Warm Leipäjuusto with Cloudberry Jam

Finland’s favourite way with its bread cheese: slices warmed until soft and squeaky-tender, served with cloudberry jam (lakkahillo), the tart-sweet amber jam of the northern bogs. With coffee, it is a dessert in Finland and on the Finnish-American tables of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Untested: not yet made in this kitchen. It is here for the Kaffeost page.

Ingredients

• 1 round or slab leipäjuusto (bread cheese), about 250 to 300 g (9 to 10 oz)
• ½ cup (about 160 g) cloudberry jam, or lingonberry jam, or honey
• 1 tablespoon butter, optional, for the pan

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C), or warm a dry or lightly buttered frying pan over medium-low heat.
2. Cut the cheese into wedges or 2 cm (¾ inch) slices. Warm them in the oven on a baking dish for 5 to 8 minutes, or in the pan for 2 to 3 minutes a side, until soft and hot through but not melting.
3. Serve at once, with a spoonful of jam on each plate and coffee alongside.

Notes

Where this comes from The Kainuun juustoleipä application (Finnish Food Authority, 2024) says the cheese is often eaten today with cloudberry jam. The University of Wisconsin’s 2002 announcement of its American bread cheese suggested serving it warmed with honey, lingonberry or cloudberry jam, or dipped in coffee. Cloudberry jam Sold in Scandinavian and IKEA food shops as lakkahillo (Finnish) or hjortronsylt (Swedish). The photo Warm leipäjuusto with jam, served in Germany, 2023.