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When it comes to cheese, you could say there are two types of people – those who love blue cheese and everyone else.
If you’re in the former camp, there’s no doubt that you’re feelings about blue cheese are just like the ingredient itself: strong and intense. As it turns out, your preference for blue cheese could come down to one key factor: a penchant for salty flavours.
Kathy Harrington of explains that most blue cheeses have a salty bite. That’s why blue cheese pairs so well with desert wine, honey and dried fruit.
“All cheeses are comprised of fat and salt,” says Harrington, a member of a cheesemaking trio that’s based in Kangaroo Valley, NSW. “Blue cheese has the same amount of fat in it as most other cheeses do, because [the fat comes from milk and] milk is a constant ingredient across all cheeses. But blue cheese contains a lot more salt than most other cheeses do.”
Blue cheese is quite an accidental style of cheese.
Salt is typically added to blue cheese – a fermented food – to act as a preservative and keep any unwanted bacteria from growing inside the cheese as it ages.
“When you’re maturing blue cheese, you also rub the outside with salt. Aged blue cheeses are often very salty. But that’s what tastes so good about an aged blue cheese, right?”
“If you don’t know where to start, try attending a blue cheese workshop. They are available everywhere.” Kathy Harrington of Valley Cheesemakers. Source: Photo by Yasmin Noone
What makes blue cheese blue?
To enjoy the flavour of blue cheese, you also have to be okay with the thought of eating blue mould. Cheesemakers make cheese go blue by adding Penicillium cultures, which are non-toxic and safe for human consumption.
When the Penicillium mould spores mix with milk, they start the fermentation process that creates blue cheese. Cheesemakers also pierce their cheese with stainless steel needles to create holes or pathways for air to flow, for blue mould to develop and mature.
There are two main Penicilliums used in cheese: . These two moulds have been used in varying quantities to create many types of cheese of differing textures and tastes across the centuries.
Artisan cheesemaker and co-owner of Rosie Cupitt, tells SBS the first type of blue mould was named after the village in southern France where blue cheese mould was discovered.
“Blue cheese is quite an accidental style of cheese,” Cupitt says to SBS. “Local folklore tells of a shepherd in Roquefort who left his sandwich in a cave to go canoodling with a favoured girl. He returned weeks later to eat his cheese sandwich, which had developed a blue blush and a great aroma and flavour. The spores from his sandwich were cultivated to inoculate the milk for continued production of the cheese.”
In addition to Roquefort cheese, is used to make , and .
Penicillium glaucum is the other type of mould available. It was originally used to make and later, varieties like , and some versions of .
“Gorgonzola is said to have originated from wheels of Stracchino cheese that were left in a basement in the village of Gorgonzola,” adds Cupitt. “Months later, the cheese was discovered and deemed delicious.”
Rosie Cupitt's blue cheese called ‘flor azul’. Source: Supplied to SBS Food
You can make blue cheese at home
To prove as much, Khanh Ong travels to Victoria to learn how to make artisan blue cheese during an episode of his new show airing on SBS on Sunday 11 June.
Although Ong is well regarded as a culinary adventurer with excellent cooking skills, blue cheese is not that difficult to make. “If you love blue cheese, try to make it at home,” says Harrington, who co-runs regular “If you don’t know where to start, try attending a blue cheese workshop. They are available everywhere.”
Once you’ve made your first batch of blue cheese at a workshop, you’ll need to store it. Blue cheese can last up to a year if stored correctly at a constant temperature of eight-to-11 degrees Celsius. “I use a wine fridge but you can mature your cheese in an Esky just as long as you maintain the temperature with an ice brick.”
If you want to make a good quality blue cheese at home, all you need is a love of cooking and a degree of competency in the kitchen. Then be curious and give it a go.
Cupitt, who did her first cheesemaking course in France over a decade ago, expresses that making blue cheese at home is a source of pride and joy. “I like to make blue cheese because I really like to eat blue cheese,” she says.
The winemaker makes a variety of blue cheese called ‘flor azul’, following a recipe from a cheesemaking textbook. “It’s a version of Gorgonzola that has a natural rind. It’s a mild, fudgy-textured cheese that tastes delicious.”
Although creating blue cheese in your home kitchen may sound a bit intimidating, Cupitt says it’s quite achievable.
“You can do anything if you really want to. If you want to make a good quality blue cheese at home, all you need is a love of cooking and a degree of competency in the kitchen. Then be curious and give it a go.”
