Västerbottensostpaj — Swedish Cheese Tart

Ingredients

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• 9 tbsp cold butter, cubed
• 1 tbsp cold water
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 7 oz Västerbotten or aged sharp cheese, grated
• 2 tbsp chopped chives
• ¼ tsp grated nutmeg
• Salt and white pepper

Method

1. Rub the cold butter into the flour with a pinch of salt until it looks like coarse gravel, add the water, and press — do not knead — into a disc. Chill 30 minutes.
2. Press the dough into a 9-inch tart pan, up the sides and into the corner, and prick the base. Blind-bake with weights at 400°F (205°C) for 15 minutes, then 5 minutes bare until pale gold and dry.
3. Whisk the eggs, cream, nutmeg, white pepper, and only a small pinch of salt — the cheese is doing that job. Stir in the cheese and chives.
4. Pour into the warm shell and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 25–30 minutes, until set at the edge and just trembling at the middle.
5. Cool 15 minutes before slicing; a hot custard tart falls apart and a warm one behaves. Serve with a sharp salad and, traditionally, a shot of something cold.