the dough.
- The nutritional information provided is made with an online calculator and only meant to be used as a guideline.
