! HO-8040
Ewephoria doesn’t need a sweetheart. It’s all brown sugar on its own. In fact, this Gouda-style cheese from Holland is so sweet you can serve it for dessert, and if you tell your guests that they are eating pineapple upside-down cake pressed into cubes, they just might believe you. After all, Ewephoria smells like rum and tastes – I kid you not – faintly of pineapple.
To explore the full range of flavors, make sure Ewephoria comes to room temperature before you serve it. Take a deep inhale – you’ll get a nose full of sugary notes: brown butter, dark spirits. Then, pop a shard in your mouth and let it melt on your tongue. See if you can taste three things:
1. Brown sugar on the front end
2. A pleasant, pineapple-like acidity as the cheese softens
3. Salted pecans on the finish
Tasting a cheese like this is a great way to develop your palate. The notes are distinct, and the flavors are long lasting. This is the kind of cheese that doesn’t need a cracker or baguette round, although a few Marcona almonds and a Porter make perfect mates.
Fans of Beemster and Midnight Moon, this is your next assignment: skip the dessert after Easter supper and go right to Ewephoria. While the kids mainline Peeps and jellybeans, you’ll have all the candy you need.
For more palate-flexing homework, please visit Madame Fromage.
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