This is my second Edam/Gouda type cheese, this time following the recipe in Caldwell's book. Three gallons, and I got a bit creative with the molding:
(https://i.imgur.com/v5FOAzB.jpg)
If only I dared throwing it through a darkening sky, surely a blurry photo would end up on some UFO sites, so I'm calling it my Unidentified Flying Cheesy Object.
After a week, it calmed down a bit:
(https://i.imgur.com/1xjDceB.jpg)
I'm not really much of a fan of this type of cheese (so why did I make it?). I did have an amazing 18 month Gouda recently, but I'm not that patient, so it's getting a regular rub of:
(https://i.imgur.com/cUderEl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/Lit8lwD.jpg)
After two weeks:
(https://i.imgur.com/HYtU1KL.jpg)
How long do you think I should wait before trying it?
Thanks,
-Lance
I like to give a Gouda at least 3 months to mature - for a young Gouda. Best of all is a 3-5 year old Gouda, but that does take a wee bit of patience ... !
Eight months later, I became impatient.
It got cheese mites, as did most of my other cheeses, and the rind became a bit pitted. Ozone took care of that!
(https://tiabr.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/DSCN5542.jpg)
(https://tiabr.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/DSCN5544.jpg)
(https://tiabr.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/DSCN5546.jpg)
I was slightly worried about the small cracks, but I'm pretty sure those were caused by my cutting.
But, you ask, how did it taste?
I was very relieved . . . this was very, very good. The first thing that hits your palate is the sweetness of the paste, but then there's more nuanced sweetness, with undertones of lactic sourness, and a pleasantly sour finish, so a complex "flavor journey." :) I couldn't really taste anything of the rub in the cheese itself, but since the rind is soft, there was no reason not to eat it too!
(https://tiabr.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/DSCN5548.jpg)
-L