French Bleu d'Auvergne Blue Cheese

Bleu d'Auvergne is a wonderful pasteurized cow's milk blue cheese produced in the Auvergne region of France.   Bleu d'Auvergne is an AOC (Appellation d'Origine Controlle) name controlled cheese and this assures the quality and production methods that are used to produce it.

Details: The cows in the Auvergne region graze in verdant pastures and produce large quantities of top quality milk. The method and recipe for producing Bleu d'Auvergne is centuries old and has changed little over time but there are now large producers so this blue cheese is available almost everywhere. The cheese is made into six pound wheels and is wrapped in foil. The outer surface is not really considered to be a true rind so it is edible but it is quite salty The interior paste is white or tending to light beige and will have a high concentration of blue veins.

Bamboo Cheese Cutting Board And Knife Set from Amazon

Flavor: Bleu d"Auvergne is a mild blue cheese so it is not nearly as sharp as Roquefort or Spanish Cabrales. You will be able to pick out hints of grass and to a lesser extent a nutty undertone.

When shopping for Bleu d'Auvergne do not purchase any that show signs reddening, browning or cracks in the outer surface. In addition ask for a small sample, if the cheese feels overly soft or has a rancid or any other odor not buy it.

If you can not find Bleu d'Auvergne good sustitutes are Maytag Blue, Spanish Picon or Fourme d'Ambert.

Keurig K-Cafe Coffee Maker the Amazon

How to serve Bleu d'Auvergne: It is a great addition to garden salads or blended into a vinaigrette or made into a salad dressing. It is also wonderful as an after dinner cheese served with sweet fruits.

Wine Pairings: Full bodied Rhone reds, fruity whites, sweet Sauternes, Riesling or a Sauvignon Blanc

Maytag Blue A Classic American Blue Cheese

Maytag Blue Cheese is made on the Maytag family farm in Newton Iowa and has been a prized American farmstead cheese since the early 1940's. 

 Details: Maytag Blue is made from unpasteurized cow's milk  from the Holstein - Friesian cows that graze on the farm. Each step of its production is still done by hand. The raw milk is entered into vats and rennet is added to form the curd. The curd is then ladled into hoops and formed into four pound wheels. The cheese wheels are then pierced and seeded with Penicillium Roqueforti  mold and left to age for six months in cellars on the farm. When the cheeses are fully aged they are wrapped in Maytag's iconic blue and silver foil.

 Flavor:The finished cheeses have a light straw colored paste and ample blue veining, a nice peppery zing and wonderful crumbly but creamy texture. Maytag Blue's flavor will become more assertive as it ages and this cheese holds up well so this is not a bad thing. If you enjoy Roquefort, Cabrales or Stilton give this American classic a try and I promise that you will not be disappointed.

Keurig K-Cafe Coffee Maker  from Amazon

When shopping for Maytag Blue do not purchase any that have a grayish or pinkish tint to the paste or are excessively runny. These are signs of excessive aging and will make for a very unpleasant purchase . As noted above this cheese will hold up pretty well so wrap it in wax paper or tin foil and place it in the refrigerator but remember to keep it separated from other foods and cheeses. Maytag Blue can be found in most good cheese shops, Whole Foods and online at Amazon.

You can serve Maytag Blue crumbled over salads or melt it over grilled burgers. It also makes a great blue cheese dressing.

Wine pairing: Strong domestic reds or sweet whites like Sauternes. It also goes well with medium bodied ales.

Stilton Blue Cheese England's King Of Cheeses

 

When you are considering the purchase of blue cheese you may want to investigate English Stilton blue cheese. This great blue cheese is usually overlooked and under appreciated by cheese buyers because Roquefort, Cabrales, Valdeon and Gorgonzola get all the attention. So we would like to shine a bright light on the magnificent Stilton blue cheese which is well known as the English holiday cheese. It is thought that this tradition is based around Stilton's yearly arrival in stores during the early fall and the Christmas holidays.

