Start off the Day with some Sweetness
These Beemster Goat & Berry Danishes are surprisingly easy to prepare. Just top flaky puff pastry—frozen definitely does the trick—with fresh berries and sweetened cream cheese, plus some slightly tangy yet mild Beemster Goat for fantastic dimension. If you’re feeling a little cheesy (pun intended), you can arrange the berries into heart shapes for a breakfast-meets-love-letter.
For brunch inspiration, whip up these Beemster Vlaskaas-Stuffed Crepes, the next best thing to visiting a charming Parisian café. Beemster Vlaskaas’ buttery texture and unique sweet-milk and nutty notes really brings out the flavor of mixed berries. A dry Prosecco complements each ingredient.
Serve A Cheese & Chocolate Board
The only thing better than a cheese platter is a cheese and chocolate platter. The savory, salty, umami dimension of aged Beemster pairs exceptionally well with the depth of flavor in chocolate. In turn, the chocolate brings out the fruity, tart notes in the cheese. They’re both fermented products that take time and expertise to craft properly, and they both have the unique ability to make people really happy.
We love Beemster Classic with very dark chocolate—70% or higher. Aged for 18 months in our 100+ year-old stone warehouse, its notes of toasted walnuts and brown-butter agree gorgeously with slightly bitter, rich dark chocolate. The less sweet chocolate actually amplifies the caramelized sweetness of Beemster Classic.
Another great match is Beemster XO served with chocolates studded with almonds or cocoa nibs. Revered for its firm, crumbly texture with crystals and aged for more than two years, the whiskey and pecan flavors of the cheese are lovely compliments to chocolate with nuts. Plus, the textural components of crunch of the chocolate and the mouthwatering crystals in the cheese make a delicious combination.
Like all pairings, the only rules are to have fun. Serve a variety of cheeses alongside several chocolates and mix and match to find your favorites. These pairings also invite the opportunity to break out dessert wines and spirits and explore unique combinations. Some of the more adventurous pairings include Pedro Ximinez sherry, amaro and Madeira.
Cheesy Desserts
Plenty of desserts get their complex flavor and rich texture from cheese—think cheesecake, or cannoli stuffed with creamy mascarpone. For an elegant end to a romantic meal, serve this Beemster Mild, Apple and Honey Tart with Rosemary. Fresh herbs and honey bring out the sweet flavor of honeycrisp apples and the creamy, milky notes of Beemster Mild.
For a decadent, chocolaty treat, bake a batch of these Beemster XO Fudgy Coffee Brownies by Chef Andrea Machuca-Kirkland (featured in our Beemster Chef Series). When you cut into the pan of these brownies, aromatic with cardamom, you’ll notice little pockets of melted cheese.
Whether you’re putting together an exotic cheese plate or baking a dessert from scratch, we can’t think of a better way to show your love.
