NOVEL THINKING

But at this creamery, Whatcom Blue is the true OG. Search for a topic, destination or article, We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. A portion of the distinct flavour comes from lipolysis (the breakdown of fat). Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Be sure to choose cheeses of similar textures and flavor profiles, such as Roquefort and Danablu; or a young Gorgonzola and Blue Castello; or Cambozola and Saint-Agur. What an interesting piece! As the molds are filled, they are rushed over to the draining tables, where they sit at a slight angle and their remaining whey drains off into buckets hanging just under each end of the table. How blue cheese is Made. What’s the difference between French and Italian bread? [13] Then, acidification occurs: a starter culture, such as Streptococcus lactis, is added in order to change lactose to lactic acid, thus changing the acidity of the milk and turning it from liquid to solid. We also help out by switching the heavy buckets off of the draining tables as they fill, and we get more molds out of their sanitizer pools as they are needed, placing them on the tables to await being filled. Get the full history and 'making of' info right here! When the cheese is freshly made, there is little to no blue cheese flavor development. Neufchâtel should also do fine as a … This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. [18] Additionally, mycotoxin contamination occurs at low levels and large quantities of cheese are rarely consumed, suggesting that hazard to human health is unlikely. Blue cheeses with no protected origin name are designated simply "blue cheese". But only recently did I start to think about how blue cheese is made. -. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Blue cheese gets its color and veiny appearance by the addition of a mold from the genus penicillium family. [13] At the beginning of this ripening process, the cheese loaves are punctured to create small openings to allow air to penetrate and support the rich growth of the aerobic Penicillium roqueforti cultures, thus encouraging the formation of blue veins. The characteristic flavor of blue cheeses tends to be sharp and salty. Dorset Blue Vinny: This award-winning British cheese is made from a 300-year-old recipe that was nearly lost around the time of World War II. Blue cheeses get their color, smell, and taste from veins of Penicillium mold. While blue cheese is poked with needles, they are not “injecting” the mold into the cheese; they are helping it to grow. I remember the first time I had some blue cheese and how the smell of it turned me off completely. We helpers are allowed to dip our arms into the vat to help mix them up, ensuring that the curds don’t clump in odd shapes, just out of reach of the stirring mechanism. When they retrieved it, it had ridges like a brain, and instead of tossing it, they ate it. Lindsay said that the milk may not yet carry the full affects of the pasture grasses, which would affect the milk’s flavor and fat contents—making it grassier tasting, albeit lower in butterfat than hay-fed, late-season milk which has the most butterfat. But Elle and I are have our hands and arms in the vat pretty much the entire time. So I decided to find out how blue cheese is made and now I am going to tell you, too. After the cheese was made it would then be stored in the caves to finish the aging process. The first known recipe dates back to 1723. Then, more often than not, comes the smell. [34] Similarly to other kinds of blue cheeses, Roquefort's flavor and odor can be attributed to the particular mixture of methyl ketones such as 2-heptanone, 2-pentanone, and 2-nonanone. They now also make Whatcom Farmhouse, a creamy table cheese that is reminiscent of a cheddar, Whatcom Farmhouse with Peppercorns, which is studded with whole black peppercorns. How Blue Cheese Is Made. [11] Usually, a fermentation period of 60–90 days are needed before the flavor of the cheese is typical and acceptable for marketing. [13] Salt is then added to provide flavor as well as to act as a preservative so the cheese does not spoil through the process of brine salting or dry salting for 24–48 hours. The Penicillium Roquefort mold and Roquefort Blue cheeses come from a beautiful French town. Therefore, initial fermentation of the cheese is done by lactic acid bacteria. They don’t all look blue. In the Roquefort region, cheese makers historically left loaves of rye bread in the caves to become a host to the mold. [26] Other than that the regulation of Canadian Food Inspection Agency does not limit producers to use bacterial cultures to aid further ripening and flavoring preparations other than cheese flavoring.[26]. The addition of modified milk fat stimulates a progressive release of free fatty acids via lipase action which is essential for rapid flavor development in blue cheese. The metabolism of the blue mold further breaks down fatty acids to form ketones to give blue cheese a richer flavour and aroma.