NORWEGIAN HAM AND EGG BREAKFAST

RECIPES FOR WHEN THE LAST THING YOU WANT TO DO IS TO GO INTO THE KITCHEN AND COOK SOMETHING.

Actually, I have no idea whether there is a single Norwegian out there who has ever had this recipe for breakfast. The only reason I have called it 'Norwegian' is because of the cheese that is used which is called 'Jarlsberg' cheese. Here is what Wikipedia has to say about this kind of cheese:

"Jarlsberg has a yellow-wax rind and a semi-firm yellow interior. The flavor is mild, buttery, nutty and slightly sweet. It is an all-purpose cheese, used for both cooking and eating as a snack. It has a characteristic smooth, shiny-yellow body, and a creamy supple texture. Jarlsberg Special Reserve is produced in Norway in limited quantities. It is aged a minimum of one year and is distinguished by medium to large holes.

HistoryThe history of this cheese can be traced back to the middle 1850s. Anders Larsen Bakke (1815–1899) was a farmer and entrepreneur and a pioneer in Norway's dairy industry. He produced cheese in the Vale village in what was then the county of Jarlsberg and Larviks Amt, 80 km south of Oslo. The cheese shares similarities with Emmenthal, introduced to Vestfold by Swiss cheese makers during the 1830s.

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The Jarlsberg cheese known today is a result of a long period of research and development carried out the Dairy Institute at the Agricultural University of Norway. The cheese-making process was developed by Ola Martin Ystgaard, professor of the Agricultural University of Norway. Starting in 1956, Ystgaard and some of his students eventually came up with the recipe that is used today and is secret. Commercial production of cheese began in the 1960s."

This is probably a lot more information about Jarlsberg cheese than you ever wanted to have, but it is really what makes this breakfast superlative. Jarlsberg is wonderful cheese and the thing I like about it is that it lasts a long time in the refrigerator without getting moldy. I have had some that was grated and it kept for almost 6 months and was perfectly good when I used it. That is really remarkable for any kind of cheese which makes it definitely worth the money which, by the way, is a little more than you are used to paying for ordinary cheese. Here is how it is put together:

2-4 pieces of toast

4-8 thin slices of ham

4 boiled eggs

2 cups grated Jarlsberg cheese

2 tsp. parsley

1. Make some toast and put on some grated Jarlsberg cheese.

2. Place 2-3 pieces of thinly sliced ham on the toast and cheese and sprinkle more Jarlsberg cheese on it.

3. Boil some eggs and slice them thinly and place them on top of the toast, ham and cheese.

4. Put more Jarlsberg cheese on the eggs.

5. Place in a small broiler oven to melt the cheese.

6. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve hot. Serves 2.

This is one of those recipes that you have to try it to see if you really like it. You can't go by the pictures or by what I'm telling you here.

Savvy Kitchen Tip:

Buy an extra dozen eggs when you do your weekly shopping and boil them all together to have on hand in the refrigerator for making things like potato salad, deviled eggs and, of course, Norwegian Ham and Egg Breakfast.