The product we want to talk about today is mold cheese. In our country, it is practically not produced and is considered a real exotic. Unlike Russian types of product, mold cheese has a rather unusual, peculiar taste and aroma. We have prepared for you material from which you will learn what is called blue cheese (the most popular varieties), as well as present several salad recipes with this product.
Benefit
This cheese, as well as any other, has a lot of calcium, due to which it is considered useful. The peculiarity of this product is that due to the mold state, the calcium in it is absorbed by the body much faster. It surpasses even products such as eggs and fish in the amount of protein. The formation of muscles is influenced by the amino acids contained in the cheese. Scientists have proven that regular use of mold cheese stimulates the production of melanin, which protects the skin well from sunlight.
Blue cheese: the most famous varieties
Speaking about what mold cheese is, it should be said that these are special varieties in the production of which types of food mold safe for the body were used. It can vary in color and can be white, red, blue, green, etc. Different types of cheeses differ in the location of mold in it: it is inside in the form of spectacular veins or covers the “head” of cheese only on top.
White Cheeses
From a huge number of varieties it is quite easy to recognize this product: white fluffy mold is located on its entire surface. These varieties of cheese are eaten together with a crust, it gives the product an buttery texture with an exquisite piquant taste, it smells of earth, moss, mushrooms, dried grass - this is the smell of the coming autumn. The most popular varieties of brie, bulette d'Aven, Camembert, cambotsola.
Bree
White cheese with a grayish tint. Available in a circle shape up to 60 cm in diameter. Thickness can vary from 3 to 5 cm, the smaller it is, the sharper the taste of the product. Unripe brie has a softer structure, which hardens during aging. The aroma of cheese resembles ammonia, a white crust smells like ammonia. However, all these fragments are edible and completely safe for humans. This is one of those cheeses from which you should begin your acquaintance with mold products.
Bulet d'Aven
This is the name of blue cheese, which is considered the most smelly. Not every gourmet will decide to try it. Cheese is made from soft curd. Initially kept in beer brine, then make wormwood, pepper, parsley, garlic. Thanks to just this ingredient, such a pungent odor appears. The product is shaped into a cone weighing 180-200 g. After this, sprinkle with plenty of paprika and leave to mature for up to 3 months. The product has a soft structure, stored for no more than a month.
Camembert
One of the most popular high fat soft cheeses made from cow's milk. The birthplace of Camembert is France. For the production of cheese, only the highest grade milk is used; for this, the grazing of cows (before milking) is carried out on specialized pastures. The appearance of the finished product can be either light cream or dark. Its entire surface is covered with white airy mildew. The width of the finished cake is up to 11 cm, the thickness is up to 3 cm. The sharpness of the cheese directly depends on the ripening time. The finished product has a pronounced taste of mushrooms. Camembert has a short shelf life, so very often it is sold unripe.
Blue cheese
In this type of product, mold is not located on the surface of the head, but inside. The taste of cheese is more dependent on the milk used, the degree of aging, as well as the cooking technology. Among the large number of cheeses of this type, three of the most popular can be distinguished: Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Danablou. Cheeses of these brands have a salty, spicy and spicy flavor, smell like a mixture of thousands of flavors, among which oil, mold, moss are most pronounced.
Roquefort
This French blue cheese is considered the most famous among similar products. It is made exclusively from sheep’s milk. Roquefort can easily be identified by its green-blue veins; rye bread is used to obtain them. For a more uniform spread of mold, the head of the cheese is pierced with knitting needles. Its ripening occurs under certain conditions: in a natural calcareous cave with low temperature and high humidity.
Gorgonzola
Cheese is made from cow's milk; its ripening lasts about 2 months in natural caves with high humidity. By the way, the final price of the product also depends on exposure. Mushrooms are implanted into gorgonzola by injection, resulting in a beautiful pattern of blue mold. Cheese has a sweetish aftertaste. The finished product is wrapped in foil to prevent air from entering it. Quite often, blue cheese is added to salads and other dishes.
