Some Context:
Ostkaka is a Swedish cheesecake (pronounced oost-a-kah-kah by my dad). It has become somewhat of a legend to me.
I have heard my dad talk so many times about enjoying his mother’s cooking. In particular, ostkaka, was a favorite that my grandmother made on the family farm. Sadly my grandmother passed shortly before I was born so I never got to try it firsthand.
One of the main ingredients in my grandmother’s recipe is raw milk. This is somewhat hard to get – in fact, only 13 states allow raw milk to be sold in retail stores, and my home state is not one of them. According to my dad, he has tried many times to remake this ostkaka recipe but has never quite succeeded due to the difficulty of obtaining raw milk.
But recently, I moved to California where raw milk can be more easily obtained. Coinciding with this, my mom happened upon a handwritten recipe from Grandma herself that she gifted to me on my recent birthday:
I am my grandmother’s namesake, so I have always felt a particular fondness for her even though we never met. Many times people will remark how we have similar interests and personalities which only deepens my fondness. So I suddenly became obsessed with the idea of trying out this recipe – written in my grandmother’s own handwriting, using ingredients true and authentic to her recipe.
On to the ostkaka.
The Recipe
In writing is a transcription of her recipe with my additional comments and suggestions below.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
- Very large pot for heating the milk
- Medium sized and small sized bowl for mixing ingredients
- Measuring spoons
- Pyrex type baking dish – about 8in x 11in
- Mixing spoons
- Thermometer for measuring the temperature of the milk
- Cheesecloth or fine strainer
- Whisk for beating the eggs
Instructions
(1) Dissolve 2 junket tablets in small amount (about 2 tbsp) of water.
I found junket tablets to be the hardest to find. After checking Whole Foods, Target, Safeway, and Walmart, I finally ordered them from Amazon here.
(2) Combine 1/2 cup flour and 1 cup of the raw milk, or about enough to make a paste, saving the rest of the raw milk for the next step.
(3) Heat the rest of the milk (4 qts minus the cup from step 2) on the stove to lukewarm, or about 98-102 F.
A thermometer will be useful to make sure you get the milk to the right temperature.
(4) Add flour/paste mixture to the lukewarm milk and stir until well combined.
(5) Add dissolved junket tables to the lukewarm milk and stir until well combined.
(6) Let milk stand for 1 hr.
Grandma didn’t say how long to do this, but after some research I found that about ~ 1 hr should do the trick.
As shown in the photo below, the liquid (whey) should easily separate from the solid curds.
(7) When the milk has about 10 minutes left to stand, preheat the oven to 350 F.
(8) Strain the milk through a cheesecloth (or fine strainer). This should separate the whey (liquid) from the curds (solid).
(9) Beat 3 eggs with a whisk until “well beaten”.
Again Grandma doesn’t say, but after some googling I decided that well beaten meant the yolk/whites would be well combined with a bit of frothiness.
(10) Combine the curds (step #8), beaten eggs (step #9), 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/4 tsp salt into a mixing bowl.
(11) Mix until well combined.
I was guessing again with well combined and opted for a slightly chunky texture. Also, I was too tired from mixing to combine it any further! 🙂
(12) Pour mixture (step #11) into baking dish.
(13) Bake at 350 F for about 1 hour, or until top looks slightly golden brown.
(14) Enjoy! A side of jam goes well :). Keep in refrigerator until fully eaten!
Verdict
I have to say that I have always appreciated the Swedish taste – not too sweet, and not too salty, and this ostkaka does not disappoint.
I first tried it hot, straight off the stove, with a bit of boysenberry jam. Lingonberries might be a bit more authentic but the boysenberry purchased from my local farmer’s market was divine.
Later I tried again after cooling in the fridge all night and the ostkaka had a much nicer texture – more firm/chunky than custard but less so than a typical American cheesecake.
Thanks, Grandma, for leaving behind such a wonderful recipe to try.
What do you think?
Have you tried this recipe? Have you tried making your own family dishes? Let me know in comments!
HELPFUL LINKS
Thanks to the following blogs for helping me figure out the techniques required for this dish: