Jarlsberg Cheese

Bonnie: I don’t recall my first taste of Jarlsberg (pronounced YAHRLZ-berg) cheese, but I do recollect its buttery flavor and how its holes made it look like Swiss. It had a yummy mild nutty flavor.

I also recall dropping Swiss cheese (shhh… don’t tell the Swiss) from my shopping list and replacing it with Jarlsberg. Not only is it tastier but it melts nicely too. I love using it in recipes.

(The Jarlsberg Lite version, btw, is quite tasty for a 50 percent less fat, 30 percent fewer calories cheese.)

Use Jarlsberg (regular or lite) for cooking in any recipe calling for Swiss cheese. Top onion soup, add to a Reuben sandwich, use in a grilled cheese, or try it in one of these Express Lane Cooking recipes:

• Ham, Jarlsberg and Potato Frittata: Preheat broiler. Cook 1 peeled and diced potato in 1 tablespoon butter in a medium skillet with an ovenproof handle over moderately low heat, stirring, until tender, about 10 minutes. Add 2/3 cup diced ham and 1 medium-sized chopped onion or 3 chopped scallions. Cook until onion/scallion softens and ham is heated through, about 3 minutes. In a bowl, beat together 6 eggs, 3 tablespoons Jarlsberg cheese, 1 tablespoon water, some salt and pepper. Gently stir eggs into skillet; cook 3 minutes or until almost set. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons Jarlsberg cheese. Place under broiler until browned and puffed, about 2 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.

• Monte Cristo Sandwich: Spread 4 slices of bread with mustard. Cover each with a slice of Jarlsberg cheese, turkey and a slice of tomato. Cover with remaining bread to complete sandwich. In shallow bowl beat 4 eggs, 2 tablespoons water or milk, some salt and pepper. Spray large skillet with nonstick cooking spray or heat 2 teaspoons butter over medium heat. Dip sandwiches into egg mixture, coating well on each side. Cook in skillet over medium-low heat for about 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Quarter and serve.

• Corn and Tomato Omelet: Beat together 6 eggs, an 8.5-ounce can creamed corn, 1/2 teaspoon tarragon, salt and pepper. Spray a 10- to 12-inch sloping sided skillet with nonstick cooking spray or use 2 teaspoons butter. Heat over medium heat, pour in egg mixture. Cook without stirring, lifting edges occasionally to allow uncooked egg mixture to flow to bottom of skillet, 4 to 5 minutes or until mixture is set, but still moist. Spoon 1 chopped tomato over half of the omelet. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup shredded Jarlsberg cheese. With spatula loosen edge of omelet and fold untopped half over filling. If desired, sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley. Serves 3 to 4. NOTE: In corn season, substitute a cup of freshly cooked corn kernels.

PS: Don’t miss a chance to win a basket of cheeses from Norway during the months of March and April. The first giveaway starts on March 1, 2008 and ends on April 30, 2008. To enter, visit the site during that time period.

Bryan: I love cheese; it’s a food group unto its own and deserves any epicurean’s full affections. Our family often jokes that we could (happily!) live on bread, cheese & wine alone. I have actually had the pleasure of embarking on such a culinary quest on several money-scraping treks across Europe. They really do love their cheese across the pond, with each country having its own myriad great flavors and unique variations. Though most Americans simply refer to any holey cheese as ‘Swiss’, the style is actually called ‘Emmental’. The cheese did originate in Switzerland, but many other countries produce a ‘Swiss-style’ cheese as well; Jarlsberg being Norway’s contribution to the game, as well as their nation’s cheese shining star (do they make any others?). Emmental cheeses are all hole-filled, medium-hard, cows’-milk cheeses, but they do vary in flavor from region to region. For me, Jarlsberg is the best of the bunch, the ‘holier than thou’. Jarlsberg’s flavor is deeper, creamier and nuttier than its holey brethren, works well as a snack on its own and even melts beautifully over a crock of onion soup. Expand your cheese world, try Jarlsberg! C’mon, what else have you ever tried from Norway? Give it a shot and remember, not all holey cheeses are Swiss and not all Swiss cheeses are holey. Now go get some crusty bread.

Eric: Note: If you regard American cheese as a cheese, then read no further.

You might not have been taught about him much while you were growing-up, but Johnny Appleseed’s second cousin, Olive Culturedmilk, was an inspirational legend for most of us modern day cheese gluttons, and my personal hero. Unlike his pompous cousin who traveled with a pot on his head spilling his bag of seeds all over the countryside, Olive hand-picked his locations (mostly focusing on Western Europe, but also certain parts of Vermont) to “fertilize” with the tastes of Cheddar, chèvre, Gouda, Muenster and, of course, Emmental. His teachings have been passed on from generation to generation, and his greatest crowning achievements can be found throughout the numerous cheese reviews we’ve done…

Living on “the other side of the pond,” as my brother refers to it, I’m privileged enough to bask in the glory of Olive’s teachings. To me, food is a form of art, and the Norwegians have perfected it in the form of Jarlsberg. Their Emmental — Jarlsberg — is a richer style of ‘Swiss’ cheese with a buttery texture and a deeper, fuller taste. It has proven itself over time as an ideal cheese to eat with a crusty piece of bread, or to be melted over a tuna melt. It is a tribute to taste and deserves an iconic place in food history alongside the Granny Smith.