Gouda, good Gouda, is one of the most reliably delicious cheeses out there. You can find Gouda almost everywhere you go, and given that it's typically a hearty and pasteurized cheese it's a rather hard recipe to mess up. Even a bad Gouda may not be a bad cheese, it just may not be anything special, whereas a bad Brie... well you're better off passing up cheese altogether in that case. Gouda may not be particularly fancy or exotic but it is a solid go-to cheese, and now and then the folks in Holland do actually give it a little extra pizazz.
Enter today's cheese: a Double Cream Gouda. There isn't a whole lot of mystery to what the title means, and indeed the only departure from the traditional Gouda recipe here is that cream has been added, bumping the fat per solid content up to a hefty 60%. For what it is, a mass-produced and very commercial cheese, it is good, if a little too true to its name.
Origin: Holland
Milk: Cow, pasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Affinage: 6 months
Notes: It's easy to discredit a cheese that, to be quite honest, is playing into a market gimmick, but one should not go to Gouda looking for a Rembrandt. It is a simple, honest snacking cheese that has a few notably excellent examples. And, while it may not be featured on many cheese boards in France, it is very good at what it does.
Thoughts: This cheese is certainly rich, and the buttery/creamy paste is actually a little overwhelming. The paste sticks to the palate and melts nicely, very important considering the very young and mild nuttiness that composes the whole of the flavor. This cheese is sweet it's so creamy, and the flavor really is something that anyone could eat without a complaint of pungency, sharpness, complexity..... Ok, so it's not a stunning Gouda, and there are certainly some stunning Goudas out there, but it is fairly clear about what it is from the very name. If you want a cheese that saves you on buying butter, Double Cream Gouda is for you. If you want a cheese to give to the kids to snack on, Double Cream Gouda is for you. If you want an exciting and rich, breathtaking Gouda, keep reading I'll get to them.
Caution
Given that most cheeses, especially relatively young ones like today's, are roughly 50% water; that 60% fat per solid mass does in fact mean that 30% of what you're eating is still butterfat. Snack accordingly.
Enter today's cheese: a Double Cream Gouda. There isn't a whole lot of mystery to what the title means, and indeed the only departure from the traditional Gouda recipe here is that cream has been added, bumping the fat per solid content up to a hefty 60%. For what it is, a mass-produced and very commercial cheese, it is good, if a little too true to its name.
Milk: Cow, pasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Affinage: 6 months
Notes: It's easy to discredit a cheese that, to be quite honest, is playing into a market gimmick, but one should not go to Gouda looking for a Rembrandt. It is a simple, honest snacking cheese that has a few notably excellent examples. And, while it may not be featured on many cheese boards in France, it is very good at what it does.
Thoughts: This cheese is certainly rich, and the buttery/creamy paste is actually a little overwhelming. The paste sticks to the palate and melts nicely, very important considering the very young and mild nuttiness that composes the whole of the flavor. This cheese is sweet it's so creamy, and the flavor really is something that anyone could eat without a complaint of pungency, sharpness, complexity..... Ok, so it's not a stunning Gouda, and there are certainly some stunning Goudas out there, but it is fairly clear about what it is from the very name. If you want a cheese that saves you on buying butter, Double Cream Gouda is for you. If you want a cheese to give to the kids to snack on, Double Cream Gouda is for you. If you want an exciting and rich, breathtaking Gouda, keep reading I'll get to them.
Caution
Given that most cheeses, especially relatively young ones like today's, are roughly 50% water; that 60% fat per solid mass does in fact mean that 30% of what you're eating is still butterfat. Snack accordingly.
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