Let's Talk About....

...Cheese, bay-bee. Let's talk about you, and me. Let's talk about all the good things, and the bad things, that may be.

...no? Was I the only one that was tickled by my salt 'n pepa reference?

...anyhoo, I'm going to deviate a bit from mere recipe sharing. Why? Because I had a fabulous cheese experience, that has inspired me to perk up and become inquisitive about cheese and their interesting origins. I've had thoughts of educating myself more on the wondrous art of cheese making in the past, just never really felt like investing the time to get to know my cheeses a bit more personally. But...thanks to gouda reserve...I'm in.

My little heaven at Whole Foods

I often find myself perusing the small basket in the corner of the cheese section at my P Street Whole Foods. You know, the one where they put the odds and ends of cheese that can't really be sold with the rest of their coagulated compadres. See, I'm a "let me taste that" kind of girl...wanting to experience as many flavors, textures, aromas as possible in the things I eat...not necessarily wanting to commit to a large portion of any one of them. <smorgasbords are perfect for me> So I loooove when the little basket at Whole Foods is filled up with various cheeses for me to try. I'll often get one or two per week, trying to remember what I like and don't like, occasionally googling the whereabouts of particular ones that stood out on my palate (and creating no form of actual notes to re-reference either. #colormelazy). But never have I been completely compelled to dedicate some weekly time to cheese discovery.

Without further adieu, here's my first cheese review and knowledge bomb...

GOUDA RESERVE

This cheese is quite hard. At first, I thought it was mislabeled. Gouda, not soft? Won't bend? Huuh? I wouldn't necessarily consider it super hard like a grana padano (my heart belongs to this guy, btw), but just seems like it's been sitting in the fridge too long and lost its moisture. The taste is one-of-a-kind. Strong, tart in its own way, with a bit of a bite. There are interesting crystals inside that crunch while you chew, and if you let it rest in your mouth, it'll slowly become slightly creamy. This leads me to wonder how delicious it'd be shaved onto a warm, tomato soup for garnish. Hmmm....

• Ingredients: Pasteurized cow's milk, salt, cheese culture, animal rennet
• Country of Origin: Holland
• Aged: At least 18 months
• Price: $16.99/lb.
• Verdict: Buy buy buy!! (you won't regret it)

...until next time...