1924 Bleu

Herve Mons has stepped back into the limelight as the affineur of the stellar 1924 Bleu, a blue cheese that's made with equal parts sheep and cow milk, but the true hero here is Francois Kerautret, the cheese marketer who created this charming treasure. He transitioned into a cheesemaker when he had the idea to take Roquefort back to its roots before it received the first ever appellation d'origine of any cheese in 1925 that required cheesemakers to use only sheep's milk and to make and age Roquefort using specific guidelines. Kerautret wanted to go back to using a mixture of milk instead of purely sheep's milk for his version of blue cheese. After a few years of urging, Kerautret persuaded Mons to work with him on a prototype, and, not long after, 1924 Bleu was born. If Roquefort is the bold king and Bleu D'Auvergne is the calmer prince, then 1924 Bleu is the beautiful and lively duchess in the royal blue cheese family.

1924 Bleu is rich and creamy.

There are a lot of blue-green veins in this cheese.

Aged in Herve Mons' caves near Roanne, almost 400 miles from Roquefort, 1924 Bleu develops a natural rind that has a nice aroma of the country. The aging process continues when the wheels are sent to the United States, and they end up being about four or five months old once the consumer digs into the wonderful, extra creamy interior. The rind adds to the overall woody, earthy, mushrooomy flavor, but the first thing you will notice is a quick burst of salt and a spicy tang that evens out quickly. Notes of straw and a sweet, nutty taste that pairs well with the traditional mold of blue cheeses follow. The longer the cheese ages, the more hints of ammonia emerge, but even when this little blue is past its prime, it's still tasty. But, oh, that rich creaminess! That's what will stick with you. I do suggest that you eat this while it's younger, but if you're not afraid to take a walk on the wild side, go ahead and let it age.

As I often suggest, a nice crusty French bread goes well with 1924 Bleu. Try it with some wildflower honey or on a spinach salad. You can use it in a stuffed chicken or in stuffed mushroom caps, and it also adds flavor to any cheese dip recipe.

I served this blue with Two Rivers Vintner's Blend, but it's an elegant cheese that will pair well with many wines including Arneis, Muscat, Chardonnay, Riesling, Gamay, Zinfandel, Chenin Blanc, Sauternes or even a sherry or, for you beer fans, a porter or stout.

Two Rivers Vintner's Blend pairs well with this cheese.

Bayley Hazen Blue

Jasper Hill is quickly becoming a favorite American cheese company among cheese aficionados. One of their more notable cheeses is Harbison , but the team at Jasper Hill makes many outstanding cheeses including a remarkable blue cheese called Bayley Hazen Blue.

Cheese making involves several steps, each with a separate team to oversee the process. It all starts with the milk. Many cheese companies outsource their milk, but Jasper Hill has its own creamery and is also part of a shared space facility called the Vermont Food Venture Center. The motto at Jasper Hill Farm is quality over quantity, so they push for excellence over mass production. They milk about 45 cows that are pasture-fed during the warm months and fed dry hay the remaining months. Each style of cheese is made from a single herd of cows. Once the cows are milked, the cheeses can be made, and once they are ready, the cheeses must be aged in their unique climates. Jasper Hill has its own aging facility that is separated into seven specially calibrated vaults. In addition to the recipe of the cheese, the aging process is what makes each cheese different.

After the products have been packaged, selling the cheese is the last step in the process unless you count eating, which is where I come in. A cheese monger is the one who does the selling, and I am the customer or the cheese eater.

Bayley Hazen Blue is a surprisingly well balanced raw milk cheese that is reminiscent of the English blue cheeses. Think of a dense, intriguing and more rock and roll version of a Stilton. It's drier than the American blues or the famous French Roquefort, but I wouldn't say it's a very crumbly blue. Some say it has a fudge-like texture, but it's not as chewy or sweet, of course, though there is a nice sweetness about this cheese. This dairy product does have a nice mouthfeel, and the finishing texture is soothing and creamy on the palate. The natural rind provides a wee bit of an earthy, mushroom flavor that's not unlike that of a bloomy rind cheese, but the texture and look are nothing like the rind you would see on a Brie. The outer grayish crust is thin, dry and almost sandy.

This is a bold cheese that has an immediate salty kick. The tang that eventually hits the back of your throat is balanced by a traditional spicy blue cheese flavor with a trace of licorice. Light nutty notes, such as toasted hazelnuts or Brazil nuts, are present, and these undertones are complemented by an overall earthy, straw-like taste. Primarily, there's a wonderful milky flavor that stands out. Some describe this as buttery, but it's really a pure, fresh milk taste. The more the cheese ages, the more a barnyard characteristic emerges. When heated, the total flavor of this blue cheese mellows and becomes quite mild and lovely.

