This is an elegant and very flavorful dish that takes a surprisingly short amount time to put together. That makes it just as perfect as a quick weeknight meal as it is for serving to guests at a dinner party.

Gjetøst, also known as brunøst or, in English, brown cheese, is as popular in Norway as peanut butter is in the United States, and it’s used in very much the same way—as a quick lunch for kids, an afternoon snack on buttered crispbread, or on soft, thin, buttered heart-shaped waffles that are folded over and eaten like a taco—a cold taco—with coffee. Unlike other cheeses that are made from the curds, brown cheese is made by cooking down the whey until it’s thick, caramelized, and sweet. (And we quickly discovered that it’s not easy to find peanut butter in Norway, so it’s a good thing my kids fell in love with brunost!)

Another popular way to use this semi-soft, buttery cheese, is as a thickener and flavor enhancer for sauces. This dairy-based sauce is most often served with meat patties (definitely not kosher, unless you use Impossible burger, or another vegetarian burger substitute).

I’ve discovered that it’s also wonderful with roasted cod, elevating this very mild fish to a new level. Serve it the Norwegian way, with buttered boiled potatoes, pan roasted cabbage with plenty of browned butter, and roasted carrots or roasted Brussels sprouts. A few spoonfuls of lingonberry jam adds a sweet/tart element. Finish the plate with a sprinkling of chopped fresh dill.

For Four Servings—

 Ingredients:

For the Fish

4 to 6 ounces portions of cod fillet, skin on (try to have them all be around the same thickness, for even cooking)

½ teaspoon salt

a few grinds of the pepper mill

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as avocado

For the Sauce

1 medium shallot, finely chopped

1½ cups white wine (chardonnay is a good choice, or for a sweeter sauce, choose a muscato a reisling, either dry or sweet, also works)

1 cup heavy cream

a small grating of fresh nutmeg or a dash of ground

½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger

salt and black pepper to taste

6 to 8 slices (sliced off the block with a cheese plane) gjetøst (brown cheese)

fresh dill to snip over each plate as a garnish

lingonberry preserves for serving

Method:

For the Fish

• Preheat the oven to 170°

• ‍ Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper, on both sides

• Heat the butter and the olive oil in a skillet. When it begins to sizzle, add the fish fillets, skin side down.

• Cook over high heat until the skin gets crisp, two to three minutes.

• Turn the fish and cook it on the other side for a few minutes more, until it just begins to flake.

• Remove the fish from the pan and place it directly on a rack in the oven to keep it warm while you prepare the sauce.

For the Sauce

• Add the shallot to the pan and sauté until soft and translucent. (add a bit more butter to the pan, if needed)

• Deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping up and browned bits from the bottom.

• When the wine is reduced by half, pour in the heavy cream.

• Add the ginger and nutmeg and continue to simmer the sauce until it’s thickened and reduced by about half.

• Add the slices of cheese and stir until they melt into the cream, and you have a smooth, homogenous sauce.

• Taste for salt and pepper and adjust as needed.

• Add the fish back to the pan and simmer for a minute or two.

• To serve, ladle a small pool of sauce in the middle of each plate. Set a piece of fish on top and spoon a little more sauce over the fillet. Add a few spoonfuls of lingonberry preserves, one or two boiled potatoes, and the vegetable of your choice—see above for suggestions.

Did you make it? Was it fabulous?