Easy Vasterbotten Cheese Quiche – Vasterbotten Paj
This savoury tart can be found on every Swedish family’s dinner table several times a year. It’s essential to get hold of Vasterbotten cheese as it really does have a very unique taste and it is exported to speciality shops across the world. You can substitute with a good aged Cheddar, but for the ‘real’ taste, do make this if you have Vasterbotten cheese. This one is normally served at room temperature rather than hot, and it is marvellous as part of a summer smorgasbord or served just on its own with a leafy salad. The dish also goes very well with romsas (a caviar sauce).
Servings: 1 large tart
Ingredients
PASTRY
- 125 grams cold and cubed butter
- 200 grams plain/all-purpose flour – can be bought here
- pinch of salt
- 1 egg
- small dash chilled water (if needed)
CHEESE FILLING
- 3 eggs
- 100 ml whole milk
- 250 ml double/heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 250 grams Vasterbotten cheese – can be bought here
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
ROMSAS CAVIAR SAUCE (OPTIONAL)
- 1 small jar of red lumpfish roe – can be bought here
- 3 tablespoons creme fraiche
Instructions
- Blitz your pastry ingredients in a food processor (egg and water at the end only) to form a dough, then leave to chill for about 30 minutes in the fridge.
- Heat the oven to 180°C.
- Roll out the chilled dough and line the pastry tin. Prick the base with a fork and blind bake using baking beans for 10-12 minutes. Remove the beans and bake for a further 5-6 minutes.
- For the filling, mix together everything except the Västerbotten cheese.
- Scatter the cheese on the base of the pastry, evenly all over – then pour over the egg mixture.
- Return it to the oven for about 15-20 minutes. It’ll puff up quite a bit towards the end, but will turn golden on top. It’s done when it is ‘set’ so do keep an eye on it.
- Leave it to cool before slicing. Serve cold or lukewarm.Västerbottenpaj goes well with romsås, a caviar sauce. Alternatively, if you can get real bleak roe (Löjrom), serve the tart with a spoonful of this, some crème fraîche and finely chopped red onion.
ROMSAS CAVIAR SAUCE
- In a bowl, mix together 3 large tbsp. crème fraiche and one jar of red lumpfish roe (80g). Leave to set in the fridge, then stir again just before serving.
Equipment
- 25-cm/10-inch loos-based tart pan
Notes
From the book ScandiKitchen Midsommer by Bronte Aurell, photo by Pete Cassidy. Book available on Amazon or ScandiKitchen.
