Not so long ago, the public’s attitude to mold cheese was skeptical. Only gourmets enjoyed its refined taste, who want to constantly receive new taste sensations from various products and combinations. Today, recipes with blue cheese are very popular. In cooking, it can act as an independent dish; it is used for making sauces, salads, soups, and even desserts.
Varieties of mold
The main and popular types of blue cheese are made from cow's milk; less often, a product obtained from goats is used for this purpose. There are several dozen types and varieties of blue cheese, but not all of them are widespread. The most common cheese is white mold, which covers the product only on the outside. For its preparation, varieties of white mold are used.
Cheese with blue and green mold is no less popular, such a variety of molds is considered noble, and the product with its content is notable for its spicy sweet taste and quite pleasant aroma. Using a special needle, special holes are made in the cheese head, where mold is later settled, and the product is left to ripen.
Recipes with blue cheese often include a fermented milk product with red mold spores. In addition to the effects of special types of mold, manufacturers use wine, cider or red vodka for cooking.
Benefit and harm
Since the advent of the amazing product to the present, there has been constant debate about the usefulness and possible harm from eating spicy cheese. Dishes with blue cheese, the recipes of which include a wide variety of ingredients, are becoming increasingly popular every year. This factor is justified by the undoubted benefit of the product.
- The high calcium content necessary for the full formation of the bone skeleton, nails, human teeth. Supplement in the form of noble varieties of mold, helps more efficient absorption of the product.
- For muscle tissue in healthy cheese there is protein and protein, amino acids necessary for athletes and people who want to gain muscle mass. Regular use of the product will help not only maintain tissue tone, but also contribute to their growth.
- Blue cheese has a variety of vitamins necessary for normal metabolism. In addition, the presence of phosphorus salt reduces the risk of developing diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Useful trace elements, minerals contribute to the formation of melanin, necessary for the regeneration of the skin and epidermal cells.
Product properties that are harmful to the human body have not been established, however, despite this, it nevertheless has a number of contraindications. Specialists in healthy nutrition do not recommend cheese with mold to people suffering from various degrees of obesity. The high fat content of the product does not allow it to be fully absorbed in the body with impaired metabolism.
How to cook at home
Despite its popularity, this is a rather expensive product that is not available to every buyer. An alternative is homemade mold cheese, the recipe for which is simple and straightforward. To get a semi-hard cheese with a delicate, buttery texture and a spicy taste, it is enough to prepare a set of necessary components:
- Cow's milk - 8 liters;
- sourdough for hard cheese - a quarter of a teaspoon;
- rennet - ¼ teaspoon;
- rock salt - 1 tbsp. the spoon;
- mold spores - 0.01 g.
To make cheese at home, milk must be heated over low heat to a temperature of 30-35 degrees. Ferment and mold are distributed alternately on the surface of warm milk. By smooth movements from bottom to top, the mass is stirred using a slotted spoon, distributing the components. After which the milk is left for 30 minutes to infuse the yeast.
In a separate container, salt and rennet, which, after complete dissolution, are added to milk, must be diluted in 30 ml of warm water, everything is mixed again and kept at room temperature for 1.5-2 hours. After the lapse of time, a clot of dense consistency is formed from milk, which is cut into large pieces with a long knife or skewer. The colander is covered with gauze in several layers or with a dense cloth, where pieces of future cheese are subsequently transferred.
To make a quality product at home, you must strictly follow the cooking recipe. Hand-made blue cheese is somewhat different from a store product, however its taste will undoubtedly please lovers of spicy combinations.
After the serum has separated from the clots, the tissue (gauze) is tied in a bag, placed on a cutting board, a load weighing 3-4 kg is placed and left for 4 hours. The form for the future cheese is covered with a soft cloth that absorbs moisture well, spread the cheese mass into it in small pieces, firmly crushing them. The surface is covered with a cotton towel and the product is kept for 48 hours at room temperature. Several times a day, the mass is turned upside down and again covered with a cloth.
After two days, the cheese is removed from the mold, the tissue is removed and left for 24 hours for ventilation. Frequent punctures are made with a knitting needle or wooden skewer so that the mold spreads evenly throughout the cheese. In this form, the cheese ripens at a temperature of +5 degrees 3-4 weeks.
Salad recipe
The simplest and most refined dish is a salad with blue cheese. The recipes for its preparation are very diverse, depending on the favorite set of related products and the rules for combining ingredients. One of the salads, which can be made quickly and simply, includes such components:
- Iceberg salad - 1 pc.;
- red onion - 1 pc.;
- red cabbage - ½ head medium size;
- olive oil - 2 tablespoons;
- wine vinegar - 50 ml;
- 5-6 cloves of garlic;
- blue cheese - 40 g;
- salt, ground pepper to taste.
