Blue Gouda -- made 3/17/2013
made from goat's milk

Gouda is an iconic Dutch yellow cheese.
It is named after the city of Gouda in the Netherlands.
It is one of the most popular cheeses, world wide.

Gouda is often made from cow's milk.
However, my Gouda was made from goat's milk.

You must understand that Gouda is actually
a style of cheese making, not a kind of cheese.

Gouda is made by "washing the curds".
That is, the cultured milk is heated until the curds separate from the whey.
Some of the whey is then drained and water is added.
This is called "washing the curds"
Washing removes the lactic acid and produces a sweeter cheese.
The curds are then put in a mold and pressed.
Finally the cheese is soaked in a brine solution to give the cheese and its rind a distinctive taste.
The cheese wheel is then dried for a few days in an airy atmosphere.
After a few days of air drying the cheese is placed in a cheese cave for aging.
As it dry's the cheese changes from semi-hard to hard.

The cheese wheel can be coated with wax before being placed in the cheese cave.
However, I choose not coat the wheel with wax, so that the natural rind would develop
This gives the cheese a delicious rind that can be eaten along with the cheese.

My blue Gouda is very rich and creamy.
It has the distinctive buttery flavor associated with Gouda and
it has a subtle sweet finish from its blue veining.
The texture is firm enough to slice and it's superb when melted.

After aging a couple of months, my Gouda will be semi-hard.

There are many different types of semi hard cheeses that have a wide variety of flavors.
For example, Cheddar, is a classic Wisconsin semi-hard cheese.
It is rich and nutty, making it perfectly suited for foods such as fruits,
including cranberries and apples.
Swiss and Gruyere are two Alpine-style semi-hard cheeses
These taste delicious with spicy pestos or rich chocolate.

Cheeses such as Gouda are smooth and buttery,
making them suited for use with flavors such as spicy nuts and peppers.
Sparkling ciders and wines along with pale ales,
and stout beers blend well with semi-hard cheeses such as my Gouda.