Cheese Corner: Havarti

Havarti is a buttery, semi-soft cheese that works well as a snack with crackers, melts nicely for grilled cheese or quesadillas, and is mild enough so that no one could be offended by its taste or smell. One can purchase it plain or, if it is too mild for one's tastes, flavored with herbs and spices such as dill and caraway. Havarti is relatively inexpensive and makes a good substitute for Monterey Jack in sandwiches. My only gripe about Havarti is that it is often difficult to cut due to its softness (it tends to cling to the knife or cheese slicer), so that it is best to cut it with a sharp knife immediately after removing from the refrigerator, and then to let it come to room temperature.