Serious Cheese: Blue Cheese 101
Photograph from WordRidden on Flickr
As we close in on the last few months of a year many of us would soon rather forget, it seems somehow fitting to delve a little deeper into a class of cheeses whose pungent spice can soothe the aching heart: the blues. Like winter, blue cheeses are loathed just as much as they are loved. But love them or hate them, blues are some of the most important cheeses in the world, and some of the most interesting.
Is It Really Mold?
Yes. Those striations of color, usually blue, sometimes green, sometimes grey, sometimes even violet, are actually molds--usually of the strain Penicillium roqueforti--that are actually feeding on the proteins in the ripening cheese. Back in the day, these molds would've lived on the walls of whatever cave the cheeses were ripening in, and would've grown in and around the cheeses 'naturally.' Nowadays cheesemakers inject their unripened cheeses with freeze-dried molds, so as not to leave anything to chance. They also pierce the cheese with needles to create a series of air-pockets in which the oxygen-loving molds can grow and thrive.
Kind of Blue
The three classic "old-world" varieties of blue cheese are Roquefort (sheep's milk blue from southern France), Gorgonzola (northern Italian cow's milk blue), and Stilton (cow's milk blue from central England). The three cheeses vary quite a bit both in texture and taste. Roquefort is sweet, moist and crumbly; Stilton is firmer and spicier; and Gorgonzola (especially the variety known as dolce) is sweet and creamy.
But there are other European blues worth trying. Spain's Cabrales and Valdéon are excellent cow's milk blues, worth seeking out if you've never had them.
America is also producing some excellent blues that are giving the European classics a run for their money. Jasper Hill Farm makes their Bayley Hazen Blue from a modified Stilton recipe, but their blue is far drier and much richer than a typical Stilton. Oregon's Rogue Creamery makes a variety of blue cheeses including a wonderfully interesting smoked blue called, fittingly, Smokey Blue.
Blues and Booze
When thinking about beverages to pair with blue cheeses, there are a few important things to keep in mind. Blues have a very strong flavor and can overpower wines that are meek or mild. Then again, if you pair a blue cheese with a wine that has a very powerful and unique flavor, and the likelihood of an outright clash is fairly high. I've tried some blue and wine pairings that can really make you pucker. It's never great to generalize such things, but I have found that reds tend to clash more with blue cheeses, since their flavors are generally bigger and bolder.
Another thing to keep in mind is that blues are relatively salty, so they tend to pair better with wines that are sweeter. A classic Roquefort pairing is with Sauternes, where the sweetness of the wine beautifully balances the saltiness of the cheese. Artisanal's Max McCalman recommends pairing Valdéon with a Beaujolais cru or a California Chardonnay.
Well that's it for our Blue Cheese 101. Please let us know what blues you like (or maybe you're a blue cheese hater?), and what you like to pair them with!
About the author: Jamie Forrest publishes Curdnerds.com from his apartment in Brooklyn, New York, where he lives with his wife, his daughter, and his cheese.
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32 Comments:
Really rich blue cheeses can be great pairings with dark beers. Try a rich, cremay blue with a big imperial stout (or even better yet, and imperial stout brewed with espresso beans) and it'll stand up the the cheese.
http://beerandnosh.com/2008/11/dark-beers-and-cheese/
jwfriedman at 2:28PM on 11/04/08
Port!
aluapaluap at 2:34PM on 11/04/08
I vote for Cabernet Sauvignon
spartana07 at 2:43PM on 11/04/08
Blue cheese in any form is my favorite cheese. Thanks for the summary.
holdthemayo at 3:41PM on 11/04/08
Valdeón is wonderful paired with a small-bead Cava or a Pedro Ximinez sherry. For absolute indulgence, I like wrapping Valdeón with Serrano, basil, and a sweet chutney of cherries.
Tam Ngo at 3:45PM on 11/04/08
Port is a great liquid pairing for blue cheeses.
Back in the day I would really enjoy a nice, peppery Cabrales with membrillo or some other fruit preserve.
I've had my moments: Gorgonzola Dolce and an Italian Mostarda would keep me going for a week at a time.
