Name: Beemster Graskaas (which apparently means "grass cheese" in Dutch)
Place of Purchase: HyVee Foods in Ames, Iowa
Country of Origin: The lush wintry spring hills of Holland
Price in Iowa: $9.99/lb.
Milk: pasteurized cow's milk from the first spring milkings
Processing: Gouda-style preparation, then aged one month
Texture: Semi-firm
Color: cream
Rind: Natural
Aroma: very, very dairy
Taste: cream, dairy, warm savory afternotes, a very mild tart bite
Mouth feel: creamy creamy creamy
Notes: When I was first researching this cheese, it sounded like some kind of magical supercheese: produced from the mystical first milkings of Spring, aged but a month because of the ravenous throngs of Dutchmen waiting for this special Kaas outside of Beemster's gates. Only 1000 wheels ever make it into the United States every year, which makes the cheese extra fancy and extra expensive. Actually, for a gourmet cheese the price was pretty reasonable. The flavor wasn't anything that special. It was a young gouda with a slight tang. But the real draw is the creaminess of this cheese. I've had some processed cheese that had this sort of mouth feel, but eating this cheese is like eating butter. It's rich and satiny. I put some of this cheese on a piece of warm apple pie, and that was just heavenly. I would pair this cheese with something more flavorful, like melon or citrus.
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