Cheese of the Week - Havarti

Havarti Cheese

Havarti is a traditional, creamery and semi-soft. It is a simple, washed-rind cheese with irregular holes throughout. There is an enriched version, with added cream which is softer and feels more luxurious in the mouth. There is also a version with caraway seeds. Havarti is named after the farm in Denmark where Hanne Nielsen first made it.

Country: Denmark
Milk: cow milk
Texture:
semi-soft


Havarti or Cream Havarti (Fløde Havarti in Danish) is a semi-soft Danish cow's milk cheese. It is a table cheese that can be sliced, grilled, or melted.
In 1952 Havarti cheese was named after the Havarthigaard in Øverød, north of Copenhagen, where the owner Hanne Nielsen had developed modern cheesemaking in Danish agriculture during the last half of the 19th century. Havarti was, however, not introduced in Denmark until app. 1920. Havarti is made like most cheeses, by introducing rennet to milk to cause curdling. The curds are pressed into cheese molds which are drained, and then the cheese is aged. Havarti is a washed curd cheese, which contributes to the subtle flavor of the cheese.
Havarti is an interior-ripened cheese that is rindless, smooth and slightly bright-surfaced with a cream to yellow color depending on type. It has very small and irregular openings ("eyes") distributed in the mass.
Havarti has a buttery aroma and can be somewhat sharp in the stronger varieties, much like Swiss cheese. The taste is buttery, and from somewhat sweet to very sweet, and it is slightly acidic. It is typically aged about three months, though when the cheese is older it becomes more salty and tastes like hazelnut. When left at room temperature the cheese tends to soften quickly.
The original Havarti is different from flødehavarti ("cream havarti"), which is made from high-pasteurized milk, so that the whey proteins that would otherwise be eliminated during production remain in the curd. This raises yields but alters the taste and texture. Cream havarti usually ripens very little, since the remaining whey proteins cause problems (off-taste, odd appearance) during prolonged ripening.
Flavored variants of Havarti are also available, such as cranberry, garlic, caraway, dill, basil, coconut, sour cream & chives, red pepper and jalapeño.

Nutritional Highlights for 1 slice (1 oz./28 g):
Calories: 120
Protein: 6.0 g
Carbohydrate: 0.0 g
Total Fat: 11.0 g
Fiber: 0.0 g
Calcium (150 mg)


Baked Havarti Chicken

Ingredients Serves   4 servings

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
8 ozs fresh baby bella mushrooms (sliced)
8 ozs chili peppers (green, drained and sliced lengthwise)
4 ozs havarti cheese (sliced, with dill)
italian dressing
greek seasoning (optional)
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp cooking wine (white)
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp roasted ground cumin
1/2  tsp garlic salt
sea salt

Directions

1 Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2 Marinate chicken in Italian Dressing and Greek Seasoning, if using, for a minimum of 30 minutes.
3 Place chicken in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle top with additional Greek seasoning, if desired, and bake in preheated oven for approximately 25 minutes, or until no longer pink in center and juices run clear.
4 Shortly before chicken is done, melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat until bubbling. Pour in wine, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic salt, and bring to a boil. Stir in mushrooms. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until mushrooms are tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt as needed.
5 Remove chicken from the oven. Lay green chili slices on top of each breast, then top each chili with a slice of cheese. Return to the oven until cheese has melted.
6 Remove chicken from the oven, top with mushrooms and their pan juices, and serve.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 309 Calories from Fat 151
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 17 g 26%
Saturated Fat 9 g 44%
Trans Fat 0%
Cholesterol 101 mg 34%
Sodium 2 g 83%
Total Carbohydrate 10 g 3%
Dietary Fiber 2 g 6%
Sugars 3 g
Protein 30 g