Throughout my twenties I frequented an establishment in Cambridge, Mass. called the B-Side Lounge. It was perfectly balanced, being both a well-stocked bar and an eatery with dishes that could rival any establishment. The crowd was always full of some of the Boston area’s best folks, and the staff were equally as charming and talented. There were so many things about this place that were perfect. The decor, the cocktail list, the menu! The one menu item that was my favorite, as well as a favorite of friends, was the Baked Gouda in a Skillet served with crostinis.
An old photo I took of the airplane fan inside of the B-Side Lounge
Baked Gouda in a Skillet. As a menu item! Perfect for cold winter nights when you just want to sit down, enjoy the company you are with, have a cocktail and share cheese. It’s been four years since the B-Side closed, and four years since I’ve dipped a crunchy crostini into a bubbling pool of gouda, cream, garlic, et al.
Today, I have fixed that. I decided to give a try at recreating this dish from my memory and the memory of my friends. There was a debate, briefly, about whether or not there were potatoes mixed in. My friends and I came to an understanding that while we do remember there being potato stick slices in the dish at one point, originally it was made without potatoes. My recipe has no potatoes. I also used a 6.5 inch skillet. If I remember correctly, the restaurant used either an eight or ten inch skillet.
My recipe does have a lot of cheese. Like, a lot, a lot. It also has garlic, shallots, cream, herbs, and the tiniest amount of butter.
I started by sautéing the garlic and shallots in the skillet. Then added cream. And cheese. And herbs. And some more cream. And then some more cheese. Then once it’s smooth in the pan, I just stuck it into the oven and waited.
The result was pretty similar to what I remember. It may not be the exact same proportions of this to that of its predecessor, but it came so close I can consider this an accomplished feat.
To make the B-Side Lounge Baked Gouda in a Skillet:
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces Gouda cheese
- 1/3 cup of heavy cream
- 1 small shallot, sliced thin
- 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon rosemary
- 1/2 tablespoon butter
Pre-heat your oven to 375°F.
Put the skillet over medium heat and add butter, garlic and shallots. Once those have sauteéd a few minutes, add about 1/2 of the heavy cream. Next, add in 1/2 of the cheese, bit by bit, allowing it to melt evenly and smoothly into the cream.
Put in the rosemary and thyme. Then add the rest of the cream, and then the remaining cheese. Again, mix while you add the cheese. Once it is smooth and thickened, move the skillet into the over. Don’t forget, the skillet is HOT, so use caution.
Leave in the oven for 12-14 minutes. Once done, secure the skillet and let briefly cool.
For the Crostinis:
Slice whatever kind of bread you’d enjoy having, but a loaf of crunchy crusty bread is ideal. Take each slice and give it a light coat of olive oil on each side. Put on top rack of oven and let brown. When one side is done, flip it over and toast the other side also. After a few minutes, the bread should be browned and crispy and perfect for dipping. (You can do this either before or after making the gouda in a skillet.)
Serves 2-3, depending on how much each of you love cheese.
Update: See the comments section for additional information regarding more ingredients used for the B-Side Lounge Baked Gouda in a Skillet…including fried potato sticks & goat cheese!
The Things I Think About 
That looks absolutely wonderful! So delicious and rich. Love the blog, I shall be back.
Thanks for reading! Hope you return!
This looks seriously good. I may use this recipe as an excuse to buy a skillet.
It was the excuse I used to buy a skillet too!
I recently inherited a teeny cast iron skillet and was wondering what the heck to do with it. This is a fantastic solution. Thank you.
You can never really go wrong with cheese. Ever.
I’m going to make this. Just as soon as I buy a cast iron skillet. You should team up with Lodge or another kitchenware company and let them pay you for convincing thousands of people to buy cast iron with this recipe. 🙂
Hey Matthew,
I share your love for this dish. Five or ten years ago (?) I tried to recreate it for the first time, and I failed miserably. I basically just shoved some gouda in a skillet and ended up with a separated mess of gouda and oil. Next, I went to the B-Side four or five times over the course of a few months, and each time I would ask them the recipe. Every time, they were very nice and shared the recipe with me verbally. Every time, I forgot it by the time I woke up in the morning due to those delicious sidecars. Eventually, one of the waitresses drew a picture for me that has served as my guide to making this dish, and it is EXCELLENT. You sound like more of a chef than me, but I do have a couple tidbits to share. The recipe this waitress gave me did have fried potato sticks as an ingredient, which are a pain in the neck to make, but they give a nice texture. Also, she told me the bottom layer was garlic, cream, and goat cheese.
Regardless of the specifics – this is a crowd-pleaser for sure. Thanks for publishing it!
Dan
Oh man.
Thanks for the info! I guess putting in the fried potato sticks wasn’t a figment of my imagination after all. Next time I make this I will most definitely include them. I can also see how the goat cheese would fit in there as well. It would blend in pretty nicely to the cream and add to the bottom layer.
If nothing else, this input will lend to a more historically accurate (and possibly even better tasting) version of this dish.
Thanks again for your contribution!
Matthew
I just googled “baked gouda with garlic cream” assuming my attempt at finding something similar to the little skillet of heaven at the B Side (RIP) was futile. Thank you SO much for posting this! Can’t wait to relive the memories…
Yum, yum, it looks absolutely delicious!
Hi! I used to work at the B – side in 99-00 and there were Potato Stix in the Baked gouda. I loved that dish too and was looking for a recipe online for the garlic cream sauce and came across your blog. So glad I did and can’t wait to make it!
I hit the B-Side almost nightly when I lived around the corner in Central Sq. it was an easy walk (or crawl) home… Thank you for posting this, I’m on it 2nite!-g
I was just in touch with the chef who created the dish,he lives in Poland now and we’re friends on Facebook. He told me that he also added goat cheese to the garlic cream sauce.
Mine came out shitty and chunky with oil all over it. It had the right taste but I was going for the creamy consistency What happened?