 Born in the U.S.A.: Bayley Hazen Blue is made by Andy and Mateo Keehler in the style of the classic British Stilton but with its own distinct recipe. The Keehlers learned their craft at Colston-Bassett in Nottinghamshire. Click here for more information.
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Product Reviews / Main Nibbles / Cheese-Butter-YogurtBlue CheeseWhey To Go ~ December 2005
In Praise of the Blues
These aren’t the blues of B. B. King, nor are they the notorious holiday blues. I refer, of course, to blue cheeses. As a kid, there was no way I would voluntarily have eaten cheese with mold in it. But sometime during the period when I was discovering that foods such as asparagus and mushrooms were actually edible, my tastes in cheese changed, too. Now, I adore a good blue cheese. While I’ll go to great lengths to acquire such a product, I’d like to deny a story that I once smuggled an outstanding raw milk blue out of the U.K. into the U.S. (As it happens, that story is completely true, but I’d still like to deny it, because I’m not sure it was the brightest thing I’ve ever done.) Blue cheeses, once the closely-guarded secrets of fine cheesemakers in Europe, have begun to spring up in the U.S. They’re now made all over this country, in fact. That’s a little surprising, when you consider that blues are a particularly complex type of cheese to produce. It’s easy for the levels of both salt and mold in a blue cheese to go haywire, and even planned mold growth inside a blue causes radical change in the pH of the product, as well as alterations in the fats and proteins. Also, most blue cheeses are pierced with thin metal skewers, a process often called “punching” or “needling.” Piercing allows oxygen to enter the interior of the cheese, and that oxygen is necessary for proper mold growth. However, it also allows for the potential of unwanted molds and spores. This was best expressed by Tom Johnson, cheesemaker and co-owner of Bingham Hill Cheese Company in Colorado, when he noted that making blue cheese is a process “inherently flawed,” because “You’re taking a perfectly good cheese and poking holes in it, thus opening it up to whatever is in the atmosphere.” Aging is especially critical for blue cheeses, as well. Most begin the maturing process in a curing room, an area warmer than the aging facility. The relative warmth of the curing room helps to promote mold growth, but if a cheese is left in this environment for too long, it may dehydrate, lose butterfat, or have the mold growth run wild—or, alternatively, die out. With all of these variables, it’s easy to understand why blue cheese can be tricky to produce.
The cheeses are ripened further and turned frequently (especially during the early stages of the maturing process) to encourage even mold veining in the cheese wheel. Incidentally, “blue” cheeses don’t always have mold that’s blue. It may appear green, blue-green, or even a bluish black. Is there a most important step or component in the making of a great blue cheese? Come now, did you really expect a single answer to this question, with blue cheeses being made from Massachusetts to Texas and Vermont to California?
The unceasing battle between producers of raw (unpasteurized) milk cheeses and those who begin the process with pasteurized milk naturally extends to blue cheeses. There are cheesemakers who insist that pasteurized milk cheeses can never match the flavor of those made from raw milk, just as there are those who assert that pasteurized milk cheeses can be just as flavorful as those produced from raw milk and have the added benefit of fewer health risks. Is it possible to contract a food-borne illness from eating a cheese made with unpasteurized milk? Yes. And if you do, you may get very sick, especially if you’re immune-compromised to begin with. Does this happen often? The data collected by the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta show that, between 1990 and 1997 (the most recent year for which I found statistics), foods such as beef, chicken, shellfish, and vegetables were all responsible for more outbreaks of food-borne illness than were all types of cheeses, including those made from raw milk. As with many things in life, this is a choice for each consumer to make individually. But be warned you may find some very vocal proponents on each side! But let’s get down to brass tacks: what about taste? Aren’t all blues sharp and salty? I don’t think so. A blue cheese will be saltier and have a tangier taste than, say, a cream cheese or a Cheddar, but not all blues are intense. If you’re just starting out with blue cheeses, you might want to try a milder example of this craft. As usual, a knowledgeable retailer is your best bet here, and a good cheesemonger will have no hesitation in allowing you to try a blue cheese before you buy it. If there’s no good retailer in your area, turn to the internet. Fine merchants such as Murray’s Cheese, Ideal Cheese, or Formaggio Kitchen will offer multiple varieties of blues (as well as other cheeses). You won’t be able to sample the cheese before purchasing it, but you should be able to find a good description and have any questions answered. A little research and a few samples will hopefully have you singing the praises of the blues, as I do. Happy tasting!
Companies of the Month: Blue, Blue and More Blue!
Berkshire Cheese Makers. Michael Miller makes almost all of the company’s cheese, called Berkshire Blue. It isn’t too pungent or salty; Miller is known for having low levels of both acid and salt in his cheese. Berkshire Blue is one of my favorite blues in this country. It’s on the creamy side, with a milder blue taste than many, yet it’s very full-flavored and you absolutely know it’s a blue cheese. Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company. Makers of Original Blue, the Giacomini clan in California swear by their local environment, insisting that they couldn’t make the same cheese anywhere else. All milk used for their cheeses comes from their closed herd of Holsteins. Original Blue, at the left, is somewhat drier, crumblier, and sharper than Berkshire Blue, but nonetheless remains a fine all-around table cheese. Read THE NIBBLE’s review of Point Reyes Original Blue. The Rogue Creamery. David and Cary, respectively the President and CEO of Rogue, are two of the nicest guys going. Not only that, but they make a variety of blues to suit different tastes. Try the Oregon Blue Vein or the Oregonzola; for a change of pace, think about the Smokey Blue, smoked for 16 hours over hazelnut shells. (Read THE NIBBLE’s review of Smokey Blue.) Books For Cheese Lovers
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