[Sca-cooks] Re: Mysost/Gjetost (cheese)

[Kathleen Madsen]

Stefan,

There is a bit of a debate about whey cheeses, the
debate being is it really a cheese or is it not. 
Mainly because whey cheeses come from a by-product of
cheesemaking, cheese being made from the fats and
proteins which come together to form a curd.  Most
whey cheeses don't have enough fats and proteins left
to form a curd, ricotta being an exception.  I,
personally, consider them a cheese - albeit one that
is crafted in a different manner from a recipe that
creates a curd and is then treated in different ways
to make a specific final product.

Mysost and Gjetost are made from the whey created by
making other cheeses, and can even be made after
ricotta is is made.  So technically it can be the
third process that a batch of whey has been put
through - and completely uses up all the milk used. 
The whey is boiled down to about 1/4 of the starting
volume over a period of hours.  This carmelizes the
lactose in the whey giving it a caramel color.  After
the whey has been boiled down to the right volume and
the right consistency (heavy cream) it is poured into
greased molds and allowed to set and cool.  After it
has cooled it is turned out of the molds and is
wrapped to keep air from getting to it - air will
cause it to dry out and crack.  It is usually served
in thin slices as part of breakfast with fruit and
bread.

This recipe has been made primarily in Norway and
Sweden, with eventually a migration to Finland,
Denmark and other Baltic countries.  Mysost is made
with cow's milk whey and Gjetost is made with goat's
milk whey, they both use the same recipe.  If you have
acid used by the cheesemaking method present in your
whey you need to add a neutralizer to counteract it. 
I have not yet found any reference to it being
produced in period.

Making this recipe takes a lot of work, most
cheesemakers prefer to feed the whey instead to their
milk animals as it's rich with fats, proteins and
minerals.  The animals love the stuff.

Eibhlin

***************************************************
What is this kind of cheese? Is it a cheese? I don't
think we've  
discussed this before. Is this like making a Ricotta
cheese, except  
you boil down the whey rather than just creating curds
from it? What  
do you end up with? A soft, fresh type cheese?

Was this Mysost/Gjetost cheese made in period? Was it
done in just  
one region? From the name I might guess Germany, but I
don't know.

If I wanted to try this type of cheese today, is this
the name I  
would look for in the cheese section? Central Market
and Whole Foods  
seem to have pretty large cheese departments in my
area.

Stefan
--------
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad   
Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas           
StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
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