That Dutchman, A Real Creative Cheese Maker

Cheese is considered a treat in most cultures around the world.  The varieties are limitless and the right cheese can add a delightful element to pasta, salads, vegetable dishes and even deserts.  Many cultures take great pride in their cheese products and are renown for it.  French brie, Italian parmesan, nutty Swiss cheese, Indian pannier, Mexican queso, and Dutch gouda.  These are all cheeses that people crave.  Unfortunately  North American cheese has had Kraft as a standard bearer for the last few decades, marketing their cheese like substances in a very effective manner.  Over salted, fatty and laced with chemicals these cheese products do not come close in quality or nutrition to true crafted cheese.

Fortunately as we develop a post industrial food culture in North America many local cheese producers are being highlighted.  That Dutchman Farm in Upper Economy Nova Scotia has been producing their hand crafted Gouda for just over 30 years.  This farmstead gouda is rich and flavorful and is produced in a wide variety of ages and flavors.  This cheese is delicious served at room temperature in thin slices or small cubes.  Whether flavored with fine herbs, sun dried tomatoes, garlic, fenugreek, or smoked it is a flavourful treat.  Melted in a sandwich, on pasta, with some crusty bread or as an accompany to your favorite wine Dutchman Cheese is sure to become a favorite.  Their dedication to flavor, quality and tradition will ensure a consistent high quality product that you can feel good about feeding your family.

In addition to their amazing array of gouda they also take the aging further and produce Old Growler and Hammer and Chisel cheeses.  Old growler is a treat for all of us who like flavorful brittle cheese.  I love it with a strong flavored bread like a dark rye or pumpernickel and a beer.  Add in some smoked sausage and you have a snack for the hockey game that blows popcorn out of the water.

The hammer and chisel cheese can be used in essentially the same way as parmesan.  This adds tremendous flavor to your salads, sauces, pastas both adding salt, rich flavor and adding that beautiful umami that enhances the taste of so many dishes.  This cheese is Nova Scotia’s answer to parmesan and is now a staple in my kitchen.

That Dutchman also produces a blue cheese that has gained international renown.  Dragon’s Breath blue cheese is made not by injection but by spraying the exterior of the cheese with blue mould, then encased in a black wax that give it a distinct look and taste.  The is a delicious variation form the injected blue cheeses.  This cheese is featured in some of our finest establishment in the city and has been bought by cheese lovers from as far away as Korea.  Added to a salad, made into a dip or dressing or as an accompaniment to a fine wine this is a cheese lovers dream come true.

The creativity does not end there.  That Dutchman also make one of the best cheese spreads I have ever tasted.  Smeerkaas is a spreadable gouda cheese that is available in a variety of flavors.  This is not a neon imitation cheese like substance.  This is a rich flavorful cheese spread that actually contains cheese.  This local treat contains none of the chemicals of the industrial imitation and will deliver in both flavor and nutrition.

That Dutchman has won awards and international recognition for his cheese and we are lucky enough to have him practicing his craft right here in Nova Scotia.  You can find his cheese a the Halifax Seaport Market, purchase it online at http://www.denhoek.ca/ or visit the farm in Upper Economy.  The great thing about discovering local food is that you can get a much better product, learn about the craftsmanship behind it and meet some amazing people.  I encourage you to get to know That Dutchman.