But, depending on the breeds and their diets, even the flavors and colors of milks gathered from the same type of animal can vary. Many dairies have their own websites. serenityh from Morgantown, WV on August 21, 2011: Very good information. Get FREE ACCESS to every recipe and rating from theis season of our TV show. The first new batch is due to ship in late summer, 2017. :). Holle Abee from Georgia on June 11, 2010: It took me a while to develop a taste for blue cheese, but now I love it - especially with fruit! If you aren’t buying it, you should be. Elizabeth Hong from Dallas, Texas on August 21, 2011: That reminds me, I need to buy some blue cheese! This is a fabulous article filled with detailed information on the subject. Only cheese aged in the Combalou caves in Roquefort-Sur-Soulzon may be labeled "Roquefort." The result of all the variations in manufacturing methods is a category of cheese with many distinct styles covering the full range of flavors: salty, sweet, acidic, bitter, and savory. Great read! It takes second place on my list due to its spicy bite and tangy flavor. While Point Reyes probably didn’t set out to make a blue cheese with notes of salted caramel and cookie dough, that’s exactly what it did. Stephanie Izard's Mashed Blue Cheese Sweet Potatoes, Spicy Cheddar Burgers with Chunky Blue Cheese Aioli, Mixed Greens with Blueberries & Buttermilk Goat Cheese Dressing. Broccoli gets nicely browned and yummy! These regulations, which are divided into two tiers called Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), limit a given cheese’s production to a specific area and include standards for everything from ingredients to the size of the wheels to the number of days a cheese must be aged. They are listed by where they are made, with background information and tasting notes included to help you decide which ones suit your flavor and texture preferences. It can intimidate or perplex even adventurous eaters, as evidenced by the questions I heard: Is Gorgonzola the Italian word for blue cheese? The cheese by itself is a bit strong for me, but I still love it. John, wasn't it just amazing chicken? But for blue cheese, strains of mold are added, either as a liquid to the milk or as a powder sprinkled over the curds. Plain, rubbery American cheddars never measured up to the British stuff. Esther Shamsunder from Bangalore,India on June 11, 2010: Thanks for a very informative hub. As the name may suggest, gorgonzola is an Italian cheese made from either goat's or unskimmed cow's milk or a combination of the two. They have totally rebuilt their facility. My Dad also loves blue cheese and is allergic to penicillin-luckily he has no reaction to foods. Gorgonzola is not just the Italian name for blue cheese. Sommer explained that these wrappings create “microenvironments” of precisely the right humidity, allow some oxygen to penetrate the cheese, and also prevent air currents from drying out the exteriors of the wheels. This cheese gets its name from the farm where it's produced, Maytag Dairy Farms, located just outside of Newton, Iowa, the former home of the famous multi-billion dollar appliance corporation, Maytag. With its bold, sharp, and tangy flavor, this cheese may be an acquired taste for a discriminating palate. Thanks so much, lizmoss! Thanks for the visit. Due to the milk, mold, and cultures, even the mildest ones are rich in flavor. They are listed by where they are made, with background information and tasting notes included to help you decide which ones suit your flavor and texture preferences. The crumbly cheeses will be the strongest and the hard cheeses are somewhere in the middle. Thanks, cosette! The milk of cows that eat a lot of fresh grass in summer will contain more carotenoids (plant pigments) and will appear darker in color, and the cheese made with it will have a yellow hue. Definitely try these kinds of blue cheese, they are delicious! Danish Blue: Danablu is a strong, blue-veined cheese. I've used both stainless steel and cast iron pans. Adjusting their piercing processes is an important way that cheesemakers can control mold growth, producing everything from the delicate, marble-like blue veining of Stilton to the big, hollow pockets of mold typical of Roquefort. It is harder in texture, has a crusty outer layer, and has strong … In order for the mold spores to grow properly, the cheese curds have to be the right size. Learn real cooking skills from your favorite food experts, The iconic magazine that investigates how and why recipes work, American classics, everyday favorites, and the stories behind them, Experts teach 200+ online courses for home cooks at every skill level, Kid tested, kid approved: Welcome to America’s Test Kitchen for the next generation. I'm a freelance writer by day and jewelry maker by night. The loaves are then wrapped and aged for another 3 to 10 months. My grandpa always has cheese in a glass covered dish at room temperature. The leaves imbue the