Episode 19: Venturing into the Norselands

I couldn't help but notice it: It's so close to Pat's, and the flags are prominent. But I needed an excuse to visit Simply Scandinavian. The recipe for Swedish Meatballs from the December 2011 issue of Saveur served nicely. I picked up the needed lingonberry preserves and, on more of a whim, an 8 ounce package of gjetost.

The meatballs came out delicious, though I should note that I substituted ground veal for the ground beef, in the interests of a lighter flavor. It worked nicely. (I also threw a rutabaga in with the potatoes, which did not work quite as well.) The Little One was enamored of the lingonberries, dubbing them "wonderberries."

The meatballs, however, are not the main topic of this post. That would be the gjetost. It's a Norwegian food item, whose name literally means "goat cheese". It is nothing, however, like a crumbly French chevre or an earthy Spanish cabrales. Some would argue that technically it isn't even a cheese. It is made by combining milk, cream and whey, and boiling them down until the milk sugars caramelize. I've seen it referred to as "Norwegian fudge," which works as a descriptor. It is sweet, with a goatish aftertaste.

I've also seen it referred to as a "love it or hate it" type of food, and I can see that. I thought it was delicious, LO seemed to like it, but Hot Librarian was put off by the combination of sweet and goat.

The traditional way to serve it is in very thin slices made with a cheese planer; apparently the texture is unpleasant in larger chunks. For this morning's breakfast, I made an open-faced sandwich of it, with a toasted slice of Maine Grain bread from Standard Baking Company, a thin layer of gjetost, thinly sliced apple wedges, and a dollop of the lingonberry preserves.

I think this will be my regular breakfast for the next few days.