Kesella

Kesella is a Swedish fresh cheese. It is smooth, thick and creamy, with a mild, slightly sour taste, a bit like a cross between thick yogurt and cream cheese. The name started as a trade name, but Swedes use it for this kind of product in general. The most common version has about 10 percent fat, and lighter versions are sold too. It is close to German quark and French fromage frais.

How to use it

• Cheesecakes and desserts. Use it in baked or no-bake cheesecakes, mousses and fillings. It gives a lighter, fresher result than cream cheese.
• Breakfast. Eat it with berries, jam, honey or muesli.
• Dips and spreads. Mix with herbs, garlic, salt and pepper, or with grated cheese, for a spread or a dip for vegetables.
• Savory cooking. Stir it into pasta sauces or soups off the heat for creaminess, or use it in pancakes and waffles for a soft texture.

Substitutes

Outside Sweden, use:

• Quark, the closest match, sold in the UK, Germany and many European countries. Choose full-fat if you want the creaminess.
• Fromage frais or fromage blanc, similar in taste and texture.
• Greek yogurt strained for an hour or two in a sieve lined with cheesecloth. It is more sour.
• Cream cheese beaten with a little milk or yogurt until soft. It is richer and saltier.
• Ricotta blended until smooth, for baked dishes. Without blending, the texture is grainier.

For a richer dessert, mix it with mascarpone.

How to store it

Keep it in the fridge and use it within about 4 days of opening. A little liquid on top is whey. Stir it back in or pour it off.

Common mistakes

• Boiling it. Like most fresh cheeses, it can split in a boiling sauce. Add it at the end over low heat.
• Confusing it with keso. Keso is Swedish cottage cheese, with loose curds. It is lumpy, not smooth.

In recipes

Swedish recipes use kesella in ostkaka-style desserts, cheesecakes, cold dips and toppings, and in place of gräddfil when they want something thicker. It is softer and creamier than kvarg, which is a low-fat, high-protein fresh cheese. The two can replace each other in many recipes, but kvarg makes cheesecakes drier.