Stilton is known as the King of English Cheeses, and is only made in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire. It is the only English cheese protected by a certificated trade mark. The British name certification insures that the milk and the cheese manufacturing must be done in the above listed counties and that the production recipe and aging process must adhere to the guidelines established by the Stilton Cheese Makers’ Association/

English Cheese Sampler  at Amazon

Details: Stilton is a pasteurized, firm cow’s milk cheese with a natural brushed inedible rind. It has a dry rough or gritty brownish rind and an ivory colored interior paste that has large amounts of greenish-blue veins .The production of Stilton begins when a culture of Penicillium Roquefortii is added to the milk and the starter, the rennet is added a short time later. After cutting, draining, milling and salting the curds, then shaping ( into cylinders) and turning by hand, the cheeses are stored in precise conditions of temperature and humidity to produce the characteristic crust and veining. The veining is created by inserting steel needles to aid in the aeration and mold growth. The cylinders are then aged for a minimum of six months, however the best Stilton's are aged for at least12 months and have a fat content of about 55%

Keurig K-Elite Coffee Maker  from Amazon

Well aged Stilton's exhibit an inner paste that has a crumbly yet moist and creamy texture a spicy aroma and a sharp tangy flavor. This wonderful cheese should be savored at the end of a meal with a hearty bread and red wine. Any leftovers can be added to Crème Fraiche to create a tasty spread. Try to remember that this is a strong cheese and it will overpower most other cheeses. So, when using it on a cheese platter or at a cheese tasting serve it at the end of the line. If you can not find Stilton three good substitutes are Gorgonzola, Maytag Blue and English Shropshire Blue which the same characteristics as Stilton except that an orange color instead of white.

When shopping for Stilton avoid any that have gray interior paste or that fall apart when cut. Ask your cheese monger to cut your cheese in layers not wedges, this will add eye appeal to your table setting. The condition of the outer rind will usually look unsightly but this is not really important and should not hinder you from purchasing it. Stilton should be covered with a clean damp cotton cloth and then wrapped with aluminum foil and kept in the vegetable bin in the refrigerator. If fuzzy mold develops on the rind just scrape it off . Stilton can usually be found in good cheese shops or online at Amazon. Stilton Blue Cheese

For some really great recipes using Stilton cheese check out the link.

The best brands to purchase are, Long Clawson Dairy, Cropwell Bishop Creamery, Colston Bassett and Thomas Hoe Stevenson all are readily available here in  the United States. The Long Clawson Dairy also produces a great cheese named Huntsman  which is made by cutting out sections of Double Gloucester and filling them with Stilton. 

Wine parings: All big reds, Bordeaux, Cotes-du Rhone, Sherry, a good tawny Port or Madeira, also try it with a good hearty English or Irish Beer.

                                                               

Spanish Cabrales A Royal Blue Cheese From Spain

Cabrales is  produced in the rugged mountains of the Asturias region of Spain and is DOP Certified.Traditionally the cheese was produced from the local milk of cows ,goats and sheep and then wrapped with sycamore leaves. However, most of the Cabrales that we see in the United States today is made solely from cow's milk and is wrapped in foil. This Spanish blue cheese is made in the spring and summer using centuries old methods of production and aging.

Spanish Cheese Sampler  at Amazon

Details: The locally collected milk  is allowed to sit for three to four hours before goat rennet is added and the curdling process begins. The curds are then molded into 5lb wheels and set in  caves to age. After about a week the young cheeses are pierced with steel needles to allow the natural bacteria in the caves to seep into the white paste. This produces.veining in the interior paste that is very intense  and tends towards being purple in color. It should be noted here that Cabrales is not made by injecting penicillium mold so it's veining is natural. The curing process proceeds from the outside (the rind) to the inner paste, thus producing an inedible natural rind that can look very unsightly and is extremely salty. The local limestone caves provide the perfect environment for aging this great cheese at  45-55F and 90% humidity. The normal aging process lasts from two to six months however, the Cabrales that is imported into the United States is aged about 2 months and has a mellower flavor the longer aged cheeses. If after trying Cabrales you find it to be overpowering  you can substitute Stilton for it. 

Tasting notes:The aroma and flavor of Cabrales are strong and pungent, this cheese is not for the weak hearted. The flavor is explosive and powerful with a decidedly salty note and a spicy finish. As the cheese ages the the salty flavor will increase, the veining will get darker and pockets of crystalized amino acids will begin to form, all of this adds several magnitudes of intense flavor and aroma.

When shopping for Cabrales look for cheeses that have a clean light yellow crumbly but moist interior paste and thick veining. If the interior paste is gray or is oozing it is a sign that the cheese is past its prime and will be a very unpleasant purchase.

