Igor Gorgonzola Dolce

It's always daunting to review a particular cheese with a long history, especially when that cheese possibly dates as far back as the Middle Ages, and when tens of thousands of tons of it are exported each year. That's a lot of cheese, but die-hard Gorgonzola fans will tell you it's among the best cheeses in the world. 

Gorgonzola cheese is an Italian favorite

Before I go further, let me clarify that there's Gorgonzola, and there's Gorgonzola-like cheese. The former is registered as a protected designation of origin and is made in certain regions of Italy. That's what is being exported in massive quantities, while the latter can be produced anywhere in the world. Gorgonzola-like cheese has to be made following a few specific rules of production and can then be called Gorgonzola. It won't, however, have the PDO label. Both are consumed en masse. It's hard to imagine the enormous quantity of Gorgonzola and what passes as Gorgonzola eaten throughout the world in a given year. This cheese is so famous, in fact, there's an annual celebration, Sagra Nazionale del Gorgonzola, in the town where it is said to have originated, Gorgonzola, Italy, located in Milan. 

Gorgonzola might not have the royal distinction that Roquefort does, but it's a memorable blue. There's a reason why Roquefort is considered one of the three kings of cheese. The French have a way with dairy. They really do. That's not to suggest that Gorgonzola isn't a great cheese; it just doesn't pack the flavor punch that other French blues do. Gorgonzola is a bitter-sweet sonata, not a magnificent symphony. That said, it's versatile and pleasant with changing flavors as it ages. 

Gorgonzola Dolce is moist and creamy

The Leonardo family that produces Igor Gorgonzola has been making cheese for many generations. Using traditional techniques, they produce two types of this distinctive blue: Gorgonzola Dolce, a mild and moist variety, and Gorgonzola Piccante, a slightly stronger blue that's still creamy but firm with a bit more kick.  

When I first sampled Gorgonzola Dolce, I was underwhelmed, but the cheese grew on me the more I tried it. This pasteurized cow's milk cheese is subtle with a wee little kick, say the difference between one from a donkey as opposed to one from a horse. The strong, pungent, and slightly sweet aroma outshines the flavor, but it's still a memorable product and worth trying. Some people are true Gorgonzola fans, so this is the type of cheese that would appeal to them. It's milky and sweet with very slight bitter notes, and a nice tang from the blue veins running throughout. The longer it ages, the more pronounced the piquante flavor is. 

Gorgonzola goes with just about everything

Gorgonzola is an incredibly versatile cheese. It can be crumbled on salads, cooked in sauces, baked in butternut squash, or served on toasted baguette slices. It's a great addition to stuffed chicken or mushrooms, or it can be folded into a savory crepe. There are recipes for Gorgonzola pizza, polenta, dips, and potatoes. You can even serve it with steak! Gorgonzola Dolce is mild enough to pair well with sweet fig jam on crostini. Serve it with sliced pears, rustic crackers, dried figs, toasted walnuts, and bresaola on a cheese board. The list of food pairings and Gorgonzola recipes is infinitely long. Ive even seen a Gorgonzola ice cream, of all things.

Pear Pizza image by Diliara Garifullina 

The list of great beverage pairings for Gorgonzola Dolce isn't as diverse or long as the food options, but a few suggestions include Riesling, Friulano, Gamay, Zinfandel, Tannat, Sangiovese, Carmenere, and Cabernet Sauvignon. For dessert or sweet pairings, select Cruner Veltliner, Cognac, or a ruby port. If beer is more your style, try Gorgonzola Dolce with a double malt, porter, or Belgian ale. And there's nothing wrong with ending a meal featuring Gorgonzola Dolce with a nice cup of coffee or espresso!

Original red wine photo Ashley Byrd 

La Tur

A while ago, when I visited Cheese Importers in Longmont, Colorado, my mission was to find an unusual cheese to take home and review. After much searching, I happened upon an adorable little treasure.

La Tur has a wrinkly top rind with an oozing interior just bellow the surface.

It looks like a fancy cupcake!

La Tur is a creamy soft cheese from the Piedmonte region in Italy. It looks like a frosted white cupcake and is almost as much fun to eat. Stuffed inside a plastic container with a cupcake liner, La Tur is unique, unexpectedly elegant and complex. Three kinds of milk are used to create this intriguing cheese: cow, goat and sheep. This milky menage a trois is heated at the lowest possible temperature allowed by Italian law, so that naturally-occurring enzymes aren't completely destroyed. This ends up allowing the flavor of the final product to become more complex.   

After popping open the lid of the container, an inviting aroma with just a hint of pungency escaped. I couldn't wait to dig in! As the cheese ages, the edges ooze more, and it becomes more pungent both in aroma and in flavor. Stored properly, the entire cheese gets softer and gooier over time.

La Tur's thin and fragile white rind is wrinkly and slightly fuzzy with a mildly mushroomy taste. The younger it is, the more the texture in the middle is flaky and less moist but not quite dry. The milky white interior coats the palate in a more gentle way than a fresh goat cheese, but there are some similarities. As soft as it is overall, La Tur still has substantial structure and texture, however, this is a cheese that invites you to grab a spoon and dive into the center.

Fluffy, oozing, velvety smooth La Tur cheese on a plate.

