Here in Sweden they celebrate on the Friday closest to the solstice (it's totally cheating, I know).
In any event, this is what you can expect to see on your plate on a regular Midsummer's Eve lunch.
Several kinds of pickled herring, fresh potatoes overlaid with dill sprigs, Swedish crispbread topped with Swedish butter (yum) and Västerbottens cheese, a boiled egg, and my own personal favorite -- a slice of Västerbottens pie.
Given that interpreting Swedish language in the grocery store is uneven, I wound up buying puff pastry instead of pie dough, but the results were still fabulous.
Västerbottens Mini Pies
2 eggs beaten
200 grams of Västerbottens or something like a extra sharp cheddar grated
1/2 c heavy cream
defrosted puff pastry sheets
muffin tins
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
smattering of chopped chives or other fresh herbs for topping (optional)
Set oven to 200 C/400 F. Lay pieces of puff pastry dough in the muffin tins. Prick all over with a fork (to prevent over-puffiness). When the oven is hot, bake for 10 minutes.
Combine beaten eggs with cream and salt and peppar. Evenly distribute grated cheese into each muffin tin (now lined, of course with puff pastry shells), and then pour over the egg/cream mixture.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until the pies are set. Garnish if desired.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
The reason the pies are so rich is because Midsummer's involves a lot of drinking of schnapps, and having a full belly prevents more than a little mayhem.
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