Thanks to Beemster Premium Dutch Cheese for sponsoring this post!
I HAVE A NEW HUSBAND.
If you follow along on with Willow Bird Baking on Facebook, you know that I periodically decide a new type of cheese is my husband and maintain an obsession with that cheese until it is dethroned. WELL IT’S HAPPENED AGAIN.
I used to be one of those people who bought the rubbery generic cheese from the grocery store thinking, “Whatev, it’s all the same.” I know; I want to kick old-me in the kneecaps, too. But now I know the error of my ways. In fact, I may or may not be a bit of a cheese snob.
So when Beemster, a small cooperative of family farms in Holland that produce Gourmet Gouda cheese, contacted me to work together recently, I was nervous. The company sounded so cute and lovely! What if I hated their cheese and had to do that awkward, “Oops, we can’t work together after all” sort of thing? GOOD NEWS: IT’S THE BEST CHEESE I’VE EVER EATEN. And that’s saying a lot, because I’ve gone through quite a few cheesy love affairs at this point (HA, unintended but much appreciated double-entendre.)
What’s surprising is that it’s Gouda, a cheese I’ve never been particularly taken with until I tasted Beemster’s gourmet flavors. They sent me their mustard cheese, which is a creamy, soft cheese with mustard seeds; Vlaskaas, a buttery, sharp cheese; and their Extra Aged flavor, also known as my new husband. IT’S SO SHARP. They describe it as having butterscotch notes, which is totally accurate. I can FEEL the taste rich and sharp in the back of my throat like a lingering “r” I swallowed long ago in a high school French class. What I’m trying to say is that you need it.
And you need to make these crispy, buttery cheese pastries with it! And then you need to invite me over. It’s MY husband, after all.
One year ago: Hot Blueberry Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream
Two years ago: French Silk Pie Bars
Three years ago: The Ultimate Moist, Fluffy, Ridiculous Coconut Cake
Four years ago: Buttery Coconut & Almond Morning Buns
Five years ago: Three Safe-to-Eat Cookie Doughs: Chocolate Chip, Sugar, and Cake Batter
Six years ago: Oatmeal Cake with Broiled Icing
- 2 sheets prepared puff pastry, thawed
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 2 tablespoons stone-ground mustard (optional)
- flour for dusting counter
- 2 cups finely shredded Beemster X-O (Extra Aged) Cheese
- 1 egg, beaten lightly with 1 teaspoon water (for egg wash)
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small saucepan, heat the butter and wine together over medium-high heat until the butter is completely melted and the mixture has come to a brief boil, whisking frequently. Whisk in mustard if using. Set aside.
- Lightly dust the counter with flour before gently rolling out one of the thawed puff pastry sheets. You want the rectangle to be just slightly bigger and the seams to be rolled smooth. Pour about half of the melted butter mixture over the pastry and spread it evenly over the surface. Sprinkle half of the cheese over the surface evenly. Gently roll the puff pastry, starting from the long edge, into a tight log. Use a sharp knife to cut the resulting log into 3/4-inch thick spirals. Lay these on the prepared baking sheets. Repeat this process with the remaining puff pastry sheet.
- Brush each spiral with egg wash and bake for around 15 minutes or until the pastry is golden and the cheese is bubbly. Cool completely.
Peabody (Culinary Concoctions by Peabody)
April 20, 2016 at 11:30 pm (8 years ago)Their cheese is soooo good. Love what you did with it.
Catherine
April 21, 2016 at 8:01 am (8 years ago)Dear Julie, I’ve always had a deep love for cheese..in fact I think I put more effort in my cheese board when company comes than the entire meal! I have to look into this company they sound wonderful.
Is there anything better than puff pastry and Gouda?? I think not! What a wonderful cheesy delight! xo, Catherine
Kellie @ The Suburban Soapbox
April 21, 2016 at 8:23 am (8 years ago)I, seriously, could not love these any more. They look like the perfect snack…meal….breakfast…whatever. I need them in my life.
Jessica @ Stuck On Sweet
April 21, 2016 at 9:57 am (8 years ago)I LOVE cheese too…these pastries look amazing!!
Heather Kinnaird
April 21, 2016 at 9:59 am (8 years ago)I never thought I was a gouda gal until I tried an extra sharp aged gounda, and now I am hooked. LOVE these gorgeous little pastries
Sutton
April 21, 2016 at 10:04 am (8 years ago)We love Beemster! Cannot wait to try this recipe!
tanya
April 22, 2016 at 5:59 pm (8 years ago)I’m sold! I want all the gouda I can get my hands on; these pastries are beautiful!
Erin @ Texanerin Baking
April 24, 2016 at 3:00 pm (8 years ago)Oh my gosh. I LOVE that cheese! And I love what you did with it here. And I love the name, too. Beemster. It’s just fun! So basically, to sum it up, love this post. 😀
amanda @ fake ginger
April 25, 2016 at 9:13 am (8 years ago)I LOVE Beemster cheese! I so very rarely buy cheese so when I do, it’s always the good stuff. I wish I had some of these for breakfast today! Is that weird?