There is no in between with this “cheese” and I put “cheese” in quotation marks to lend the idea that some do not refer to it as such. It actually is a product made out of whey. Nothing at all like ricotta. Just to set the record straight.
I have been a Gjetost (pronounced “yay-toast”) fan for many years….long before I married the cheesemonger. It is an accquired taste…almost along the same lines of liking provel. Gjetost (as we know it in N. America) literally means “goat cheese” in Norwegian. The Norwegian name brunost (the name used on the other side of the Atlantic) means ‘brown cheese’. Over here it is referred to and sold as gjetost, which is an older spelling of geitost that is no longer frequently used elsewhere. Now…with that all straightened out…let’s talk about how wonderfully delicious this cheese is. Gjetost is made by boiliing a mixture of milk, cream and whey carefully for several hours so that the water evaporates. The heat turns the milk sugar into caramel which gives the cheese its characteristic taste. It is ready for consumption as soon as it is packed in suitable sized blocks. A low-fat variant is made by increasing the proportion of whey to milk and cream..but let’s be honest, it’s not as good. I found a great recipe for making gjetost in your own kitchen. I have yet to try it but looking forward to it.
I did a little jig this afternoon when trolling my local grocer to find it in the cheese section. Simon turned his nose up at the sight of it…but I am happy. I couldn’t wait to get home and dig in. I prefer mine on toasted bread or naan/pita. I also like it with apples or pears. It has a decidedly unique nose….some refer to it as fishy. I smell the caramel…but I also smell the pungent “barnyard” of the goat’s milk. It very thick on the tongue and is best served in light curls from a cheese plane. I chunk would be just too much in your mouth…like a heaping spoonful of cold peanut butter or rich fudge tasting of caramelly goat cheese….not too pleasing in that respect.
It has a great nutty quality and silken texture when cut right…I have yet to find a good wine to pair it with…but I do enjoy it with beer. A dark stout or a strong lager. It is a wintery cheese in my mind…but I do eat it all year long. I have been playing around with making an apple/gjetost pie. I wonder if Cupcake Project would be willing to brainstorm with me…Stef is good at this sort of thing…
I have found it at Global Market and Whole Foods in St. Louis….here in AZ it was at Basha’s.
best way to describe it is dulce de leche meets velveeta!
Ok I am intrigued to say the least!
i love the stuff….Simon loathes it…..so….I don’t know what you can deduce from that. I know that it was on the cheese plate at Bailey’s Chocolate Bar and Sasha’s back in the day….maybe still is.
Too funny! I didn’t put two and two together when I read that last night (might have been effects of Repeal at Bottleworks), but your note about it being at The Chocolate Bar reminded me that my wife, just last week, went after a long day at the hospital with some of the other nurses. Just shot her a text message at the hospital to ask her what the name of that cheese she told me about last week. I remembered that she said I “would either love or hate” and sure enough this is the one. One of her friends is from Sweden and recommended it to her! Guess I will have to give it a try this week. And if you are recommending stout, I think I can pick out a good one!
that is awesome. god, I can’t wait to get home!
I always think of it as Caramel Cheese, and I once liked it but now I don’t. It is still on the cheese menu at the Chocolate Bar…at least as of 6 months ago or so… I feel better knowing the cheesemonger turns his nose up at it…
I love gjetost! In fact, we had it for the first time at The Chocolate Bar and have bought it several times after that at Whole Foods. An apple pie with gjetost would be awesome!! But you know that I’m now trying to figure out how to use it in a cupcake.
I am going to try to make some with my leftover whey from the gouda I am making now.
I’ve recently started making homemade cheese in brooklyn: see my new blog at cheesenbread.wordpress.org
Another “yes”; my Norwegian stepdaughter and her family have taught me about it. In fact, there’s a book (originally in Norwegian, and there’s now an English version out, which one of the Viking grandchildren gave us) called “Brown Cheese Please” whose subtitle is “Norway inside out from the outside in”. Obviously the key to all things Norwegian.
Ann, that book sounds wonderful. I’ll have to search out a copy. Simon’s maternal grandfather is of Norwegian descent. I’m sure he’d love it!
Just have to comment, that the way you pronounce the word gjetost is not in fact “yay-toast.
The first syllable (gje) is pronounced as follows:
gj is pronounced ‘y’, as in ‘yellow’
and e is pronounced ‘eye’
The second syllable (tost) is pronounced phonetically (the ‘o’ is a short ‘o’ sound, as it is in the word ‘cot’).
[...] and how could I forget Gjetost??? That stuff just freaks the hell out of me, which is why I quite enjoy it. [...]
Eva, actually your pronunciation of gjetost is not quite correct either. Although not really pronounced “yay toast”, this is a closer version to the correct pronunciation.
The proper way to pronounce it is “yet oost”, with slightly more emphasis on the “T”s than Americans would use. The “o” in Norwegian is actually not a short vowel, as in “cot”, but rather more akin to the “oo” in “boost”. Your pronunciation of “eye” would be correct for the modern spelling of the Norwegian word for goat (geit).
I was raised on this stuff and love it! If youy would like to try another great Norwegian cheese, try Jarlsberg, similar (but better) than Swiss.
Per
Forty some years ago I had the opportunity to stay with a Norwegian family near Oslo. We ate this soft brown cheese for snacks and on the side at meals. So consider cross country skiing for 2 or 3 hours and then have a snack with crackers and gjetost. Quick energy. mmmm!
My Dad used to eat this cheese with pears when I was little and I hated it. He just passed away and I keep thinking about this cheese. Might go get some and see what I think now.
It’s good stuff, sara…I like it with apples….and toasted naan.