Gjetost

Today, my younger sister set a block of what looked like light brown clay in front of me, and told me to taste it. Although wary, I could always trust my sister to find delicious and unique food items, so I sliced a piece of and put it in my mouth. At first, I thought it was a type of butter toffee- I was hit with a creamy, slightly salty caramel flavor that reminded me of caramel apples. But then the entire flavor rounded out to include something I was not expecting: cheese. Really good cheese. The combination of caramel and cheese was incredible, the texture somewhere between fois gras and an extra-smooth hard cheese, the finish leaving you with a strong craving for apples. After reveling in my facial expressions, my sister gave me the package to look at, afraid to try pronouncing the name herself. The label read “Gjetost– Norwegian Goat Cheese”. I was lost on how to pronounce it as well, but determined to figure out what made it so delicious.

Gjetost, better known as Brunost (“brown cheese”) in the rest of the world, is made only in Norway and Sweden. Traditionally it was made solely from goat whey, carefully boiled down for several hours: as it cooks, the natural sugars in the whey slowly caramelize, creating the uniquely sweet flavor, gorgeously smooth texture, and color. Somewhere along the way a farmer's wife, the traditional maker of Brunost, decided to start adding cream to the whey, creating an even thicker and smoother cheese. This product caught on with the rest of the world, and is now sold throughout Europe, and in many grocery stores in North America and Australia. Now, Brunost is made with a mixture of whey, cream, and milk, and can be both goat and cow's milk, although from what I've found goat whey is always used. If the mixture is cooked for less time, keeping the water content above 30%, Prim is made– a spreadable version of Brunost that I have yet to find in a US grocery store.

Brunost is delicious and decadent by itself, but reaches it's fullest glory when backed with a crisp red apple (green can overpower the sweetness with tart). It shaves beautifully, and the color adds an amazing touch to a cheese plate. Traditionally eaten on a plain rye sandwich, I tried it toasted on top of apples and wheat with excellent results: it melts into a warm, spreadable texture more like peanut butter than cheese. I have dreams of lightly battered cubes of Brunost, fried and dusted with cinnamon sugar, or Brunost fondue with apples, brazil nuts, bread, and perhaps gingerbread cookies to dip. Unfortunately, it is imported in small quantities and is rather expensive, but I've heard it can be made at home.... I wonder where I can buy some goat whey?

Sources:

Harbutt, Juliet. (1999). Cheese. Minocque, Wisconsin: Willow Creek Pr.

http://thecheeseandwineshop.co.uk/guide-to-gjetost.asp