Smoked Gouda
Last night Paul and I went to Trader Joe's and came out with more than we needed (of course). We got stuck in the cheese isle and we looked at all the of the different cheese's they had and they had a lot! We have only tried a handful of cheese's on our lifetime, which are the regular cheddar, provolone and Swiss cheeses and we wanted to try something different. We looked at all the different varieties and what a better place to start then from a cheese from the land of my ancestors, Holland.
Named after the Dutch town of Gouda, just outside Rotterdam. It accounts for more than 60% of the cheese produced in Holland and it has a very long history. Gouda is a traditional, creamery, hard cheese. It is round with very smooth, yellow, waxed rind. The flavor is sweet and fruity. As time passes, the taste intensifies and becomes more complex. Gouda is considered to be one of the world's great cheeses. It is both a table cheese and a dessert cheese, excellent with fruit and wine (or maybe grape juice).
Review:
Paul prepared the cheese for us for a Sunday snack. We ate the Gouda and a variety of different crackers, with grapes and just by its self. We thought the cheese had a great buttery, creamy but very rich flavor. We thought the cheese had a very good flavor but its not an everyday cheese. If any of you have any suggestions on what goes good with Gouda or have had it yourself please share.