[25]. The cheese's signature blue veins are created during the early aging stage when the cheese is "spiked" with stainless steel rods to let oxygen circulate and encourage the growth of the mold. With its unqiue taste it adds bold character to many dishes. But they are all the same blue cheese category. [31] Some important microbiota contribute to the aromatic profile such as those of the Lactobacillus genus due to their production of volatile compounds. Lost Peacock Creamery: From #ThatFarmLife to Fabulous Farmstead Cheese – The PhCheese. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. The cheesemaker becomes an affineur—a cheese ripener—after the cheeses leave the make room. Many varieties are available in supermarkets and specialty shops and range from inexpensive to pricey, depending on the source. [14], Throughout the ripening process, the total ketone content is constantly monitored as the distinctive flavor and aroma of blue cheese arises from methyl ketones (including 2-pentanone, 2-heptanone, and 2-nonanone)[15] which are a metabolic product of Penicillium roqueforti. Blue cheeses, the like of which include Roquefort, Gorgonzola, and Cambozola, are made by a process that is initially similar to that by which other families of cheeses are made. Blue cheese is one of the greatest and tastiest burger toppings known to man. Blue cheese is characteristically sharp tasting, strong-smelling and slightly salty. However, all methods involve the use of a freeze-dried Penicillium roqueforti culture. [26] Salt is allowed to be used as a preservative; however, the amount of the salt or combination of salts shall not exceed 200 parts per million of the milk and milk products used to make the cheese. It can be made from cows milk, goats milk or both. I’m addicted to puns, so forgive me for that when you read my articles. In Roquefort, Europe, Gorgonzola and Stilton are protected designation of origin. [5][6], Gorgonzola is one of the oldest known blue cheeses, having been created around AD 879, though it is said that it did not contain blue veins until around the 11th century. The whey is pumped out of the vat and into a whey-holding tank outside the creamery. All will be clear in a second! Both related to the life saving antibiotic, Penicillium Roqueforti and Penicillium Glaucum are both used in production. The mold is already present in the cheese, but it needs air to flourish. Order by 11 AM (EST) 12/23 for Guaranteed Overnight Delivery. Everything must be thoroughly, truly cleaned. Today, blocks of cheese are spiked (or “needled”) with steel rods to let oxygen and mold spores settle in. The cheese is left to age for 60 to 90 days. Last April, two of my curd nerd pals, Elle and Izzy, and I traveled north from Seattle to Ferndale, Washington, to help make some blue cheese. [32] During ripening, free fatty acids increase in amount which contribute to the characteristic flavor of blue cheeses due to fat breakdown by Penicillium roqueforti. How Blue Cheese Is Made. Young Gorgonzola is soft, buttery, and creamy with tiny hints of sharp blue. This includes personalizing content and advertising. For home made blue cheese, the mold is taken from the previous batch of cheese. Roquefort is considered one of the oldest blue cheeses, and it's also considered a delicacy. [21] As the pH rises again from the loss of lactic acid, the enzymes in the molds responsible for lipolysis and proteolysis are more active and can continue to ferment the cheese because they are optimal at a pH of 6.0.[22]. The Slevins use about 500 gallons of milk to make around 650 pounds of cheese. As Lindsay will tell us several months later, that batch is one of the butteriest, creamiest batches of Whatcom Blue that they have had. The Slevins have plastic scoops that they use to swoop the curds out of the vat and evenly into the molds, which sit on a metal frame over the middle of the vat, held in place by a top frame with holes that perfectly match the placement of the cheese molds. Rennet is added to help coagulate the milk, and the curds are cut to release the whey. In the first phase of production, a Penicillium roqueforti inoculum is prepared prior to the actual production of blue cheese. One thing led to another and he and others ate the cheese anyway. © Last Gear Publishing & Mobiventura Limited. Blue cheese can also be wrapped and frozen in an airtight container or a zip-close bag for up to three months and defrosted in the refrigerator. Add to salads with apple and chopped nuts, Make a white wine and garlic sauce with crumbled blue cheese to add to steak, Add blue cheese into your hamburger patties, Order by 11 AM for guaranteed overnight delivery! Produced from sheep's milk and aged in the limestone cliffs in the south of France, Roquefort is recognized for the blue veins stretching across its moist and crumbly body. By using The Spruce Eats, you accept our, Homemade Vegan and Dairy-Free Almond Cheese, The Difference Between Parmesan and Parmigiano-Reggiano. The main structure of the blue cheese comes from the aggregation of the casein. Gorgonzola, Stilton, and Roquefort are considered to be favored blue cheeses in many countries.

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