At Jasper Hill, here is how they suggest pairing the cheese:

"The texture and flavor make Bayley an ideal choice for any lover of blue cheese, but with a balance of flavors that renders it accessible to those new to the style. Try pairing with a fruity red dessert wine, toasty Imperial Stout, or a hunk of dark chocolate. Bayley is also ideal for crumbling over a juicy burger or adding to a salad with spinach, walnuts, and dried tart cherries."

Some other suggestions are:
Riesling or Chardonnay, Grenache, shiraz or Sangiovese.
Try Champagne or even a Tawny port for dessert.

Beautiful blue veins are abundant in this cheese. 

The cheese is dense enough that it doesn't crumble completely.

Rogue River Blue

With a population of just over 2,100, Rogue River in Jackson County, Oregon isn't exactly one of the largest cities in the United States. The verdant little area is nestled along the banks of the Rogue River. Its rugged landscape includes wooded areas, forested mountains and suburban neighborhoods. With very little snowfall but a lot of rain, the area continually looks like an El Greco landscape.

               

The Rogue River in Oregon flows not far from the Rogue River Creamery.

While I enjoy pretty much every kind of cheese, I tend to get overly excited when I am about to try something different, really different. Rogue River Blue is a wild and wonderful extravagance that makes cheese sampling fun. I'm not at all surprised that Rogue River blue cheeses have received many awards and that the company has received worldwide attention and admiration. The history of the company is quite fascinating: http://www.roguecreamery.com/store/content/38/History/

Rogue River Blue is a cheese made with old-world techniques, modern love and a little bit of new age idealism. With aging facilities created that replicate the conditions of the curing limestone caves in Cambalou, home of the famous Roquefort cheese, Rogue River Creamery has figured out a way to create some of the finest blue cheeses in the country. The company not only focuses on making beautiful, tasty cheeses, it is dedicated to quality and sustainability as well. And wow, Rogue River Blue is a chef d'oeuvre with its magnificent appearance. The cheese is artistically wrapped in grape leaves that have been soaked in pear brandy, giving the entire cheese a mature, seductive allure. Be sure to buy this cheese soon, because it's a seasonal cheese made during the fall. Production stops after the winter solstice.

Rogue River Blue is wrapped in Syrah leaves that have been soaked in pear brandy from Oregon.

Using raw milk from Holstein cows that graze mostly on lush grasses, herbs, berries and hops with just a bit of alfalfa and grain, Rogue River Blue ends up having a deeply rich, complex and earthy flavor. Macadamia and hazelnut notes mingle with a strong fruity pear flavor right from the start. The sweetness is undeniable in this moist, slightly gritty but mostly creamy blue, and a wonderful tart, tang cuts through, one that's typical of good European blue cheeses. With the sweet, nutty flavors comes a burst of saltiness that makes your taste buds come to attention without overwhelming them. There's also a slight herb taste, especially close to the edge, but avoid eating too close to the damp grape leaves, as the flavor can be on the musty side.

Rogue River Blue cheese is wrapped in grape leaves.

This is a cheese that grows on you the more you eat it. If you love it right off the bat, you will eventually get strong cravings for it and even dream about it. If it's not your favorite in the beginning, you will at least learn to appreciate its luxurious qualities. Vegetarians will jump for joy when they find out this blue is made with vegetarian rennet. It's not often that vegetarian cheese is so robust, flavorful and exciting. The raw-milk cheese is aged nine to twelve months, allowing the flavors to develop and mature. Its texture is less crumbly than a lot of blues but still fractures easily when you cut into it. It has a creamy but hearty feel in your mouth.

Despite the strong flavors of Rogue River blue, and despite its sweetness, this is a great cheese for baking in savory tarts, crumbling on salads or serving as part of a fruit and cheese plate. You can also add some to a hamburger with fried egg on a soft bun. Of course, a nice hunk of this blue served with a toasted ciabatta roll is also fantastic. Another option is to accentuate the already sweet cheese by serving it with nuts and fig jam or honey on crackers.

A toasted ciabata roll with Rogue River Blue makes a divine snack.

Liquor Mart in Boulder has an outstanding selection of wines, beer, champagne and more.

