Happy Birthday Gouda. I hope you have a happy and healthy 830 more years! 🙂
I love cheese and Gouda is right up there as one of my favorites. Maybe it’s because my Mom is Dutch and it’s in the blood! Or maybe it’s just because the stuff is amazing!
I have four quick ways for you to incorporate Gouda cheese into some of your meals…..even dessert!! There are so many delicious varieties of gouda, you’re sure to find one to compliment any recipe. I love spiced Gouda and smoked Gouda and peppered Gouda and natural Gouda…..I haven’t met one I don’t like!
1. Snacking Skewers.
The nutty flavors of gouda compliment meat and tomatoes perfectly. It doesn’t get any easier than these skewers. But, they do make your plain old meat and cheese platter way more fun! Who doesn’t love food on a stick? I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to just that! Check it out.
What you need:
- Gouda cheese
- Sliced or cubed meat of your choice
- grape tomatoes
- green and black olives
- basil leaves or veggies (optional)
- bamboo skewers
What you do:
- Alternate ingredients onto a skewer and serve.
- Done.
2. Summer Nectarine Salad.
Summer is almost over, but I can still enjoy the flavors! The homemade Basil Balsamic Dressing is outstanding with the fresh, spicy flavors. Nectarines and gouda pair perfectly together in this sweet, crunchy salad. This dish was outstanding.
What you need:
- Baby spinach
- Arugula
- Nectarines, sliced very thinly
- Toasted Walnuts
- Croutons
- Diced Gouda Cheese
Basil Balsamic Dressing
- 1 large handful of fresh basil
- 2 TBS extra-virgin Olive Oil
- 1 TBS Balsamic Vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon of Pure Maple Syrup
- salt and pepper to taste
What you do:
- Assemble the salad in a large bowl. Add spinach and arugula, nectarines, cheese and walnuts.
- In a blender add the remaining 5 ingredients for the dressing and blend until the dressing is smooth.
- Add half of the basil dressing to the bowl and toss well.
- Serve immediately with additional dressing and croutons.
3. Chicken Gouda.
Remake a classic comfort food, Chicken Parmesan, and elevate it to a whole new level by using Parrano cheese instead of Parmesan. It’s the perfect combination of of nutty parmesan flavor and the melty smooth texture of gouda. (Parrano is my new favorite cheese. I hadn’t tasted it before I made these recipes…..and I am LOVING it.)
What you need:
- 4 boneless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 inch thick
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- seasoned bread crumbs
- 2 TBS olive oil
- 8 ounces of Parrano Cheese
- 16 ounces of marinara sauce
- spaghetti
What you do:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg and milk.
- Dip chicken breasts in milk mixture and then in the bread crumbs.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Brown the chicken on both sides until golden, about 3-4 minutes per side.
- Set chicken in a baking dish.
- Pour 16 ounces of marinara sauce over chicken and over with cheese.
- Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly.
- Serve over spaghetti.
4. Cheesy Gouda Cookies.
Chocolate and gouda. Like cheddar and apple pie. (yes, that’s a thing!) These cookies are very interesting. I tried a few different gouda’s in them and I decided that the younger cheeses worked better than the salty, harder goudas. They are tasty and for the more adventurous foodies. They remind me of the salty and sweet combo of the Bacon Maple Chocolate Chip Cookies or the Bacon Banana Pudding Pops I’ve made before.
(adapted from Lady and Pups)
What you need:
- 1 cup of all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup of cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp of baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 stick of unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup of granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 ounces of dark chocolate, melted
- 3.5 ounces of chocolate chips
- 14 small chunks of Gouda
What you do:
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Roughly chop 4 ounces of dark chocolate.
- In a microwave proof bowl, heat chocolate a few times in 15 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted. Set aside.
- Beat the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar together on high with a stand or hand mixer. Stop and scrape the bottom a few times.
- Beat mixture until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until mixture is thick and velvety. About 3 minutes.
- Add the vanilla and melted chocolate. Beat until evenly mixed.
- Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture on a slow speed until batter is mixed.
- Add chocolate chips and mix until incorporated.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a large ice-cream scoop and pack a tight scoop full of cookie dough. Drop it onto the parchment with 2 inches in between cookies.
- Insert a small cube of Gouda in the center of each and press it in slightly. Wrap the Gouda completely inside the dough.
- Bake for about 14 minutes. The cookie should feel soft and unset when you try to remove it from the pan.
- Let the cookie cool on a cooling rack.
- Enjoy!
So, gouda is 830 years old. What is your favorite cheesy dish?
I got to talk about these recipes and gouda and Parrano cheese on our local news station the other day. Check me out. It was my very first time on live TV (or any TV) and I was SOOO NERVOUS! (and obviously Frank was not into the cookies! haha. I guess he is not an adventurous foodie!)
Leave a Reply