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Aged Gouda | |
| This cheese's formal name is Boerenkaas Gouda. Boerenkaas means "farmer’s cheese" and guarantees the cheese is made by hand on a farm in Holland, using very traditional methods. Boerenkaas Gouda is usually aged for about 2 years (compared with factory gouda sold at 3 to 6 months old), and can be found as old as 5 years. The aging makes the interior of the cheese a stunning shade of gold and imparts a more intense caramelized flavor, a little like brown sugar melted with butter. The texture, due to the longer aging, is harder than factory Gouda and can be an interesting alternative to Parmesan. | ||
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St. Nectaire | |
| St. Nectaire hails from the Auvergne region of France, which is almost right in the middle of the country. Auvergne, which was once covered with active volcanos, has a demanding climate. In the winter the land is covered with deep snow. And when summer comes, it brings high temperatures. Although this sounds grueling, the weather is not only ideal for wine-making, but also for cheese-making. St. Nectaire cheese smells like a very ripe nectarine. It has a fruity aroma, rich texture and a sweetness of flavor we’ve not found in any other cheese. | ||
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Limburger | |
| Limburger falls into the category of cheese called "washed-rind,"
and as the name suggests the cheese is quite literally washed.
Once made, the young cheese is washed or "rubbed" by
hand with a brine solution (salt and water). The brine solution
stops the growth of mold, while promoting the growth of edible
bacterium linens. This bacteria, known in short as b-linens, is
where the staggering aroma comes from, and it also creates the
sun burnt-orange colored rind.
The rind is edible but it will make the cheese much stronger in flavor. Limburger is really quite delicate in flavor once you separate it from the rind. This cow’s milk cheese has a butter colored interior with an initial spicy and aromatic flavor… and an intriguing sweet undertone. |
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