cheeses with an earthy flavor (plus the flavor of the liquid they’re soaked in) and act as a moisture barrier, giving the cheese a creamier texture. To me one of the benefits of blue cheese is the penicillin culture, particularly Penicillin Roequeforte. Camembert + Gorgonzola = Cambozola, and it’s exactly what it sounds like. maruthirp from Hyderabad on July 03, 2010: Hi Paige! Veronica Allen from Georgia on June 10, 2010: Congratulations on your win. All the 14 blue cheeses featured here are unique and worth trying. Those leaves generally remain on the cheeses when they’re shipped, but most other cheeses are uncovered and wrapped in aluminum foil. Brenda Barnes from America-Broken But Still Beautiful on August 21, 2011: YUM! Traditionally, the cheese is aged in a cave or another dark, damp environment for 8 to 12 weeks. But I still think that this hub is interesting nonetheless. Recipe to try: Pickled Vegetable & Blue Cheese … There are a few notable exceptions, including Roquefort, which is made with sheep’s milk, and Valdeón, which is made mostly from cow’s milk and a bit of goat’s milk (and sometimes sheep’s milk). Remember too that, like all cheese, blue cheese is a living thing. This is what peanut butter should be like, " declared one happy taster, noting specifically this product's "good," "thick" texture and "powerful peanut flavor." I used my cast iron skillet- marvellous! What kind of "strong" are you referring to with strong blue cheese? Then, to control the rate of mold growth and to allow the cheese’s flavors to continue developing, the wheels are transferred to cooler, drier locations. To put together this list of blue cheeses, I consulted with experts from The Guild of Fine Food, which organizes the World Cheese Awards, and the American Cheese Society to identify some of the world’s best and most important blue cheeses. Impressive! Depending on the size of the wheel and the style of the blue cheese, each cheesemaker customizes how and when the piercing occurs. Any firm blue cheese, like Stilton, should be first wrapped in wax paper, then sealed in an airtight plastic bag and placed in your refrigerator's cheese drawer. It wasn't until my teens that I learned there is a wide variety of blue cheeses, and they're not all made in France. The right Gruyère is buttery and complex, is pleasantly firm and dense, and melts like a champ. Ha ha, glad to set you straight! Finally, the milk can be pasteurized at a high temperature to kill off potentially harmful organisms, treated at a relatively low temperature, or kept raw. America's Test Kitchen will not sell, rent, or disclose your email address to third parties unless Finally, we've arrived at the almighty, revered Roquefort. Never tried any of the blue cheese you mentioned. Precise temperatures are used for this delicate process. Of course, the number of cheeses produced in France has grown significantly since Charles de Gaulle's infamous complaint! He was pleasantly surprised by the delicious flavor! Veronica Allen from Georgia on June 04, 2010: Who knew blue cheese had such a history! Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Center for Dairy Research. The curds are then carefully cut into cubes, drained, and salted. No surprise you won! Five are produced domestically by cheesemakers that have helped define artisan cheese in America. Being originally from the UK is was almost a "staple" in my family - we especially used to eat a lot of it at Christmastime. The Danish Blue cheese is made with cow’s milk, is moist, and takes about 8-12 weeks to age. This cheese is now made in the regions of Lombardy and Piedmont and infused with lactic acid bacteria as well as the traditional. As a youngster, I thought all blue cheese was called “Roquefort.” We even had Roquefort salad dressing, by golly. Let your nose be your guide! Manufacturers encourage rind development for many styles of blue cheeses. It can be done manually by inserting an individual needle into the wheel at various intervals or mechanically by inserting a number of needles welded onto a large plate into the wheels in unison. Gorgonzola is made by first warming the milk with the lactic acid bacteria along with the mold spores so that it separates into curds. Blue cheese is wonderful. This cheese is aged at low temperatures for various lengths of time (usually between 3 to 4 months), depending upon the desired consistency of the cheese. Rogue River Blue has taken the top prize at the 2019 World Cheese Awards, marking the first time a US cheese has ever been named. I then narrowed them down to 14 that are readily available at American supermarkets, specialty shops, or online. Chiriboga blue is the cultured butter of blue cheeses — smooth, grassy, creamy, and a crowd favorite. In 1941, the grandsons of Maytag's founder began to make cheese. In this article you say that Danish bleu is one of the strongest tasting blue cheeses and you also say that Danish bleu is one of the mildest blue cheeses.