Gjetost, Delicious Norwegian Goat Cheese

Dear Friends,

I would like to introduce you to one of my favorite cheeses. Besides Boursin and Kerry Gold, I am a huge fan of Gjetost (pronounced “yay-toast”), a delicious mild cheese with a silky texture from Norway. The direct translation to English from Norweigen is "goat cheese."
Gjetost is made by boiling 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.

I discovered gjetost in Walt Disney World at the Norweigan restaurant: Akershus Royal Banquet Hall. It is one of their cheeses featured at the cold table that serves meats, fish, vegetables, cheeses, and salads. They cut the cheese into small, thinly slice rectangles, which I prefer. I fell in love with the cheese immediately and longed to have some more at home! I asked our waiter for the name of the cheese, and he kindly wrote it down for me. Soon after, I was in active search mode for this cheese.

I realized that after searching through numerous grocery cheese and gourmet whey shops, that this cheese is tough to find. I finally found it at Zabar's in NYC. I bought a wheel of cheese for less than eight dollars. With the wheel, it is a bit difficult to cut the cheese into rectangular slices, so instead I cut them into mini triangles.

I prefer to serve the gjetost with rosemary crackers, apples and pear slices, warm baguette slices or pita/naan bread. The cheese most always taste fresh. I highly recommend storing the cheese in an airtight container and wrapping tightly with plastic wrap.

You can also purchase gjetost online at Amazon.com.

Have you ever tried Gjetost? What is your favorite type of cheese?