Meet the Stacked Goudette. She's no baby gouda! I didn't want to part with the many pennies it would take to get gouda or baby gouda molds so I formed the curd inside the same small sized hard cheese mold I used for my first farmhouse cheddar. Sometimes beautiful things happen when you have to improvise - I'm hoping my Goudette is one of those. Baby goudas (not the Laughing Cow Babybell kind, I'm talkin' about the real deal) weigh a little less than a pound, while a full sized gouda wheel can weigh up to 30lbs. The Goudette is weighing in at 2lbs after a swim in the brine this morning and a day drying out. Who knows what changes in flavor and texture the stacked shape will create... I guess we'll find out in 2-6 months!

salt crystals on the exposed side of the rind help to ensure even brining

cheese cloth dries fastest in the window (when you don't have a line outside!)