This weekend we have reason to celebrate, as I am once again on travels. Why celebrate, you ask dear reader? This short leave of absence means a specially themed weekend, yay! And what better way to fill up a weekend than with The Sound of Music? Also Norwegian cheese. Mostly Norwegian cheese.
So. Today begins a special one-time-only 4 day Norwegian cheese special. We'll celebrate the magic they work with goat's milk whey and the strange, at times very unpleasant, results.
Today is the first of the series, and so we begin with the the standard, the money maker, the brown cheese that choosy brown cheese lovers choose.
And what better name for a good, honest, Norwegian cheese; Ekte Geitost. It falls into the category of whey-based dairy product and is hugely popular among the good people of Scandinavia, and for good reason too. Made by taking the leftover whey, adding milk and cream and boiling under carefully controlled conditions until the mixture caramelizes, these cheeses are a serious departure from anything that might commonly be called "cheese". The first time I tried one it was at my old favorite haunt; the Cheese Plate of Warren, RI. The Founder and then-owner, everyone's favorite; Bob, brought out a few slices for myself and my friends as a post-dinner treat, and what a treat it was. Sweet, tangy, rich, and caramelly, like a fine fudge, Ekte Geitost and its relatives are truly delicious and well worth trying. Trying and loving.
Origin: Norway
Milk: Goat whey, milk, and cream, pasteurized
Rennet: not applicable
Affinage: Not aged, just delicious from the start
Notes: We start with this one because it is the best and most easily found, a standard against which the others may be measured. In my mind it is one of the better, which I attribute to its being made with only goat's milk. The next two are made with altered recipes, and the difference in flavor is palatable. But actually.
So. Today begins a special one-time-only 4 day Norwegian cheese special. We'll celebrate the magic they work with goat's milk whey and the strange, at times very unpleasant, results.
Today is the first of the series, and so we begin with the the standard, the money maker, the brown cheese that choosy brown cheese lovers choose.
And what better name for a good, honest, Norwegian cheese; Ekte Geitost. It falls into the category of whey-based dairy product and is hugely popular among the good people of Scandinavia, and for good reason too. Made by taking the leftover whey, adding milk and cream and boiling under carefully controlled conditions until the mixture caramelizes, these cheeses are a serious departure from anything that might commonly be called "cheese". The first time I tried one it was at my old favorite haunt; the Cheese Plate of Warren, RI. The Founder and then-owner, everyone's favorite; Bob, brought out a few slices for myself and my friends as a post-dinner treat, and what a treat it was. Sweet, tangy, rich, and caramelly, like a fine fudge, Ekte Geitost and its relatives are truly delicious and well worth trying. Trying and loving.
Milk: Goat whey, milk, and cream, pasteurized
Rennet: not applicable
Affinage: Not aged, just delicious from the start
Notes: We start with this one because it is the best and most easily found, a standard against which the others may be measured. In my mind it is one of the better, which I attribute to its being made with only goat's milk. The next two are made with altered recipes, and the difference in flavor is palatable. But actually.
Thoughts: This cheese starts sweet, grows sweeter and finishes sweet too. It’s pretty much like a Disney movie minus the dead parents. When the initial sweet has set in a head-turning tang kicks in along with even more sweet until the sweet sweet sweet sweet. The chewy, caramelly texture really does give you the impression you’re eating dessert, like you want this melted over your next scoop of vanilla ice cream or a ribbon of it around a crème br ûlée. There are only a handful of cheeses that are so rich that you have to be careful how much you eat, but Ekte Geitost may take the cake. It is the Imperial oak-aged Stout, the double…..thick milkshake, the double dark chocolate brownies with bittersweet chocolate chips baked in and chocolate syrup drizzled on top. Talk about cheeses you would be hard pressed to eat a 100g of, just writing this review might be the straw that pushes my cholesterol over the edge.
Caution
Tomorrow we have something worse, but then Sunday it's redeemed with something better. Then Monday there's something... something else all together.
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