Milk: Goat, Pasteurized, Vegetarian Rennet
Country: The Netherlands
Consistency: Firm to hard
Accompaniment: Sparkling whites, off-dry whites, fruity reds
Let me introduce you to this two-time gold medal winner in the World Cheese Championships.
Although Gouda style cheeses are mostly made with cow’s milk, there are notable exceptions and here is one of them. The goat’s milk gives this cheese a more robust and nutty finish, but certainly does not impart the tangy gaminess that is very often associated with goat’s milk cheese. Balarina has all the sweet caramel and butterscotch flavors that you would expect from an aged Gouda and just like with cow’s milk Goudas, you will find tyrosine crystals (lovingly referred to at Olsson’s as “crunchies”) developing in this cheese.
As with most aged Goudas, you will be pleasantly surprised if you combine this cheese with a sparkling white. Other pairings could include dried sausages and prosciutto, fig jam and chutney.
