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The “older” (by four months) sister of the Parrano that The Lady sells, Parrano Robusto, was the fourth cheese from The Lady’s Whole Foods Reconnaissance Mission (aka “spying on the competition”).
Back in the day when we all lived in SoCal, The Lady and The Man attended wine and cheese tasting classes at The Wine House in West LA, with cheeses provided by The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills. The classes were conducted by a friend of The Lady named Susan who was married to a well-respected film writer. At one of the tastings, Susan introduced the class to Old Amsterdam Aged Gouda and it became and has remained a favorite of The Lady and The Man.
Every time The Lady has a chance to sample a new aged gouda, you can bet she will and thank you very much, she always shares with me, your favorite feline foodie.
Holland produces some terrific aged goudas and The Lady likes them all: In addition to her first aged gouda love, Old Amsterdam, she also loves Rembrandt, Beemster XO, Beemster Vlaskaas, Parrano, UnieKaas Extra Old Gold Label (sold on The Lady’s Island – hmm, I haven’t seen that cheese in the cheese drawer – what other cheeses might The Lady be withholding from me…this inquiring mind really wants to know…) and Vincent.
The aroma of Robusto is sweet and toasty and the texture is creamy and buttery with small eyes. The taste is sweet and buttery with those fabulous crunchies that The Man and I so love in aged cheeses. It just doesn’t get any better than this in the world of aged goudas…
I give Parrano Robusto 4 Paws out of 4 Paws (cause that’s all I’ve got). Another winner from Holland…
Serving Suggestions: Aged Goudas go with pears like no other cheese. While fresh pears are always preferred, they aren’t always available. The Lady snagged a can of pears from her Aunt Karra that came from the Hood River area where fabulous fruit grows in the valleys below Mt. Hood. These paired perfectly with the Robusto. However, this is a very versatile cheese and will do well in many casseroles and pasta dishes. It grates well for those purposes. And… drumroll, please… it will be dynamite in a Mac n Cheese… or how about pairing this with a Jamon Serrano and making a killer grilled ham n cheese???
Wine Pairing: A big Cabernet is the perfect wine for this cheese.
Beer Pairing: A Brown Ale will hit the spot with this cheese.
Source: Cow’s Milk
