Gjetost An Interesting Norwegian Goat Cheese

Gjetost is a sweet brown Norwegian cheese made from pure goat's milk or a mixture of cow and goat milk. In most respects this is not really cheese, so a little background on how it is made will shed a little light on what we mean. Gjetost is made by slow cooking the milk until it is caramelized thus removing most of the water, the resulting "curd" is then pressed into block molds to remove any left over water, at this point it is ready for sale or to eat. It should be noted that this process has essentially created milk sugar and gives the "cheese" it's brown color, fudge-like texture and overt sweetness. Since there is no aging process the flavor of fresh goat's milk is still noticeable. The flavor as noted above is sweet (maybe too sweet for some) and can be considered an acquired taste. It has a mouth feel like fudge, hence the name "fudge cheese", with a caramel flavor but the goat tang still filters through. The aroma has been described as slightly fishy to barnyard to goaty but not offensive or overpowering.

When shopping for this Norwegian novelty look for the Ekte Gjetost if you want the pure goat milk style or the red box (sometimes labeled as Ski Queen ) for the mixed milk variety and can also be found in 9lb blocks which can be cut to order. Gjetost can be ordered online at Amazon.

You can serve this in the morning thinly sliced on bread or toast with coffee or with sweet fruits like grapes or pears as a snack. This is best cut thinly with a cheese plane not a knife.

Keurig K-Cafe Coffe Maker  from Amazon

Wine Pairing: It would be hard to recommend any particular wine to go with this since it is a bit unique but it does appear to go well with beefy lagers or maybe a good Irish Stout.

Norwegian Jarlsberg Cheese

Jarlsberg is one the most popular cheeses that are imported into the United States. This Norwegian cheese, named for the county that it is produced in, was created in 1956 from and an old 1830 Swiss recipe. Jarlsberg cheese was introduced to the world in 1961 and has become one of Norway's biggest exports throughout the world.

Jarlsberg is made from partially skimmed pasteurized cow's milk that is coagulated with animal rennet. Specially formulated bacterial cultures are added to the curds which are then pressed into cheese molds, salted, allowed to age from 1 to 15 months and then coated with an inedible yellow paraffin coating. All of these procedures are done under strict laboratory conditions and regulations. Most of the Jarlsberg that reaches our shores is aged about 3 months and has a semi-firm, smooth yellow paste that has many large and small holes throughout. 

The flavor is slightly nutty and salty with a sweet buttery smooth mouth feel. The overall flavor profile is not overly complex or strong. There is another version that is called Jarlsberg "Reserve" and it is aged from 12 to 15 months, this will have a bigger flavor and aroma, you will most likely have to ask for it by it's "Reserve" name.
When shopping for this cheese, do not purchase it if it looks dry, cracked or has any mold on it. Always try to get a small sample to taste to make sure it's flavor agrees with you.

Keurig K-Elite Coffee Maker  from amazon

This is a very nice cheese to use for grilled cheese sandwiches or thinly sliced on grilled meat sandwiches and hamburgers. As a snack cheese serve it with grapes or other semi-sweet fruits. Both the regular Jarlsberg and the Reserve can be purchased without the paraffin rind coating.

Wine Paring: Light spicy whites like Alsace Sylvanner or Treminer