Today's cheese is brought to you by one of Captain Cheese's coworkers, Morgans Grant (I got you, brah) and seconded by the White Russian. His initial suggestion was to try an Applewood Smoked Cheddar. I thought that was a little too basic for a first review and said so. At which point, he suggested that they also had a smoked gouda. Which brings us to today's cheese.
Bothwell Smoked Gouda is a proudly Canadian cheese from Manitoba, eh? I enjoyed this cheese quite a bit, although the flavour was a little strong. It's not a cheese where you would sit down with the whole package and eat in one sitting, which is probably a good thing.
According to the Bothwell website, it's both kosher and vegetarian friendly and so it sits nicely in the middle of a Venn diagram of Jewish people and non-meat eaters. See, it's a cheese that brings people together!
At 6.99$ for 170 grams, I thought it was a little expensive but a good value if you use it sparingly. Sliced on top of a burger would be very good, I think, It also has a long shelf life as it will stay fresh until July.
While I'm not much of a vino connoisseur, my research indicates that it would go well with wines like Shirza, Syrah, Pinor Noir, Merlot and Riesling.
If you're looking for something a little more substantial, it goes well with pears, as in the following recipe: http://www.bothwellcheese.com/recipe/caramelized-pear-and-bothwell-smoked-gouda-bites/. Perhaps in a future blog post, I will try the recipe and report back on the results.
At 6.99$ for 170 grams, I thought it was a little expensive but a good value if you use it sparingly. Sliced on top of a burger would be very good, I think, It also has a long shelf life as it will stay fresh until July.
While I'm not much of a vino connoisseur, my research indicates that it would go well with wines like Shirza, Syrah, Pinor Noir, Merlot and Riesling.
If you're looking for something a little more substantial, it goes well with pears, as in the following recipe: http://www.bothwellcheese.com/recipe/caramelized-pear-and-bothwell-smoked-gouda-bites/. Perhaps in a future blog post, I will try the recipe and report back on the results.
Overall, I give this gouda cheese a rating of 4 out of 5. Now, you might say to yourself, Constant Reader, 4 out of 5 what? And that is a valid question. I need a rating scale of some sort and welcome your suggestions in the comments below.
I hope, Constant Reader, you enjoyed today's post. Don't forget to tell all your friends about the blog and above all...
Great first review. I like smoked gouda but as you say it is a bit strong. I like it in small cubes in my version of a waldorf salad yumm.
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