Now I prefer the creamier French or domestic blues, but I'm still a flirt!
beano at 3:59PM on 11/04/08
Interesting! I am just starting to embrace and love blue cheese. I just made some homeade blue cheese dressing for the first time today. It tastes amazing and was so simple. It will go great with the buffalo wings I am making tonight to enjoy while watching the elections results.
Karl Hungus at 4:33PM on 11/04/08
Living in Milwaukee has exposed me to some great wisconsin cheese. For a blue cheese lover on a student budget this means I've devoured my fair share of hunks of wisconsin blue. My two relatively cheap favorites are Hook's Blue and Buttermilk Blue. Put either of those on a homemade buffalo chicken pizza...YUM!
BlueCheezit at 4:43PM on 11/04/08
ok, seriously....
someone PLEASE explain to me how to enjoy blue cheese because I can't get past the stink. I know so many people love it, so help me!
suburbangourmet at 4:53PM on 11/04/08
@suburbangourmet, i don't think taste is something you can try and explain to someone. you either like it or you don't. no amount of logic will ever convince my wife to eat blue cheese. (btw, she actually sometimes has an allergic reaction to blue cheese and other mold-ripened cheeses. her throat starts to itch when she eats it. perhaps many people who dislike blues have this allergy?)
jamieforrest at 5:15PM on 11/04/08
My wife's hands would itch when she had to use Gorgonzola in the restaurant, so, apparently it's not an unheard of thing.
She also has an allergy towards crabmeat and large shrimp.
beano at 5:41PM on 11/04/08
@Beano...I have some sort of sensitivity or allergy to crabmeat and shrimp, as well, and my reaction is similar to what Jamie described (throat gets itchy and feels like it's swelling somewhat internally but no full-blown anaphylactic shock or anything). As a person who loves blue cheese, I'm really glad I don't have the similar sensitivity to it, too.
@suburbangourmet...Growing up, there were two distinct blue cheese camps in our family. My sister, dad and I were pro-blue. My mom, other sister and brother were anti-blue. It's one of those weird tastes that people seem born to love and those of us who adored blue cheese dip, blue cheese dressing and all other things blue cheese were only too happy that there were fewer people in the household with whom to share. Another one of those weird tastes that spurs love or loathing is the black jelly bean but that might be a discussion for another time of year. ;)
holdthemayo at 7:16PM on 11/04/08
Such Funky Cheese!
I love port and stilton. Though when I was a student in the UK, my local ice cream shop attempted a port and stilton flavo[u]r entitled "Brideshead Revisited". It was awful.
shoneyjoe at 10:43PM on 11/04/08
To anyone struggling with blue cheese, try adding a dash of quince paste or chilli and lime jam, it'll take the edge off somewhat and generally complement the cheese very well.
I also second port with blue cheese, pairing perfection.
wicheda at 7:10AM on 11/05/08
In one of our cheese and wine nights, we managed to get a really good Stilton - we paired it with a strong Shiraz and as far as I remember, it worked really well. But nothing beats Stilton and Port!
Anneli at 8:18AM on 11/05/08
Never liked Blue untill I had a Stilton and roasted garlic burger in Chicago. Still was not into eating Blue alone until we paired it with pears and Savigon Blanc
josephtetro at 10:06AM on 11/05/08
Hollow out your wheel of Stilton . . . warm a cup or two of Port in a small pan on the stove (I like tawny, but you choose) . . . pour over rind . . . scoop and sop up with crusty bread . . . mmmmmm.
Mizbee at 10:50AM on 11/05/08
I
liwinegirl at 11:52AM on 11/05/08
Maytag Blue is fantastic!
Channa at 12:26PM on 11/05/08
My ex loved blue cheese so much that ordered him half a wheel of Point Reyes Blue Cheese for Christmas. It came with biscuits and a wildflower honey. I thought that I'd finally start to like blue cheese. I put a crumble on the biscuit, drizzled the honey over it, put it in my mouth - aaaaand immediately spit it out. I just flat do NOT like blue cheese. I do really enjoy blue cheese dressing, even chunky, but I can't tolerate it plain. Strange really.
