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January 2 #527 Blue Cheese Over the recent holidays we had a wonderful dinner that finished up with a glass of port and a piece of Maytag Blue cheese. That got us thinking about the entire world of blue cheeses. How do they get that blue mold in there in the first place? How versatile are blue cheeses? And what is the size of the blue cheese universe? Some answers: the mold is penicillium roqueforti and it perfectly edible. It grows naturally on stale bread which may have been the original source. Today, the cheese is either inoculate with cultures during the preparatory curd stage, or injected into the wheels via long needles. Blue cheeses are ancient; Roquefort was legally named in 1411. Today nearly every cheese making region produces a blue cheese and the range is impressive. Texture-wise, the cheeses go from soft and gooey, through firm, up to hard and crumbly. Flavors range from the very mild, up through spicy, ending with very pungent varieties. Some are saltier than others (salt being a congenial environment for the mold). In terms of versatility, the blue cheese is quite useful. The softer ones melt beautifully and are useful in sauces. The harder ones crumble nicely, for use in salads or as a garnish. All of them are outstanding with big red wines, particularly dessert reds like port. Creative cooks take note that blue cheese has an affinity with such foods as figs, pears, walnuts, caramelized onions, bitter greens, tart apples, bacon and roast beef. Roquefort, Gorgonzola Dolce and Stilton are the royalty of the blue cheese kingdom. Coming in just behind would be Denmark’s Saga Blue, the Spanish Cabrales, the German Cambozola, France’s Bleu d’Auvergne and America’s Maytag Blue. Here are a few blue cheeses that you can find in this area, and their characteristics. Roquefort: South of France, from sheep’s milk. Rindless with distinct blue veins, it tends to be somewhat crumbly. Complex flavor that is mild but salty. Gorgonzola Dolce: a young blue from Italy. Cow’s milk, mild and very creamy with a moderately pungent taste that finishes sweet. Stilton: The classic English blue, and prime choice with port. This is a very firm cheese, with a rich creamy color and thin blue-green veins. Naturally crumbly and excellent with fruit. Cambozola: German cheese that is notably soft and creamy with a rather sharp tang. Cabrales: A hard Spanish blue that slices well. Very picquant flavor, with greyis-blue veins that tint the rest of the cheese. Saga Blue: This well-regarded blue from Denmark is rich, creamy and very mild with a pleasantly assertive tang. Firefly Farms Mountaintop Bleu: a superb local product from Western Maryland, this pyramid shaped goat’s cheese blue is creamy, tart and very classy. Admirable.
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