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Oh Happy Day, Oh Happy Day…The lady brought home a new Beemster Cheese and this Feline Foodie is one happy cat…
“Graskaas” means “Grass Cheese”. This cheese is so named as it is made from the first milkings when the Beemster cows return to the grassy Beemster Polder (land below sea level reclaimed for farming) after a winter without grazing. The lush young grasses of the Polder give the milk a special creamy flavor and that flavor shines through into this cheese.
It is said that the cows literally jump and rush through the Polder because they are so excited to be outdoors again…I do the same thing when the rainy season is over in the Pacific Northwest…Beemster cows, “Word!!”
It is a young cheese (aged one month); only available in late June and into July in the United States. With only about 2000 wheels produced each year, this cheese doesn’t last very long. If you see it; don’t wait; it’ll be gone the next time you look for it…like that thing-a-ma-gig you see at Costco…
This Gouda-style cheese is a lush yellow with a green wax rind. At room temperature it’s creamy in texture and so buttery it melts in your mouth. The taste is on the mild side and oh so delish. Kids will love this cheese as its flavor is quite “kid-friendly”.
My only regret is that the wedge was too small for me to get seconds…however, I did notice that The Lady and The Man got seconds…what’s up with that? I’m the feline foodie around here; I do all the heavy lifting…but The Lady and The Man seem to get all the “perks”…it’s just not right…time to ask The Brain for advice on how to wrangle these two humankinds…
This is the fourth Beemster cheese I have enjoyed. You can read my othe reviews here.
I give Beemster Graskaas 4 Paws out of 4 Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got).
Serving Suggestions: It’s hard to think of anything you can’t do with this cheese. It’s sublime alone as a snack; the way I sampled it. It would go really well with those green, seedless grapes that The Lady eats as a snack. My bet is that it would kill in a grilled cheese with a mild Anaheim chili added. In mac n cheese it might create a riot when it’s gone…
Wine Pairings: Washington State’s Kiona Winery Award-Winning red Mountain Estate Dry Riesling
Beer Pairings: Bridgeport’s Award-Winning ESB
Source: Pasteurized Cow’s Milk
My dear Spaulding,
Can this cheese be purchased at the ever so famous Hawthorne Fred Meyer Cheese Kiosk? I am sure the cheese junkies at my house would LOVE to try this cheese.
Alas, The Lady tells me it is NOT available at the Hawthorne FM; but The Lady knows people…
Sounds amazing! Do they sell that down here?
Also, can you ask your friend at Tillamook if there is a difference between their cheese sold at Whole Foods Market ($14.99) and Walmart ($5.10) other than the extreme price difference. It’s a question I get often. Thank you!
Check the Beemster website for locations in Northern California. Whole Foods and other higher-end cheese shops are your best bet.
As for the extreme price difference – that’s the only difference. Wal-Mart, like Costco, buys directly from the manufacturer; where as Whole Foods buys through a distributor. I ask this question all the time; the price discrepancies are scary. Costco often sells items for less than our store pays the distributor for the same item.
Interesting comment on the price differences. I’ve definitely seen differences even between my favorite specialty cheese shop & whole foods but for me it’s worth paying the higher price because I know more about how the cheese is treated which given that it’s a living thing is important to me.
I have been told that certain chains with specialty kiosks “re-date” their cheese – which means when it hits its expiration date, they re-wrap and give it another full shelf life. With hard cheeses this is an ok practice but with the more delicate and soft cheeses; this is not good. In fact, I consider it criminal – it really cheats the customer. The lesson is to know your cheesemonger.