Småländsk ostkaka

The story

Småländsk ostkaka, the curd cake of the southern province of Småland, is a Swedish cheesecake with little in common with the American kind. It has no crust and no cream cheese. Instead, whole milk is warmed to body temperature, set with rennet and a little flour, and left for about an hour while the curd separates from the whey. The drained curd is mixed with eggs, cream, sugar and chopped almonds, traditionally with a few bitter almonds for a sharper almond note, and baked until just set. Recipes from Köket.se, the grocery chain ICA and the chef Tina Nordström start from roughly one to one and a half gallons of milk for a cake that serves eight to ten, and ICA notes that Swedish cooks buy the rennet, called ostlöpe, at the pharmacy. The cake is eaten lukewarm rather than cold, with jam and lightly whipped cream, and ICA suggests rewarming it in the oven for about 15 minutes before serving. Köket presents it as a dessert or a snack, and Nordström describes hers as made according to Småland tradition. Start the curd the evening before, since ICA drains it for about 8 hours, and bake the cake while dinner is cooking.