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blue cheese = blue-veined cheese Notes: Many centuries ago, cheese was left to age in some moldy cave and became streaked with bluish-green mold. But rather than spoiling the cheese, the mold gave it a pungent and distinctive flavor, and blue cheese was born. Since then, cheese-makers learned to inject or stir mold spores into different cheeses, and many still use caves to age them.
Blue cheese--either crumbled or in a dressing--nicely balances bitter greens in salads. You can also pair it with bread, crackers, or fruit for an appetizer, or let it melt on pasta or grilled meats. Blue cheeses vary in pungency--I'd serve a mild blue cheese like Cambozola at a neighborhood get-together, and a more pungent blue like Saint Agur or Cabrales to fellow foodies that I'm trying to impress. Stilton is the most renown blue cheese, and a reliable party-pleaser. Blue cheeses grow more pungent with age or mishandling, and it's best to use them within a few days of purchase. Like almost all cheeses, blues should be brought to room temperature before serving. Substitutes: feta cheese Complements: bitter salad greens OR port wine OR dried fruit OR robust red wine OR apples OR pears OR melons OR stone fruit OR honey OR nuts OR figs
Varieties that are best for:
Dressing salads: Stilton OR Roquefort OR Bavarian blue OR Gorgonzola OR Cabrales
Snacking: Gorgonzola OR Saga blue OR Stilton OR Bleu d'Auvergne
Melting on meats: Cabrales OR Gorgonzola OR Picon
Dressing pasta: Roquefort OR Maytag Blue OR Gorgonzola OR Danish Blue
Dessert: Saga blue OR Stilton OR Roquefort OR Gorgonzola
Varieties:
Bavarian blue Notes: This is a mild and creamy German blue cheese. It's good for crumbling on salads and snacking. Paladin Bavarian Blue is a popular brand. Substitutes: Blue Castello
Bleu d'Auvergne Pronunciation: BLUH-doh-VAIRN Notes: A moist, crumbly, and somewhat salty blue cheese from France. It's milder and cheaper than Roquefort, and it works well in salad dressings or as a snacking cheese. Substitutes: Roquefort OR Maytag Blue OR Fourme d'Ambert Bleu de Bresse Pronunciation: BLUH-duh-BRESS Notes: This blue cheese from France is made with cow's milk, and is buttery and mild. It's a safe but unexciting cheese to serve company. An American version called Bresse bleu is milder still. Substitutes: Cambozola OR Blue Castello OR Brie OR Gorgonzola
Bleu des Causses
Bleu de Chevre = Bleuet Notes: This French blue cheese is made with goat's milk. It's shaped as a pyramid, and has a distinctive country (or barnyard, some would say) flavor.
Bleu de Gex (Pronunciation: BLUH-duh-ZHECKS) = Bleu de Septmoncel (Pronunciation: BLUH-duh-SET-mohn-SELL) Notes: The French have been producing this excellent but hard-to-find blue cheese since the 13th century. Made with cow's milk, it's pungent without being overpowering. Substitutes: Stilton
Blue Castello Notes: This is a rich, moist, and creamy blue cheese. It's fairly mild and a good choice for unadventurous guests. Substitutes: Cambozola OR Bleu de Bresse OR Bavarian blue cheese
Cabrales = queso de Cabrales Pronunciation: cuh-BRAW-lays Notes: This is a crumbly and very pungent blue cheese from Spain. Substitutes: Picon OR Valdeon OR Roquefort
Cambozola Notes: This German cheese combines the moist, rich creaminess of Camembert with the sharpness of blue Gorgonzola. It's one of the mildest blue cheeses. Substitutes: Blue Castello (also creamy and mild) OR Bleu de Bresse (also creamy and mild) OR Brie OR Camembert OR Saga blue (considered much better) OR Gorgonzola dolce
Cashel Bleu = Cashel Blue = Irish Cashel Notes: This creamy yet crumbly blue cheese from Ireland has a tangy but mellow flavor. It's cheaper than Stilton but not quite as good. Substitutes: Stilton OR Gorgonzola OR Roquefort Danablu See Danish blue.
Montbriac = Montbriac Rochebaron Notes: This French cow's milk cheese is a mild blue cheese that's soft and creamy like a Brie. It's coated with ash. Substitutes: Cambozola OR Bleu de Bresse OR Bavarian blue cheese OR Blue Castello
picon = picón = picos de Europa = Picon cabrales Pronunciation: pee-CONE Notes: This excellent Spanish blue cheese comes wrapped in maple leaves. It's moist, crumbly, and pungent. Substitutes: Cabrales OR Valdeon OR Roquefort
Roquefort Pronunciation: ROKE-uh-furt (Americanized) or roke-FOOR (French) Notes: This French sheep's milk cheese is considered to be one of the finest of the blue cheeses. Some Roquefort cheeses can be frozen successfully, others become crumbly (but still usable in salads). For best results, first cut the cheese into small (1/2 pound) chunks, and wrap each chunk in an airtight package. Thaw in the refrigerator, and use the cheese soon after it's thawed. Substitutes: Maytag Blue OR Gorgonzola (creamier) OR Stilton (firmer) OR Bleu d'Auvergne
Saga blue Notes: This well-regarded Danish blue cheese is soft, rich, and creamy. It's mild enough to be served to unadventurous guests, yet pungent enough to be interesting. Substitutes: Cambozola OR Brie OR Blue Castello
Saint Agur cheese Notes: This superb blue cheese is creamy, spicy, and rich. Substitutes: Fourme d'Ambert OR Cambozola OR Cashel Blue OR Stilton
Shropshire blue cheese (Pronunciation: SHROP-sure) Notes: This crumbly British blue cheese is very similar to Stilton, but it's dyed a yellowish orange. Substitutes: Stilton
Stilton cheese Pronunciation: STILL-tuhn Notes: This is perhaps the most highly regarded of all the blue cheeses. Made in England, it's firmer and milder than Roquefort or Gorgonzola. It's excellent with pears. Don't eat the rind. Substitutes: Roquefort (sharper, softer) OR Gorgonzola (sharper, creamier) OR Shropshire blue cheese (sharper)
Valdeon Notes: This Spanish blue cheese is pungent enough to be interesting without being overpowering. It's a good snacking cheese for adventurous guests. Substitutes: Cabrales (more pungent) OR Picone
Equivalencies
Links
Visit the excellent CheeseNet for more information--especially their excellent page on Cheese Types. If lactose intolerant or allergic to milk, visit the No Milk Page.
Copyright © 1996-2005 Lori Alden
