Monday, December 10, 2007

Blue Cheese



I need to start by saying I LOVE CHEESE!

I have not consumed a wide variety of cheeses in my life, but I don't think I've ever tried one that I did not like. Well except if you include those Kraft single slice sandwich slices of "cheese"...the ones that come individually wrapped in plastic and taste about the same as the plastic.

How could anyone NOT like cheese? Well you could ask my son, because he is not fond of it. Unless it is in a melted, gooey heap on his pizza and then he LOVES cheese.

If it were not for the fact that cheese has a high fat content (and MY fat content is already higher than I desire) - I could eat cheese all day.

The other day we purchased a small tub of Blue Cheese. I conferred with my dd to make sure she'd be willing to try it, before I decided to buy it. She was willing. The unusual foods we are trying are not meant to be tasted, then thrown out if no one likes them - so I do include the children in the decisions.

My dd has tried Feta cheese and LOVES IT. She even used her own money once to buy a package and then was heartbroken when it started getting moldy before she could finish it. So I figured there was a good chance that she would like Blue Cheese.

Speaking of moldy cheese - let's get back to the Blue Cheese. Yes it is "moldy" cheese. The cheese has had cultures of Penicillium injected into it and that is what causes the blue veins, the strong smell and sharp taste.

It is a bit hard to get past the idea that you are intentionally eating something, that as my children would say - is spoiled or rancid.

I got past the I'm-eating-mold long enough to taste a small crumble and LOVED IT! Alas, both children barely ate one of the crumbles and declared that it was nasty! I'm thinking if the girl tried it a few more times, she might learn to like it...but since the boy can't even stand the smell of Feta cheese - I figured that one taste was all he'd ever give it.

The cheese was very smooth and very sharp tasting. I did not find the smell to be overpowering. I ate some plain with my fingers, I ate some on crackers, some on bread and some in salads.

I wasn't sure I'd be able to eat the whole container of Blue Cheese (or if I did I would regret it) - so I made a Cobb Salad and served it when we had some company. Here is a recipe similar to the one I used for the Cobb Salad...I did not include any meat in mine(was already being served with soup), nor did I include any eggs (no time to hardboil them) or tomatoes (b/c I forgot to buy them). Also I included some fresh spinach and used an almost fat-free type dressing similar to Italian.

I came across a website about how to make your own Blue Cheese...I'm not brave enough to attempt to make and eat my own - but maybe you will be.



4 comments:

Renee said...

I love blue cheese so much. And feta. And cheddar. And Colby. And Parmigiana/Parmesan (but not the kind in the green can). And mozzarella. And Gouda. And muenster. And Havarti (especially dill Havarti). And pepper jack. And Monterey jack. And farmers' cheese. And goat cheese. And...

I think the only kind of cheese I don't like is ricotta. I refuse to consider Velveeta cheese.

Your post makes me hungry for cheese.

Edi said...

Well every time I see the up close picture of all the blue cheese bits, it makes me wish I had another package to start nibbling on!

napkinpirates said...

Might try Roquefort next time.

Pejuang online said...

good i like it :D