Red mold
Another variety of elite delicacy includes cheeses with red, burgundy, orange mold. Cheeses acquire such an unusual shade thanks to a special washing technology, which is produced during the aging of the product. Consider what processing they are subjected to:
- German Limburg is first tied with reed, and then watered with water, previously tinted with annatto dye;
- eppuas washed with burgundy vodka, which is made from red grapes.
Livaro
This cheese has a brown tint; it is produced only from high-quality raw materials. Winter is not usually produced. It is quite pungent in taste, due to which it leaves a specific aftertaste. Connoisseurs of gourmet cheese prefer to use it for food after 6 months of aging.
Epoiss
Produced from the most carefully selected, including bacteria, cow's milk. A pungent cheese with a delicate creamy taste. Ripens on wooden lattices in special rooms. As soon as a red crust begins to appear on the cheese, the product is treated with a salt solution, and then watered with Burgundy vodka.
Green mold
Consider which cheeses belong to this category. First of all, it should be said about dor-blue, as one of the most popular. Also here include Stilton, Saint-Agur, Bergader. Used such cheeses with mold for salads and other dishes.
Dor blue
Produced from the highest grades of milk. Mold is introduced into the cheese, which is why the finished product has green streaks. The cheese has a soft texture, has a spicy spicy taste. Often, molds come to the surface of the crust.
Fruit salad with cheese
We offer you to prepare a gourmet appetizer with ingredients such as arugula salad, blue cheese, pear. We take them in the following ratio:
- 1 bunch of ruccola;
- 100 g blue cheese;
- 1 tbsp. l walnuts;
- ripe big pear;
- 4 tbsp. l olive oil;
- salt, balsamic vinegar, black pepper.
Lettuce arbitrary tear the leaves with your hands, if you do not really like the taste of ruccola, you can replace it with any other greens. Take a ripe, but not soft pear, peel, remove the core, cut into slices. Blue cheese is best for this salad, the main thing is that it is not too hard. Cut it into cubes. It is better to stop your choice on one of these products: young Gorgonzola cheese, Roquefort, danable, you can take dor blue (with green mold). Fry walnuts a little in a pan, and then chop.
In a bowl, put lettuce, pear, blue cheese, sprinkle walnut on top. Mix balsamic vinegar with spices and sprinkle the salad. Fresh white bread or bruschetta is perfect for him.
Cheese and Shrimp Salad
We recommend preparing an unusual, with a very interesting taste salad with white cheese, shrimp, pineapple and herbs. To work, we need:
- Chinese cabbage - 300 g;
- Brie cheese - 200 g;
- shrimp - 250 g;
- canned pineapple - 1 can;
- greens, salt, mayonnaise, spices - to taste.
Boil shrimps in salted water, dry with a paper towel, cool. Chop the cabbage into thin strips, cut pineapples and cheese into large cubes. For a salad with blue cheese we combine all the ingredients, season with pepper, salt and season with mayonnaise. Before serving, sprinkle with finely chopped greens.
Salad with Roquefort, Persimmon, Pumpkin Seeds
We offer another amazing, gourmet salad recipe with blue cheese, persimmon, herbs, tomatoes and pumpkin seeds. Cooking per serving:
- lettuce (mix);
- 20 g of roquefort;
- 1 PC. petiole celery;
- ½ pcs persimmons;
- 1-2 tomatoes;
- 1 tbsp. l lemon juice and olive oil;
- 1 tbsp. l pumpkin seeds.
Lettuce leaves are laid out on plates, add slices of persimmon and tomato, put cubes of celery and Roquefort cheese in a salad, sprinkle with pumpkin seeds. We make a dressing of lemon juice and oil and put it into the dish.
Blue cheese is a unique food phenomenon. People have learned to use alien and often hostile organisms for the benefit of cooking, making gourmets happier, and shopping in the cheese shop fun. Eat mold cheeses with pleasure, but do not forget that mold uncharacteristic for the variety is a sign of a spoiled product.