Remember that Finnish cheese I told you about, Juustoleipä? I snacked on it every day while I was there and I knew I’d miss it once I got back home. Of course, this is New York City, a place where you can find pretty much anything, and this is the age of Google.

I turns out there’s a company out of Wisconsin that makes Finnish style “Bread Cheese.” So last weekend I paid a visit to New York City’s Mecca of cheese, Murrays, to pick some up.

Tytti, my Finnish colleague, had mentioned the cheese to me before my trip, which was what prompted me to try it. It’s common in Finland to eat this cheese warmed with some kind of fruit preserve so Tytti had recently made my recipe for Strawberry Balsamic Sauce to pair with Juustoleipä. Of course now that I had the cheese in my own kitchen I had to try it!

The cheese itself was wonderful with that same great texture I’d come to love, but I’d say the flavor was slightly milder. This may be all in my head because nothing ever tastes as good as when you’re on vacation or it may be because in Finland Juustoleipä is often made with Reindeer milk and obviously it’s American counterpart is made with Cow’s milk. The Bread Cheese definitely sated my cravings thought and I’d definitely buy it again.

Once I heated it in a pan for a couple of minutes and paired it with the sauce though, it really elevated the whole thing. I loved home the tartness of the sauce cut through the creaminess of the cheese and the basil I’d torn on top added a certain freshness. Delish!

Apparently Bread Cheese is made by a few companies in the US, some of whom call it Juusto, and it’s not all that difficult to find. If you see some near you I’d highly recommend picking some up and giving it a taste.

Well tomorrow morning I say goodbye to Helsinki. This is one cool city and I’ve really enjoyed my time here. Believe it or not I did do a lot more than just eat, but this is a food blog so that’s what I took time to talk about. Maybe when I get home and have time to concentrate I’ll post non-food pictures.

One of the nicest food related places I visited was Eat & Joy market which carries local organic foods in their 3 locations in Helsinki.

The food I’ll miss most when I leave will most certainly be Juustoleipä, bread cheese, which I snacked on every day that I was here. It has a similar texture to Halloumi in that it squeaks on the teeth and, though I wasn’t able to try it warmed, it’s often served heated as like Halloumi it doesn’t melt. Unlike Halloumi it has a sort of creaminess to it reminiscent of fresh mozzarella and it’s not salty, but instead a bit sweet. Also because it’s baked it has these little charred bits that add a whole other layer of flavor.

Finally today I took a ride on the Spårakoff, the pub tram. It’s literally a one car tram that’s been converted into a mobile bar so you ride in a loop around Helsinki taking in the city sights while drinking a nice cold beer. Definitely a great idea.

Helsinki is an incredibly cool city and I’ll definitely miss it when I leave. Kiitos Helsinki!

A Finnish colleague at work, Tytti (Toot-tee) who is currently based out of Sweden, asked me if I’d like her to try and find some Finnish company for me one night in Helsinki. Of course I said yes as one of my favorite things to do while traveling is to meet locals. So tonight I met up with Tytti’s friend Juha (Yoo-ha) a fellow foodie who works in the restaurant industry. Juha made wonderful company and he took me to for a fantastic dinner at Kuurna restaurant which serves traditional Finnish food with a modern twist.

Both the food and company were great! Generally when I travel I can be very nervous about my food allergies, but Juha had called ahead to let them know and at the start of the meal the owner came out to talk to us and was clearly well equipped to handle my needs.

If you ever travel to Helsinki add Kuurna to your to do list.

Spinach “crepes” with black currant vinaigrette. Creamy on the inside, crispy in the outside with a slight tartness from the currants.

Oven baked white fish with salsa verde. Wow! The fish had a sort of smokey flavor and was just so fresh. All the vegetables tasted like summer and sunshine.

Dessert. O!M!G! Strawberry milkshake. I’m not generally a fan of milkshakes in the US because I think they’re usually way too think and cloyingly sweet. This, however, was my perfect dessert. You know that strawberries are my favorite food on the planet and this dessert was all about highlighting the flavor. The “milkshake” was smooth and creamy without being too thick. I could eat (ok drink) this dessert every day of my life!

Run Run Rudolph! You can’t be in Finland and not try Reindeer meat…

I spent some time in Market Square before heading by boat over to Suomenlinna Island. The square is filled with farm stands and outdoor stalls selling fresh cooked fish and potatoes. It smelled delicious and I was sorry I’d already eaten.

The day was capped off with a house beer at the Suomenlinna Island Brewery.

So I totally forgot to take a Copenhagen: Day 5 photo which is a shame because I had a Danish hot dog for lunch which is one of my favorite things to eat when I’m there. If you’re ever in Copenhagen make sure to buy one from any of the carts that dot the streets.

On to Finland. Look how fresh and beautiful the food in the department store, Stockmann, is. Oh how I wish we has this tradition in department stores in the US.

Beautiful fresh berries sold on the street.