What Is Blue Cheese?
Blue cheese is famously known for its blue, black, or green veins of mold that run throughout. Today, many varieties of blue cheese made around the world.
What Does Blue Cheese Taste Like?
The flavor of blue cheese varies among the different cheeses. Typically, blue cheese is sharp and salty, with other flavor variations. One sheep’s milk variety, Roquefort, is crumbly in texture and is considered to have intense flavor with some sweet notes. On the other hand, young Gorgonzola is soft, creamy, and only slightly sharp.
How Can You Eat Blue Cheese?
Blue cheese pairs well with fruit and nuts on a cheese plate. You can also add it to sauces, pasta dishes, and soups to add a sharp flavor and creamy texture.
Where Can You Buy Blue Cheese?
Typically, you can find blue cheese at the grocery store in either crumbles or whole pieces at the deli counter. If you are looking for a specific type of blue cheese, you can visit a specialty cheese store or deli that has a wider variety.
How Do You Store Blue Cheese?
Store your Blue cheese in the refrigerator for up to three weeks by wrapping it in foil or parchment paper. You can also store it in the freezer for up to 6 months, however, the flavor will not be as strong. It is best to use frozen blue cheese in cooked preparations like sauces.
Fun Fact About Blue Cheese:
Roquefort cheese, the oldest blue cheese, was likely discovered by accident! A piece of cheese was left in a cave and, as a result, mold began growing. The person who found the cheese tried it and found that instead of the cheese being spoiled, the flavor was enhanced.
Did You Know?
The blue veins in the cheese are formed when the cheese is spiked with metal rods. This process makes holes in the cheese and activates the growth of the mold.
Recipes Using Blue Cheese
Blue Cheese Dressing
This dressing is a classic for wedge salad and as a dipping sauce for spicy chicken wings. Combine blue cheese crumbles, mayonnaise, sour cream, half and half, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Stir the mixture with a whisk to combine.
Blue Cheese Sauce
Heat heavy cream in a skillet, stir in a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce and let it thicken. Add in some crumbled blue cheese and stir until the cheese is melted. Stir in additional blue cheese crumbles and take the sauce off the heat so that there are still chunks of cheese. Serve this sauce on steak, hamburgers, and vegetables for a creamy tang.
Blue Cheese, Bacon, and Fig Grilled Cheese
Try an upgraded take on the grilled cheese sandwich. Provolone, blue cheese, cooked bacon strips, and fig jam are sandwiched between two buttered slices of whole wheat bread and crisped on a skillet on each side.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Blue Cheese
Cut sweet potatoes in half-inch slices and toss with oil, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Place the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and roast in the oven until tender and crisp on the outside. Serve the potatoes with blue cheese crumbles and cilantro.
Broccoli and Stilton Soup
This take on classic broccoli cheese soup uses Stilton blue cheese in place of cheddar for a tangier classic. Saute onion in a large stockpot with olive oil and add chicken stock, broccoli, and potato. Boil until the vegetables are soft and blitz using a hand blender. Stir in the blue cheese and serve. If you don’t have chicken stock on hand, use chicken bullion combined with water as a substitute!
