Monday, March 15, 2010

Cheese Profile: Saenkanter

-Saenkanter: A top-tier Gouda.-

Doctor, I swear I've put together better cheese plates before. I know the fact that most of my party guests' innards are more knotted than a preschooler's shoelaces says otherwise, but really, my cheese plate wasn't all that bad.

Yes, the homemade pickles may have caused a small case of botulism or two, but who doesn't take that gamble when eating a pickle? They're the roulette of the food world! And sure that one washed rind cheese may have been a bit off, the smell was epic but when it comes to runny, rank cheeses it's such a fine line between aged and apocalyptic.

But, Doc, seriously, you should have tried the Saenkanter. I mean, dang, can the Dutch make a good aged cow's milk cheese. Seriously, my guests were hitting that cheese so hard that if you pulled them off it you'd be crowned the king of England.

And who can blame them? That butterscotch color is so enticing, and the salty caramel flavor - oh my god - a dessert cheese like no other. Cocksure with the taste of salted caramel, it becomes a bit more cheeky when it's paired with dried blueberries or raisins. It's surprisingly flavorful for a pasteurized cheese, and a premier Gouda if I've ever tasted.

The texture is smooth and quite creamy for a hard cheese. It's nicely broken up by the little protein crystals, like little pin-prick fireworks popping in your mouth giving it a playful mouthfeel.

Well, doctor, when you try something like that, you'll be willing to risk anything else sitting on the cheese plate. Which is kinda why we're here now. I also served a blue cheese. Well, technically, it was a Brie. It was just the color blue. But mold is supposed to be good, right?

Right?

-Trust me, you'd eat poison if it was paired with this cheese.-

15 comments:

  1. When it comes to cheese, the stinkier the better, in my book. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for this one.

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  2. Cookin Canuck: The cheese, though aged, isn't a stinky one. It actually has a sort of mild nose that's tame and a bit old wood-like.

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  3. Now for the important question, Garrett. Where did you find this cheese? I must try it!

    Thanks in advance. :)

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  4. Shockingly, I've never had Saenkanter before! I'll have to look for it here in Minneapolis.

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  5. I'm with you on the Dutch cheeses. I love Boerenkaas.

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  6. Zaankanter, spelled like it sounds as a historical cheese, Saenkanter. Probably artificially aged, like Old Amsterdam. Sorry to be poisonous about this ;-). Tastes probably quite well, but it's not genuine.
    Saenkanter is a tradename for export cheeses. In our country Saenkanter is a fashionchain.
    Wish I could send you some real old Dutch farmerscheese. We DO have them, you know! Championship coming up next weekend.

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  7. Did some research, definitely the end of your dreams. A Gouda type of cheese, industrially produced by a firm that does terrible things to and with cheese. Sorry, probably even the colour is carotene.
    Here the horrorlink:
    http://www.schipperkaas.nl/

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  8. Lizet: You can tell just from the pictures that this is a different company. I think that what we're seeing is something akin to comparing farmstead cheddar to Kraft cheddar. Yes, they're the same name of cheese but two different products.

    This one pictured here doesn't look anything like the one in my picture.

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  9. Sure Gareth, the picture of Schipperskaas is young/middlish old cheese. But... Schipperskaas claims to be the only one using the name Saenkanter. And cheese-expertish colleagues tell me: this is the company. So, now it's up to you: ask the people where you buy this, where they get it from! And notice the sticker with the Zaanse wooden houses for a clue. Now we need to get at the bottom of this! I'll send you some real cheese if you're right and this is real farmers cheese. But I fear that the only farmer involved was the owner of the milkcattlte.

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  10. Lizet Kruyff - Well, I will check with Whole Foods and a few other cheese people I know and see if we can get to the bottom of this. You may very well be right. =)

    Still, "genuine" is semantics. It may be artificially aged (though I'm not sure how one goes about that) but one cannot argue that the taste is still superb.

    You've really got me interested in this and I'll do what I can to get an answer for you. =)

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  11. Hi Garrett, it's a German invention, to (pre)mature cheese in months instead of years. But, mail me and I'll send you some of the real stuff. Maybe you'll think the real Boerenkaas stinks and tastes like Eastbeast surprises. But... at least you can compare. Old Amsterdam & Co are fine, but for the purist anathema, unless no-one's looking.

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  12. Lizet - Thank you! I checked around with three other cheese minds (one of them a professional) all to no avail!

    What is your e-mail so I can send you an address? I would love to try the real stuff. =)

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  13. lizetkruyff@gmail.com, now for some cheeseproof packaging :-).

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  14. Saenkanter is indeed a brand from Schipper Kaas, its a gouda cheese natural aged and coming from a factory.

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Hey, you're leaving a comment! That's pretty darn cool, so thanks. If you have any questions or have found an error on the site or with a recipe, please e-mail me and I will reply as soon as possible.
~Garrett