formaggio coi buchi fatto in casa: Jarlsberg / homemade cheese: Jarlsberg

In a previous post, I reported about making Leerdammer, my first cheese with holes (formaggio coi buchi). The holes are called "eyes" (occhi) and are bubbles of carbon dioxide created by the microorganism called Propionibacterium freudenreichii subsp. shermanii during the ripening period (as you can read here and also here).

After making Leerdammer a second time, and enjoying every bite of the result, I decided to make Jarlsberg, a cheese that hails from Norway (Norvegia), a country that has a special place in my heart.

I have been to Norway twice, loved every moment I spent there, and hope to go again, since there are parts of the country I have not yet visited and would very much like to do so. My second visit occurred before I had a digital camera, and with my Nikon FG I took mostly slides (diapositive). Out of my small stash of prints, I scanned an image that shows one of the many waterfalls that we admired.

Back to Jarlsberg, on this page, you can read a brief history of the cheese.

The recipe I followed is in the book 200 Easy Homemade Cheese Recipes by Debra Amrein-Boyes¹. This time, I knew I would get bigger holes (than I did in my Leerdammer), because the cheese expanded markedly during the aging period and it cracked open the wax coating I had applied to it. I counted the days until I could cut my Jarlsberg. When I finally did and saw the pretty eyes, I was thrilled. Then my husband and I had our first slice of the cheese before dinner, as a very special appetizer. The flavor is sweet and nutty, very pleasant. The only problem is that it is difficult to stop eating it.

On the board, a slice (fetta) and a few morsels of my Jarlsberg are placed next to some of my homemade 4-braid challah, recipe from Peter Reinhart's Artisans Bread Every Day (with a couple of personal adjustments to the list of ingredients).

I'll definitely make Jarlsberg again. In the meantime, there are a couple of experiments in the aging stage, so stay tuned for the next post on my cheese-making adventures (avventure casearie).

¹ I refer you to the book for the recipe details (some apply to cheese making in general, some to the specific cheese).

---

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post: 

formaggio coi buchi fatto in casa

or launch the formaggio coi buchi fatto in casa  audio file [mp3].

 

Comments

[astrofiammante]

oh my god @[email protected] ordino subito un paio di caciottine di questo formaggio pieno di occhietti, ma quanto ti è venuto bene!!!! davvero una bella soddisfazione, baci!!

[bellini valli]

Making your own cheese is quite an accomplishment. I have it in mind to try Burrata.

[Simona Carini]

Ciao Astro. Devo ammetterlo che e' una bella soddisfazione. Ne faro' presto un'altra forma.

Ciao Val. Interesting choice: I have never thought about making burrata.

[Katie]

I finally found rennet - at the pharmacy, of course.... They had to order it. Now if I can just get my act together to try cheese making. I also love Norway. I've only been once, but I have family there that I want to meet - distant, but still family. They live on the farm my grandfather was born on. It's so beautiful.

[Milena]

Mi sbalordisci sempre con le tue preparazioni, ma questa le supera tutte ....
Una gran bella soddisfazione ...

[Simona Carini]

Hi Katie. Thanks for letting me know about getting rennet at the pharmacy. I added this to my cheese-making resource page. Now I wonder where you can find cheese cultures: let me know if you discover it. I hope you get to visit that Norwegian farm soon and meet your relatives. One of the things that intrigued me there was the architecture of the rural buildings, which changed in the different parts of the country.

Grazie Lenny. Ebbene si', una bella soddisfazione.

[Tiffany jewelry]

This is so interesting to know about that brief history of cheese.Well I have never made cheese at home but I would like to make Jarlsberg.I like to eat cheese very much.Now I am eager to know your cheese making adventures.

[Paz]

I'm always impressed when I read that you make your OWN cheese. ;-)

Paz

[Simona Carini]

Thanks, Paz. I must admit that making cheese has become part of my life now. However, I feel there are too many things I don't yet know. I would very much like to take a class from a professional cheese-maker.

[andrea]

è assolutamente vero che quando il formaggio viene bene è difficile smettere di mangiarlo.

[Simona Carini]

Ciao Andrea. Infatti, il nostro consumo di formaggio e' aumentato da quando lo faccio in casa.

[andrea]

hei, lo sai cosa stavo pensando che noi si poteva aprire un negozio online di prodotti caseari, vedo che sei molto bravo a ottenere risultati in un campo per nulla facile. vine a vedere nella mia cantina
cordialmente Andrea

[Simona Carini]

Ciao Andrea. Non ho progetti di passare dall'hobby al commercio. Per me fare il formaggio e' un passatempo: lavoro, famiglia e casa occupano la mia giornata. E poi, una volta che cominci a vendere quello che produci devi essere sicuro di mantenere la qualita', cosa per me molto difficile con i mezzi rudimentali che ho, soprattutto per la maturazione. Per ora quello che mi piacerebbe e' avere accesso a del latte vaccino crudo.