Cabbage and onions are cut into strips, fried for 4-5 minutes with low heat at 1 tbsp. spoon of olive oil, cool and squeeze out excess fluid. Lettuce leaves can be torn by hands into small pieces, mixing with cabbage and onions. The cheese is broken into small pieces, combined with vinegar, olive oil, chopped garlic and salt. Salad season with the resulting sauce, sprinkled with ground pepper.
Combination with a pear
An excellent combination has a pear with blue cheese. The recipe for a gourmet snack requires the following components:
- fresh and dried pear slices;
- blue cheese;
- whole wheat bread;
- mayonnaise.
A square container is covered with cling film, a dried pear is laid out, a thin lattice of mayonnaise is made using a pastry bag. With the next layer, distribute the small crumbs of cheese and cover it with thin slices of bread without crusts, evenly covering the surface. Pour the bread with mayonnaise, spread the plates of fresh pears and sprinkle with cheese crumbs. Lightly season with mayonnaise and make another bowl of slices of bread.
The dish is covered with cling film, put a cutting board, pressed with a load and kept in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours. The finished snack is freed from the film, cut into uniform squares, turned over so that the dried pears are on top, stick a skewer and serve to the table.
Cheese Sauces
Dishes with blue cheese, recipes of which include creamy sauces, are particularly tender and piquant. To prepare a milk dressing, mold cheese is melted in milk or cream with little heat. The sauce is brought to taste with sour cream, aromatic herbs.
It is important to remember: a healthy product has a unique, specific flavor, which should not be clogged with spicy aromas. A perfect combination gives cheese with nutmeg, cinnamon, ground pepper.
Trout Recipe
You can get an excellent taste of the dish if you combine lightly salted trout with blue cheese. Recipes for such snacks may slightly differ from each other by the addition of various components. To prepare the dish, the fish is cut into thin plates. Knead the cheese with a fork, add herbs, spices and other types of soft cheese that do not have a pronounced taste.
In the trout slices put a little stuffing, roll up and insist 1-2 hours in the refrigerator. The finished appetizer is served on an oval dish, parsley leaves, slices of fresh pear, slices of lemon are used for decoration.
Sandwiches and Canapes
Very often, blue cheese is used for making snacks in the form of sandwiches and various kinds of canapes. Serve it on thin slices of black, rye, whole grain bread. A product with a bright specific taste can act as an independent dish that does not require additional components.
Canapes on skewers - easy to prepare, but tasty and presentable appetizer. In combination with blue cheese, seedless grapes, cherry tomatoes, shrimp, mussels, red fish can appear. Uniform cubes of various products are strung on a wooden skewer in any order, creating a chaotic color combination.
Combination with other products
For the preparation of soups, sauces and snacks very often use blue cheese. The recipes of dishes differ in cooking technology, in the way of heat treatment and in combination with other components. The value of a piquant product is due to its unusual taste, therefore, in the preparation of a dish it is important to consider taste compatibility.
The gentle creamy cheese flavor blends perfectly with seafood, fruits such as pineapple, grapes, and pears. To prepare desserts, it is often combined with nuts, dried fruits and citruses. They emphasize and emphasize the noble taste of the product and retain its delicate aroma.
Potted pumpkin
The recipe is very popular - cheese with white mold in combination with pumpkin and pear. To prepare the dish, the pumpkin, peeled from the skin and seeds, is cut into small cubes, baked in the oven until half ready. Pear is cut into large slices, sprinkled with lemon juice, goat cheese is broken into arbitrary pieces.
In clay pots layers lay pumpkin, white cheese, pear, goat cheese, filling the tank to the top. In a separate dish, dressing is made from creamy yogurt, several teaspoons of cognac and chopped garlic. Salt and ground black pepper are added to your own taste. Refueling watered the components in a pot and baked in the oven for 30-40 minutes at a temperature of 200 degrees.
Submission Rules
Modern cooking offers various recipes with blue cheese. However, often a useful product acts as an independent dish. In this case, you must take into account the basic rules of the presentation. Cheese is cut into thin slices, always served on bread rolls or slices of bread without a crust. Supplement with grapes, nuts, fruit platter.
Most often, the taste of blue cheese is perfectly expressed in combination with dry grape or semi-sweet wine. From alcoholic drinks cognac, brandy or rum are also suitable. Spicy product is not served with meat or fish dishes. This combination is unacceptable according to the rules of dietetics.