From the Cheese Portraits series.

This Gouda commission allowed me to finally get to paint some beautiful Beemster cheese! Their "XO" in Dutch stands for "Extra Oud" pretty much sounding the same in English. This beautiful cow's milk wedge is aged for over two years, never less than 26 months. As you can imagine, that luxurious aging has it turning into this butterscotch-whiskey-pecan master piece with those crunchy calcium lactate crystals and yet still some ideal creamy-fudgey texture that makes this an incredible treat. It's the ideal dessert, in my opinion.

I was so grateful that the excellent wonder at Down Town Cheese, at Philadelphia's Reading Terminal Market was more than happy to cut me a wedge that would really let it glow while posing, as my patron had hoped for. I love that cheese counter!

Origin: Netherlands

Availability: sold