In terms of flavor, the cow milk softens the tang of the goat milk and subdues the sharpness of the sheep milk, leaving the overall taste on the verge of something big without hitting any shocking notes. It's a nice balance of flavors and textures that leaves you wanting more.

In the early stages, I tried some on an almond, orange biscotti and accidentally created a masterpiece. Big cream and milky flavors in this cheese pair beautifully with a slightly sweet cookie, and the subtle tang is just enough to wake up your taste buds. The velvety smooth cheese practically melts in your mouth, so anything with a nice crunch makes a good accompaniment. Any slightly sweet cracker makes a great combination, but this cheese also pairs well with crusty bread, grilled fruits, quince jam or honey. Serve it with a fruit platter that includes berries or even bake it in savory dishes. Because of its subtle flavors, La Tur ends up being a versatile cheese.

La Tur with a crunchy cracker.

Try La Tur with Mondoro Sparkling Asti Spumante, a low-oak red wine or a Sauvignon Blanc.

La Tur pairs well with Asti Spumante.

Field Trip to Longmont's Cheese Importers

The Cheese Importers in Longmont, Colorado.

My mom and I took a trip to Longmont where we visited the renowned cheese shop and bistro known as Cheese Importers. We decided to have lunch at the bistro before touring the extra large walk-in refrigerator where all the cheeses and pates are stored.

I felt let down when I discovered that the restaurant's online menu had changed, and they no longer offer a French cheese plate. Instead, all the cheese plates contain only Italian cheeses. I ended up putting my biases aside and tried what they had to offer, the Italian cheese plate, a salad and a glass of Pinot noir. My mom ordered the soup of the day and a pain au chocolate. We shared the basket of bread, the wine and the cheeses. My disappointment soon faded, not just because the wine gave me a rush of comfort and warmth. I was actually pleasantly surprised by how nice the cheeses were.

A pretty cheese plate served with fresh fruit.

Verde Capra
The first cheese I sampled was the Verde Capra. This one was calling my name right away. It had the air of a stinky cheese, but there were some nice blue veins running through it. This interesting cheese comes from the Lombardy region. It's classified as a blue cheese, but it's one of the few that's made entirely with pasteurized goat's milk. "Verde Capra" translates as "Green Goat". Reminiscent of Tallegio, it's tangy and pungent without being overwhelming. The texture is moist and creamy, perfect for any cheese plate. Slices of crusty baguette were the perfect accompaniment, and I loved how the Pino noir I ordered paired with it.

Verde Capra is a goat's milk blue cheese.

Castelrosso
This pasteurized cow's milk cheese from the Piedmont region surprised me. It tastes almost like a very, very mild goat cheese without the intense tangy notes. The cheese is aged 4-6 months, giving it a flaky, dry texture that verges on gritty the more it ages, but there's enough moisture retained to keep a lovely creamy and milky consistency. The rind is intensely earthy, and the ivory interior is filled with notes of citrus and cream with just a tiny little nip of tang and salt. This cheese pairs wonderfully with berries and fruit. As mild as this cheese is, it lingered on my brain more than the others. I want to go back to this one and eat a large chunk while I imagine myself on a romantic picnic on a beautiful spring day.

Castelrosso is a lovely cow's milk cheese that's milk and milky.

Cacio de Roma
The last cheese on the plate was nothing extraordinary, but I say this only because I was so happy with the other two. Cacio de Roma is a nice cheese that pairs well with many foods and wines. This is a pasteurized sheep's milk cheese that has flavors and aromas similar to some alpine cheeses. It's smooth and even with a bit of a salty bite to it. I found it best paired with other foods rather than consumed by itself. On my salad, for example, it was very good, perfect, in fact. The flavors are light with some grass and straw notes shining through. Overall, it's a simple cheese that's not overly memorable, but it's one that will do well for snacking and in cooking, especially as a topping for pizza.

Cacio de Roma is a good snacking cheese that can be used in cooking.

Once my mom and I finished our meal, we went to explore the shop with its many imports and also spent time in the refrigerated section with its many cheeses. I could have spent days in the shop looking at all the imported goods from French soaps and perfumes to Italian pastas and vinegar to Swiss chocolates and candies. Of course, I couldn't pass up a chocolate almond bar sitting there waiting for me to pass by.

The cheeses were less exciting. I helped my mom put on one of the big coats for customers hanging by the door, and off we went into the cold to look at shelves full of cheeses, olives, pate, butter and cheese spreads. The French section looked a little bit sparse. There were no big stinky cheeses, no Roquefort, and I didn't see an abundance of the small, artisanal cheeses I love so much. I did, however, find another Italian treasure that I am looking forward to trying. As the goosebumps on my bare legs stood up hard, and I got to the point where I knew I needed to get to warmer places, I decided to make one more quick round. My mom and I had already spent quite a bit of time wandering around without finding any dairy products that looked outrageous, but right before we decided to head for the cashier with our array of goodies, an interesting little cheese stuffed into a plastic container caught my eye. I knew this was the one I had to try. Jackpot!

In the end we purchased some country pate, chocolates, a pastry, the Italian cheese and a container of green olives.

Keep checking back for the details and review on the Italian cheese. It might take me a few weeks, because I have a few other cheeses already lined up to review, but I will eventually get to it.