This week I’m trying a cheese I never heard of. It’s butterkäse, which literally means “butter cheese” in German. If you want to be fancy you can pronounce it like a German and say “bootakayza.” But, like most other foreign words I know, I’m going to slaughter it and pronounce it “butter case.”
The specific cheese I’m trying is called Green County Artisanal Triple Crème Butterkäse. With a name like that it has to be delicious. This cheese is made by master cheesemaker Bruce Workman of Edelweiss Creamery, located in Monticello, WI.
Origins
Butterkäse originates from Germany. It continues to be popular there as well as in Austria. Several cheesemakers produce this cheese in Wisconsin as well.
Taste
Butterkäse is a cow’s milk cheese. It’s 50% fat. From those facts and the name, I’m guessing it will be a pretty decadent but mild, tame cheese.
It is white in color with a light golden tinge. It’s very glossy and super smooth. The smell is familiar and buttery. It has an amazing, decadent, full flavor but mild at the same time. This cheese has a very creamy texture and is no surprise, extremely buttery.
This is one of those cheeses that anybody and everybody will like, especially kids. You could put this on anything you would put butter on and it would be good. The versatility of this cheese will definitely make me a repeat buyer.
Pairs Well With
Mild and rich, pair butterkäse with some of these mellower foods:
Food: Grapes, melons, cured meats
Wine: Dry or semi-sweet, Le Vigne Chardonnay
Beer: Pilsner or light lagers
Recipe
Butterkäse is a great cheese for sandwiches. Slice it up and try it in place of Swiss cheese in this mouth-watering hot ham and cheese sandwich recipe.
Butterkäse Trivia
Butterkäse is sometimes also called dämenkäse or “ladies cheese” because of its delicate, mild, “non-offensive” characteristics. I would be interested to know what other names the Germans have for Limburger…
Next week I’m going to try Benedictine cheese, an original of Carr Valley Cheese.