The Spanish say queso.
The French say fromage.
I say cheese and more of it, please!
This special feature follows a cheese-driven girl on her journey to try all of the sweet, creamy, sharp, stinky and spicy cheeses the world is lucky to devour. I’m the friend who is constantly tagged in those cheese memes on Facebook about drowning in grated cheese when the waiter/waitress asks you to “say when.” In queso emergency, just say cheese!
This month, I enjoyed a Hickory Smoked Bourbon Gouda that I discovered in Walmart. It’s a gluten-free cheese that has an oaky and nutty taste (shout out to the hickory). I decided to get a little fancy and pair the cheese with some mango jalapeno twice-baked crackers I discovered at Publix and add some olives into the mix, resulting in my very own personal charcuterie board. The only thing I was missing in my fridge was meat! (That’s a first!) I guess it’s time to go grocery shopping.
I adorned the bourbon gouda and the spicy, yet sweet, mango jalapeno crackers with some more sweet heat, pairing half of the crackers with hot honey and the other half with habanero pepper jelly. I found the hot honey to be a little too sweet among the mix, but the habanero pepper jelly added a nice little kick! My taste buds were dancing happily in my mouth with the spiciness, the sweetness, the oaky and nuttiness. What a pairing!
My makeshift charcuterie board consisted of an assortment of olives, curried pickled cauliflower (WOW!), spicy pickled okra, red pepper shooters and cornichons, all courtesy of Earth Fare. Man, I LOVE that olive bar! Spent over $20 the last time I was there … OOPS!
Gouda is up at the top of my cheese favorites, and I would absolutely indulge in the Hickory Smoked Bourbon Gouda once more! For eight ounces, this cheese is about $4.50, which is a great deal in my opinion. Just try not to eat it all in one sitting!
This must be as GOUDA as it gets!
Is this article too cheesy? DEFINITELY. Send me your favorite cheese meme or joke to [email protected] and let me know your thoughts on your favorite cheese-filled meals! Is anybody else hungry all of a sudden?