Serve Cabrales with sweet fruits like grapes figs or melons and crusty bread for brunch. It also livens up all vegetable salads and pairs well with almonds and walnuts. Cabrales is an excellent blue cheese for melting over grilled or roasted meats. Mashed with a bit of unsalted butter or heavy cream, it is delicious served as a spread for baguette slices, crackers, or fruit.

Wine Paring: Strong Spanish reds like el Bierzo, Navarra, Rioja and sweet or dry Spanish Sherries.

How To Create Cheese Boards and Cheese Plates

Several customers have asked about the best way to arrange or set up cheese tasting parties or cheese plates for dinners. So I thought it would help many of our readers if we explained these topics on our blog. As I always note these are our opinions and are not meant to be the final word. I respect differing ideas or thoughts from the ones used here and encourage any comments or other insights to be expressed for the benefits of our readers. So here we go.

ALWAYS ALLOW YOUR CHEESES TO REACH ROOM TEMPERATURE BEFORE SERVING THEM.

Determine how many people will be served and what type of setting you will have( cheese course, wine and cheese tasting, cheeseboard or cheese plate). When this is determined it is easy to calculate the amount of cheese per person. Figure that for an appetizer or a tasting party a three cheese plate will account for about one ounce of each cheese per person for a six cheese setting cut these portions in half. For more substantial settings like a cheese course at dinner or a cheese board consider serving 2 to 2 1/2 ounces per cheese for each person. With these figures you should be able to calculate the amount of cheese to purchase, but you should always add at least and extra 1/2 lb to each of your cheese totals so that you will not be caught short. As the host you can enjoy any of the leftovers the next day.

Cheese Board Set at Amazon


A cheese board or cheese plate is a collection of cheeses that are set out for the purposes of tasting and comparing or as an appetizer course. The cheese board should be composed of a minimum of three and a maximum of six cheeses arranged on a large serving area or plate. The reason for this is that the selection should be diverse enough to comprise cheeses of different countries, milks and textures( ie: soft, hard or semi-hard) but not too many to overwhelm the guests palates. The serving or presentation area should be large enough so that the cheeses do not touch each other or co-mingle while being handled, this will prevent mixing of the aromas and flavors. Precut small portions of each cheese and then let your guests cut their own portions.

The cheese plate is essentially the same idea except each diner is individually given a small portion of each cheese on his or her plate. For larger gatherings a serving plate with sliced cheese can be presented on each table and the diners can choose their own portions and cheeses. Try to cut the cheeses into interesting shapes such as wedges not just the usual cubes because this will add eye appeal to each plate. When serving cheese as a dinner course present only one or two precut selections and place them on each diners plate. Also be sure to provide your guests with two or three cheese condiments such as olives, fruit, nuts, fruit spreads or jams and of course crusty breads. Wines if offered should represent the same country and region as that of the cheeses.

Wine Glass Set  at Amazon


A wine and cheese tasting party should also contain a diverse selection (three to six types) of cheeses but each should be presented separately on its own plate or board. With this in mind we like to create a progression of cheeses to be sampled. This progression can be designed in many ways according to the theme of your party. What we mean here, as an example is suppose you are having a Spanish theme night then the focus would be on Spanish cheeses. So for this you could then choose Spanish cheeses from different types of milk like goat, cow and sheep, or by texture, soft, hard, semi-hard and fresh. The next part is to set up the tasting selections in the order of flavor starting with the mildest and working up to the most flavorful and complex. By doing this you will expose your guests to a series of differing flavors that will build upon each previous one. For instance start with a mild goat milk cheese like Murcia al Vino then move on to Idiazabal a smoked sheep cheese and finally Cabrales a strong blue cheese. When choosing by texture the type of milk is not important so once again go from fresh to soft to hard. You can choose only hard or soft cheeses but then again always go from mild flavor to strong flavor. As noted above, all of your selections should be on individual serving plates or boards. To make everything go a bit smoother precut each cheese into small wedges or cubes but leave a portion of each uncut, this will encourage your guests to cut larger portions of cheeses that they find enjoyable. Be sure to provide a separate knife for each cheese so that the flavors do not get mixed and muddied.

In a future post I will be discussing various cheese condiments and how they can be used to enhance your enjoyment of cheese so stay tuned or subscribe to my feed.

Hopefully all of this does not sound intimidating or seem to be too daunting a task. Just remember that anyone can create a wonderful table presentation with just a little thought and preparation. I suggest strongly that you find a good local or online cheese shop that is willing to help you with your plans and questions. They can provide an invaluable service to you and can make your party a success.