So how does it taste I hear you fromage fanatics cry? In a word: Delicious. In a few words: moorish and salty with a subtle sharpness which likens a good, mature Parmesan. Aged for 14 months develops of a real hearty character, which gives it that 'once you start you just can't stop' trait.
Now that summer is upon us, I urge you to whip up one of the following recipes to lug along to your Prosecco fuelled picnics or alfresco feasts lazing within a quintessentially English garden. You'll be sipping on a crisp Sauvignon whilst introducing a taste of Scandinavia to your summer rendezvous(I hope i'm suitably painting the picture for you). Or if you're entertaining with a BBQ at home, the below recipes make a perfect treat amongst all the bangers and burgers typically on offer. Västerbottensost is available from Waitrose and I promise, it's pretty special. Get your hands on some before everyone gets a taste for it and bask in it's savoury glory throughout the summer months.
The recipes below are ideal for entertaining and have been co-created with famous Swedish chef Filip Fasten, allowing you to show off your culinary talents with some gentle guidance from a master! The cheese pie is an absolute MUST.
Västerbottensost cheese pie with fried onions
For the pastry:
125 grams of butter
300g of flour
2 tablespoons of
water
Heat the oven to 200°c.
Mix together the butter, flour and water and roll it out to a thin
dough. Put it in a pie dish with a detachable bottom, then let it cool in the fridge
for about 30 minutes. Notch it with a fork and pre-bake it for 10 minutes. Let
it cool off. While it cools, fry off your onions until soft.
For the filling:
4oog of grated
Västerbottensost cheese
200ml of cream
100ml milk
200ml of fried
onions
A grating of nutmeg
Pinch of salt
Put the onions on the bottom of the pie. Mix the remaining ingredients together
and pour it in the pie dish. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 25-30
minutes until firm. Top it off with some wild herbs if you fancy and enjoy!
Wild herbs that
could be used:
Sorrel
Wood sorrel
If you're a fish lover give the following recipe a bash. It's offers a very authentically Scandi dish to really give a taste of Sweden. Perfect on a BBQ spread.
Potatoes Gratin with Whitefish Roe and Chive
Swedish traditional potatoes
are usually boiled and accompanied by herring, but this recipe offers a twist
one the classic, using oven baked potatoes. Absolutely delicious, easy to make
and to be enjoyed by all.
1 kg washed fresh potatoes
200g Västerbottensost cheese, grated
200g parsley
200ml canola oil
200ml sour cream
50g whitefish roe
2 onions (sliced)
1 handful of dill
50g chive
Salt
Heat the canola oil to
60-70°c.
Place the parsley in a mixer,
mix until it’s a smooth paste together with the oil, place the paste in a
strainer with a coffee filter.
Boil the potatoes in salted
water until they’re semi soft.
Place the potatoes on an oven
tray. Make the cheese into small balls and place a cheese ball on each potato.
Bake in the oven until the
cheese is melted and slightly crusted.
Mix the whitefish roe, sour
cream and the parsley oil.
Top the potatoes with the roe
mixture, picked parsley, dill and sliced onion. Finish off by crumbling down
bits of Västerbottensost cheese and black pepper.