About L’Amuse Signature Gouda

L’Amuse Signature Gouda is a hard cheese matured by Betty Koster at Fromagerie L’Amuse in IJmuiden. She carefully selects the best wheels from CONO Kaasmakers in Beemster, North Holland.

Since 1929, CONO have been making fine Dutch cheeses at their carbon neutral factory, De Tijd. Almost a century later, their cheesemakers still make cheese the traditional way, stirring curds by hand.

After collecting the young cheese from CONO, Betty works her magic over 24 months to mature what has become one of the Netherlands’s finest. 

History of Fromagerie L’Amuse

In 1989, Betty and her husband, Martin, established Fromagerie L’Amuse in Haarlem. Haarlem is a quaint city on the outskirts of Amsterdam in the Northwest of the Netherlands.

Moreover, they chose the name L’Amuse as a nod to the French term “L’Amuse Gueule”. This term is used to describe appetizers that “entertain our mouths”. Betty found it a very fitting way to describe the experience of tasting a fine cheese.

More than just a cheese shop, the Fromagerie soon became a maturation cave where Betty would mature some of the best cheeses from around the country.

Moving to IJmuiden

After moving around a couple of locations in Haarlem, Betty eventually settled in IJmuiden in the early 2010’s. By that time, she had already built some strong relationships with farmers and specialty cheesemakers.

Already, Betty had very strong opinions regarding how she thought cheese should be matured and she was about to take things up a notch.

How L’Amuse Signature Gouda is matured

Fromagerie L’Amuse’s affinage rooms are quite different to most other Dutch cheese maturation rooms. Their wheels are kept for up to 24 months at a higher temperature and humidity than usual.

Of course, it all starts with the young cheese that Betty receives from the producers. Depending on the cheese, they reach the maturation facility at different ages, ranging from two days for soft cheeses to three weeks for Gouda.

At 3 weeks, the wheels of Gouda can travel safely and will have been thoroughly checked for faults by the maker. Betty’s Signature Gouda and Brabander Goat Gouda are aged for 24 months at 10.5°C to 12°C (51°F to 54°F). Furthermore, the rooms are kept at a higher humidity than most commercial facilities.

Texture & flavour

Matured for 24 months, L’Amuse Signature Gouda has an incredible depth of flavour and hard, crunchy texture that still melts in your mouth.

As a matter of fact, it owes most of its characteristics to the slow maturation process that nurtures ideal bacterial growth and maintains moisture. 

Furthermore, its flavour palette develops gradually to include notes of salted caramel and roasted hazelnuts. The bright orange pâte of the cheese is peppered with tyrosine crystals and meld crunch with a creamy mouthfeel.

Serving guide

Enjoy this stellar Dutch hard cheese with a Single Malt Whisky, a bold red like Bordeaux or Côtes du Rhône, Port or a dark beer such as a Stout or Porter.

The post L’Amuse Signature Gouda: The Netherland’s Best appeared first on Cheese Atlas.

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