Day 434 : Slight Switch / Norwegian Homage

For today's post I felt we needed to move our weekly SCS dosage to tomorrow in order to pay homage to the amazing and awe-inspiring Norwegian marathon runner, Grete Waitz, who passed away at the age of 57 after a long battle with cancer. Waitz won nine New York City marathons (still the record number of wins for this race) starting with her first in 1978; way before women's competitive distance running was even considered an Olympic sport.  She paved the way for generations of women runners to strive to push themselves farther than they had ever done previously -- revolutionizing the sport of running for women. As a runner myself, I have Waitz to thank for the inspiration to go further, try harder, push my limits, and know that with a little determination, I can accomplish anything.

In Waitz's honor, I thought I would recommend Murray's Cheese's only Norwegian cheese selection, a truly unique and unusual cheese product that is said to have fueled generations of Alpine skiers known as Gjetost (goat cheese in Norwegian). Crafted from the whey of a mixture of goat and cow's milks, it surely isn't at all similar to the most well known whey crafted cheese -- ricotta. It is made by boiling milk, cream, and whey till all of the liquid / water evaporates leaving the dense firm block consistency that is characteristic of gjetost. But what makes this cheese a peanut buttery / tannish color you might be wondering? The heat of boiling the milk causes the milk sugars in the gjetost to caramelize instilling the cheese with its characteristic color. So it doesn't look like cheese even though it's made in a cheese like manner, but does it taste like cheese?

Not really but it sure is nutty and barnyardy with a residual sweet quality -- gjetost coats the roof of your mouth that's for sure. Caramelly and butterscotchy with a warming quality, you can understand why this is a preferred food of Alpine skiers! Best enjoyed with a beer or maybe a medium bodied red.

Here's to Grete Waitz,  a woman who changed the world of running -- a true hero.