Using Blue Cheese (Bleu Cheese)

Blue cheeses are also given a high place of honor in several countries, similar to fine wine.

Blue cheese is actually a family of cheeses that include Stilton, Gorgonzola, and Roquefort, cheeses that are made by introducing cultures into the cheese as it is being made, resulting in a marbled vein of blue or blue-green mold that adds a distinctive pungent flavor and odor. Blue cheeses are made in many countries around the world, and in many countries are considered to be a fine delicacy.

Blue Cheeses are pungent, unique, and delicious

blue cheese assortment

Blue cheeses are also given a high place of honor in several countries, similar to fine wine, and carry protections of origin meaning that they can only have a specific name if made that region of the country. Blue cheese history goes back to about 1000 A.D., and may come from an accident of mold growing in the caves that cheeses were aged in.

Whatever the truth of blue cheese origins, the sharp flavor of the various blue cheese varieties is a great accent to many recipes, and dishes.

Whatever the variety, blue cheese add flavor

Due to the protected origin of the blue cheeses, you can find blue cheeses under many names. The most well-known name of blue cheese is Roquefort which is a sheep milk blue cheese made in southern France. Roquefort is a very expensive variety of blue cheese, and because of the price, other blue cheeses were born, both in France, and other countries.

Blue cheese is often used as a flavor accent to salads, vegetables, and desserts. To get the full flavor of the cheese, it is best to eat it at room temperature. However, there are many recipes that call for refrigerated or melted blue cheese.

Using blue cheese as an accent

Most blue cheeses are a harder texture that crumbles fairly easily. This texture makes it easy to use blue cheese as an accent to many foods.

The most common use of blue cheese as an accent is to eat blue cheese with fresh fruit for dessert. For some reason, blue cheese is often paired with pears. As a matter of fact, California Pizza Kitchen has a pear and Gorgonzola pizza on their regular menu.

The other common accent use is on salads. Blue cheese can be crumbled on a fresh vegetable or fruit salad, or can be made into a salad dressing for salads. The traditional method of making blue cheese dressing is mixing crumbled blue cheese into a oil and vinegar based Italian dressing. Creamy blue cheese salad dressing is an American creation.

Variations of Blue Cheese

	igourmet Maytag Blue Cheese - Pound Cut (15.5 ounce) Nestled among the rolling hills of central Iowa is Maytag Dairy, which produces Maytag Blue cheese. Shortly before World War II, F.L. Maytag II began working with scientists at ... ~~$17.08~~ $16.95
	igourmet English Blue Stilton Cheese DOP by Tuxford and Tebbutt - Pound Cut (15.5 ounce) Set deep in the heart of traditional Stilton cheesemaking country is the small English market town of Melton Mowbray where the Tuxford & Tebbutt Creamery stands externally uncha... ~~$27.49~~ $10.40
	Wish-Bone Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing, 15 FL OZ Wish-Bone Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing adds bold flavor to your favorite recipes. Chunks of real, aged blue cheese with a dash of classic herbs, spices and buttermilk make this b... ~~$1.94~~ $1.76
	Kraft Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing (16 oz Bottle) Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing 16 fl. oz. Bottle Only $2.00

Using blue cheese as main ingredient

Just like other cheeses, blue cheese can be used in any dish that requires melted cheese. You can sprinkle it on tip of a pasta dish or melt it on top of a soup.

There is a wonderful Maytag macaroni and cheese recipe by Emeril Lagasse in which Maytag blue cheese is the cheese that flavors the macaroni. Maytag blue cheese is an American blue cheese produced in Iowa by the descendants of the Maytag appliance company founder. Blue cheese can be mixed in with other milder cheeses to melt into a dish or it can be the only melted cheese like in the Maytag macaroni and cheese recipe.

Blue cheese pairs well with both fruit and vegetables, as well as over bread, so any of those would taste delicious with melted blue cheese as well. Another example of a melted blue cheese recipe would be bruschetta with sun dried tomatoes and melted blue cheese on top. Once you start thinking about how you can replace your regular mozzarella, cheddar, or parmesan with blue cheese, then you can come up with some truly original flavors for your daily recipes.

Wine and Blue Cheese

Blue cheese is also a very good accent to fine wine, and since there so many wonderful blue cheeses to taste, it makes sense to have a blue cheese and wine tasting party for yourself, or yourself and friends to discover which blue cheeses will accent which wines.

If you want to taste several blue cheeses at once, igourmet has a very nice Blue Cheese Assortment (2 pound) for about $30 to taste four different blue cheeses. The blue cheese sampler comes standard with Roaring Forties (Australia), Mountain Gorgonzola (Italy), Stilton (England) and Roquefort (France), but if igourmet cannot obtain those four cheeses, they will substitute with another excellent blue cheese.

Falling in love with blue cheese is similar to falling in love with a person. You need to get to know the flavor, and interact with it to really love blue cheese, but once you do, you are hooked for life.

Cheese Recipes

	Home Cheese Making: Recipes for 75 Delicious Cheeses The classic home cheese making primer has been updated and revised to reflect the increased interest in artisanal-quality cheeses and the availability of cheese making ... ~~$19.05~~ $3.57
	The Cheese Chronicles: A Journey Through the Making and Selling of Cheese in America, From ... The Cheese Chronicles is an insider's look at the burgeoning world of American cheese from one lucky person who has seen more wedges and wheels, visited more cheesemakers, and ... ~~$12.99~~ $12.95
	Mastering Cheese: Lessons for Connoisseurship from a Maître Fromager Maître fromager Max McCalman, author of The Cheese Plate and Cheese, is steeped in the world of artisanal cheeses like no one else. In Mastering Cheese, he shares the wealth ... ~~$22.29~~ $4.79

Blue Cheese Salad Dressing

	Wish-Bone Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing, 15 FL OZ Wish-Bone Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing adds bold flavor to your favorite recipes. Chunks of real, aged blue cheese with a dash of classic herbs, spices and buttermilk make this b... ~~$1.94~~ $1.76
	Kraft Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing (16 oz Bottle) Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing 16 fl. oz. Bottle Only $2.00
	Ken's Steak House Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing (2 Pack) Enjoy Ken's Steak House Chunky Blue Cheese Dressing. Only $6.00