My current fiance also LOVES blue cheese. He prefers Valdeon and Roaring Forties Blue Cheese, from Australia.
lo82070 at 1:00PM on 11/05/08
Another great, and fairly unique, blue that I neglected to mention in my post is Westfield Farm's Classic Blue Log. This is a goat cheese where the blue mold actually grows on the rind (they don't needle the cheese so the mold can't grow in the paste). The blue taste is more subtle, especially if you don't eat the rind. Might be a good option for those of you who eschew the blue!
jamieforrest at 1:09PM on 11/05/08
but there has to be something about it... describe it please
suburbangourmet at 4:03PM on 11/05/08
Humboldt Fog is another fantastic blue--it's a goat's milk blue, so it's milder than the aforementioned blues, but just as delicious!
dragonroll at 8:01PM on 11/05/08
Actually Humboldt Fog isn't a blue. It's a surface-ripened cheese, with a rind similar to that of Brie. The line of gray you see through the middle of the cheese is actually ash, not mold.
jamieforrest at 8:11PM on 11/05/08
I don't think that you're really born to either love or hate blue cheese. I hated blue cheese up until about three or four years ago. I think the transition period for me was when I started eating french mixed with with blue cheese dressing on salads. During that time I probably would have gagged on a plain chunk of the stuff, but eventually I grew to love it as much as I do now.
I think blue cheese dressing and dip were my gateway drug.
BlueCheezit at 9:21AM on 11/06/08
It is happy to see your posting. Yes really informative article. I will tell this information again to my friend, oh yes I suggest you to check my blog on www.cheeseworlds.blogspot.com , I hope the article on my blog will be usefull for you… and we can share each other. thank you… ;-)
sudeki at 4:50PM on 11/06/08
I really like blue cheese, gorgonzola in particular although there's a good danish variety that's not too expensive at Wegmans. I have to limit how much I have because I too have a sensitivity to it--scratchy throat, a little burning around my lips when I have too much. I am allergic to some molds, although I don't know if I'm allergic to the strain used for blue cheese. Maybe a benadryl before consuming gorgonzola would be an idea for those of us who are sensitive.
dhorst at 5:48PM on 11/06/08
Point Reyes blue cheese is heaven.....the first time I tried it I made an appetizer w/belguim endive, carmelized pears, some crumbled blue cheese topped w/candied pecan....I was hooked from the beginning. It has a fresher, cleaner taste than many blue cheeses....perhaps because it's a raw milk cheese....I don't know...but I highly recommend it.
mepolo at 7:17PM on 11/06/08
I remember once someone told me there were anchovies inside my Caesar salad. Now I won't touch my once favorite salad. LOL I know crazy huh? Also, in college I learned that jello was crushed animal bones. To this day I don't want to eat jello. I'm not even sure it is true.
BUT, I already knew bleau cheese was a mold. And you know what? I don't care. I love it. I love it on my salad and even on my steak. Three cheers for the bleau!
amgconz at 6:20PM on 11/07/08
Beer is far superior to wine as a cheese pairing! Stichelton with barleywine or a malty pale ale or IPA. Honey is also great with Stichelton or Stilton.
hsawtelle at 5:46PM on 11/08/08
The Rogue Smoked Blue is just divine. They do several other good blues, but I hold out for this one. It never makes it in to anything...I eat it as is alone. I did manage to put it on a steak (per experiece with blue cheese and meat in Spain) and let it heat up and soften while the second side cooked. Now that's a steak-with the cheese melting in to the meat and the pan juices. Must lick the plate and the pan. You can visit the Rogue Creamery in Southern Oregon (Central Point) quite close to Medford.
zonzon at 4:04PM on 11/10/08
I have been staying in Buenos Aires and started eating Argetine blue cheese... I highly reccomend it with ripe pear and dry, red wine! It is so soft and tangy!
I am actually very surprised that nobody else mentioned the pear pairing before on this page. It is a heavenly couple!
susanworld at 6:31PM on 03/03/09