L'Amuse, Holland

You’ve got to be tickled by this cheese’s name – L’Amuse. It’s almost as if it were created just to tease and entice us. I’m not sure if this was the cheesemaker’s intention, but I’ll tell you one thing – only one taste would definitely be a tease.

A cow’s-milk Gouda, L’Amuse is aged for at least two years on a small family farm in Holland, which gives it a few crunchy crystals and its wonderfully caramel-like taste. It’s sweeter than your typical supermarket Gouda and while its texture can’t accurately be called buttery since the cheese is fairly firm, it has a richness that any cheese lover would appreciate. L’Amuse is a perfect cheese for your autumnal cheeseboard. It’s hearty enough to stand up to the stronger flavors of fall and would be delightful when paired with pumpkin treats, like my favorite pumpkin muffin recipe from Cooking Light.

A rich, fruity red would be a fine match for L’Amuse – Wine Spectator recommends a Zinfandel or Amarone. Janet Fletcher, who writes the fabulous Cheese Course column for SFGate.com, suggests a Dios Baco Oloroso.

Tagged as: aged, amarone, Cheese!, cow, dios baco oloroso, Dutch, l'amuse, zinfandel