Swedish cheese tart with asparagus and mushrooms

Pro tip:

Cut your asparagus at an angle in small pieces to create a pretty presentation!

When I set out to create this dish, I was aiming for the more dense cheese tart “Västerbottenpaj”, or Swedish cheese pie. I’ve had this dish in Sweden around the Midsommar holiday, but it’s also served on Easter and for other special occasions. I ended up a little off on the egg to cheese ratio, and voila, you have more of a quiche! The recipe was too good not to share - stay tuned for a more traditional cheese pie recipe in the coming weeks. 

As I was writing this recipe out, I was reminded of a funny story. I was probably eight or nine years old at a very swanky party with my parents for the holidays. We knew a cardiac surgeon in Denver, CO who was notorious for his parties! Per usual, I was circling all of the food tables, and to my surprise, I remember seeing a massive cheesecake just sitting there out in the open. I had (have) the hugest sweet tooth, so I went up and grabbed a huge piece onto a plate and scurried off, feeling like I’d totally won the lottery. I remember my excitement as I took a huge bite and my shock as I tried to figure out what I’d just eaten. Trauma-ti-zing.  

Please let everyone know that this is NOT a cheesecake. It’s a cheese tart people! 

Ingredients

• 1 store bought or homemade pie crust  

• 4 eggs 

• ½ cup almond milk (can use heavy cream or whole milk as well) 

• ¾ cup grated cows milk cheese, white cheddar works well here - ½ cup for mixture and ¼ for topping 

• 1 finely minced shallot 

• 1 minced bulb of garlic 

• 1 cup chopped asparagus 

• 2 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms (any mushroom will work) 

• 2 tbs butter 

• ½ tsp salt 

• ¼ tsp fresh ground pepper 

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 F 

• Prepare one 9 inch pie pan with pie crust (homemade or store bought is fine) and poke all over with a fork to allow for steam to release as you pre-bake 

• Bake the crust for 15 minutes and remove 

• Turn the oven down to 350 F and let the crust cool while you prepare the filling 

• In a sautee pan, heat the butter and shallot on medium high heat for 2-3 minutes 

• Add the minced garlic and stir for 1 minute more 

• Add the asparagus and cook 2-3 minutes 

• Add the sliced mushrooms and cook 2-3 minutes more until all veggies are tender but not overdone

• In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, ½ cup of the shredded cheese, and salt and pepper 

• Add in the cooked veggie mixture and stir to combine 

• Pour the veggie, cheese, and egg mixture into the pie dish 

• Top with the remaining ¼ cup of shredded cheese 

• Bake for 35 minutes and check to see if it’s “springy” - can take up to 45-50 minutes 

• Let cool for 15 minutes before serving; can also be served room temperature 

Hope you enjoy my cheese drama! Check out my video on Instagram to see how it’s done 🍓