Every country has an iconic food – one that is considered an important part of its gastronomical and cultural identity – and often, one that it is proud of. For Norwegians, it’s “brown cheese.” For a Dane like Camilla of CheeseTalks and a Cheese Journeys co-host, it took a bit of time and work to understand this particular cheese made of whey. Following is her foray into the brown stuff.
Just before Covid-19 shut down the entire world, I hosted a cheese tasting in my home together with a Norwegian friend who not only brought a selection of her native cheeses, including, of course, the legendary brown cheese, but also a recently published cookbook, Brunost,* with 98 recipes using brunost - literally translated as ‘brown cheese.’ To be honest, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. How could there possibly be so many recipes for this homely, small, brown, square block of cheese? I was up for the challenge and decided to give it a go, again!
Despite Denmark being in relatively close proximity to Norway, I had never really understood this type of cheese which the Norwegians typically slice wafer-thin and eat on flatbread, toast, and waffles for breakfast, lunch, tea-time, and sometimes dinner.
What is brown cheese?
Brunost is made with whey - which is a residual product from cheese production – boiled down with a combination of cow’s milk and cream and goat’s milk. The mixture slowly caramelizes and is then poured into a mold, cooled down, forming “brown cheese.” The taste is creamy and caramel-like. The sweetness comes from the lactose in the whey.
In Norway, Brunost is commonly divided into two types: those that contain only cow's cream and/or milk, and the ones that contain some proportion of goat's milk. The latter type is commonly called Geitost or Gjetost ("goat's cheese"). Varieties that do not contain any cow's milk are called Ekte Geitost (genuine goat cheese). The taste is saltier and it has a sharpness which is perfect for defining the taste of salty dishes.
Photo credit: Camilla Bojsen-Møller
Outside Norway, the most known type of Brunost is light in color and made with goat’s milk, cow’s milk and cream. Again, the flavor is sweet with caramel notes, with some tang from the goat cheese. A few other blogs I've read describe it as “salty goat's fudge.” This type of brown cheese is ideal for desserts and other sweet stuff.
To get started, I opted for a sweet treat and made ice cream. My family approved it immediately (which says a lot!). The recipes follows below.
Photo credit: Camilla Bojsen-Møller
TWO CHEESE ICE CREAM - aka RICOTTA ICE CREAM WITH SOFT CARAMEL FUDGE
My first - and surely not last - experiment is ice cream (the base includes Ricotta!), mixed gently with a soft fudgy caramel filling and sprinkled with caramelized brown cheese.
Begin by making the caramel filling.
Caramel Filling
· 3.5 oz brown cheese
· 3.5 oz butter
· 3.5 oz brown sugar
Melt all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat.
Simmer for approx. five minutes while stirring.
Pour into a heat-proof glass jar, stirring occasionally. Let cool.
Photo credit: Camilla Bojsen-Møller
Next, make the topping.
Caramelized Brown Cheese Topping
· 3 oz brown cheese, grated
Put thin layers of cheese in a pan over medium heat, allowing it to melt for a few minutes.
Stir gently until the cheese has a slightly darker color (and released some fat).
Remove from heat and pour onto paper towel or another type of absorbent paper. Let cool.
Store in a glass with lid and use as a topping on ice cream or even cakes.
And now we are ready for the ice cream itself which is my own favorite recipe – but now with a Norwegian twist.
Photo credit: Camilla Bojsen-Møller
RICOTTA ICE CREAM WITH SOFT CARAMEL FUDGE
· 1 pound (500 g) ricotta
· 4 oz sugar
· 2 cups whipping cream
· 1 portion of caramel filling (see above)
· Caramelized brown cheese (see above)
Stir in ricotta with sugar.
In another bowl, whip the cream until it forms stiff peaks.
Carefully fold the whipped cream into the ricotta mixture. Using a spatula, pour the ice cream mixture into a loaf pan or Pyrex dish.
Pour the caramel filling on top, then use a knife to gently mix the caramel filling into the ice cream until it’s marbled.
Freeze for 3-4 hours and serve with caramelized brown cheese on top. Decorate with edible flowers if you have some at hand.
You can also freeze the ice cream longer – but beware, it will need time to defrost.
Photo credit: Camilla Bojsen-Møller
* The book, Brunost, is only available in Norwegian and in Norway. The authors, two sisters, have come up with 98 recipes with brown cheese. Sweet and savory recipes with both traditional and new creations. The book is such a joy to go through.
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Camilla Bojsen-Møller works as a cheese communicator in Denmark. She has blogged about cheese (in Danish) since 2012. Follow her cheese universe (in English) on her blog www.cheesetalks.com as well as Instagram and Facebook.