Kevin Downs, Assistant wine manager at Liquor Mart in Boulder, Colorado, suggests the following pairings for this cheese:


Wine with Rogue River Blue. If enjoying this cheese in its pure form (alone or with perhaps some nuts or bread) the best wines to match with it are all sweet, with one exception, as sweetness balances Saltiness beautifully. 

Port, either a well aged Vintage Port or a Tawny, is an excellent match. The sweetness offsets the saltiness of the cheese, and the big body of the wine holds up to its massive flavors. Vintage Ports can set you back $100 or more, but the Taylor Fladgate 10 Yr. Old Tawny is wonderful at $31.99 and their Fine Tawny is a bargain at $15.99 ( aged about 5-6 yrs.) 

Even better are sweet white wines. Those affected by Botrytis (“noble rot”) are especially good with this blue, as the earthiness combined with the sweet, full body work beautifully. Sauternes from France are the classic wine of this type but are very expensive. Just as good is the Tokaji Aszu 3 Puttonyos, from Hungary, a delicious wine for $22.99 a 500ml Bottle. Eisweins are also an excellent choice. While the German ones are outrageously priced, beautiful examples are made in, of all places, Ontario, Canada. The Jackson Triggs, at $24.99 a 375 ml bottle is delicious. 

German Rieslings work well, as long as they are on the Spatlese or Auslese level of sweetness. The Rictere Brauneberger Juffer- Sohnnenuhr Auslese (you got to love those German wine labels) at $28.99 is perfect, but far easier on the wallet (and the pronunciation) is Chateau St Michelle Late Harvest Riesling at $10.99. Finally, that all purpose wine – bubbly - works here. Brut actually works well, but a nice Demi Sec, with a bit of sweetness, is especially yummy. Check out Gruet at $16.99.

Taylor Fladgate 10 Yr. Old Tawny port pairs well with the big flavors of this blue cheese.

Roquefort Review

Roquefort Cheese

Roquefort is is one of three French cheeses in the running to be crowned the ultimate king of the cheeses, Brie and Epoisse being the other two. Brie, the creamy white-rind cheese, and Epoisse, the stinky but lovable wash-rind cheese, were adored by Charlemagne and Napoleon respectively, but don’t quite have the history or reputation that Roquefort has. Revered by royalty and rebels alike, Roquefort stands out among all cheeses for its distinctive look, taste and aroma. Diderot and Henry Miller even made comments about this cheese, the former calling it the finest cheese in Europe and the latter claiming that "To eat this cheese one must have genius." (By the way, Charlemagne also loved Roquefort. Which cheese he preferred, Brie or Roquefort, isn't clear.) 

Roquefort, France

I can't mention Roquefort without bringing up the legend of how the cheese was first made. The story, whether true or not, is not unlike a fairy tale. Once upon a time, a young sheep-herder eating his lunch of bread and sheep's-milk cheese became distracted by a lovely young lady. He placed his lunch in one of the nearby caves and ran to meet the young lass. Apparently they hit it off, because the boy didn't return for several months. When he did, the bread from his lunch had turned moldy and had transformed the cheese into what would later become one of the most renowned cheeses in the world. This veiny blue-green mold in white or yellow cheese is what gives the blues their distinctive flavor and color.

Of course, leaving rye bread out to rot isn't a good way to consistently create the species of mold, Penicillium roqueforti, that goes into Roquefort. In fact, in uncontrolled environments, attempting to get this kind of mold can be dangerous -- the wrong strains can cause hallucinations or worse.

No matter how it was invented, the cheese unquestionably dates back remarkably far, some say as far back as 79 CE. By 1411, Charles IV made a stand and granted a monopoly to the people of Roquefort-Sur-Soulzon, a small town in southern France, ensuring that the ripening of the cheese could only take place there. In addition to the cheese ripening throughout Roquefort-Sur-Soulzon, all Roquefort cheeses are made with milk from the Lacaune “brebis” or ewes that live near Lacaune, a rugged town in the Midi-Pyrenees region.

Lacaune sheep grazing in France.

Today, fewer than 10 companies make Roquefort cheese, and each is labeled under Contrôlée or AOC guidelines that protect the cheese-making process, the ingredients and the origin of a product. Look for a red sheep or any label that specifically states Appellation D’Origine Protegee or Garanti D’Origine et De Qualite. Some of the more renowned companies include Societe, Papillon and Le Vieux Berger. 

Gabriel Coulet, though not the best-known of the Roquefort companies, is a family-run business that has been in operation since 1872. The operation started when Gabriel Coulet had plans to dig a cellar in his back yard to age a few bottles of wine. Shortly after he began digging, he stumbled upon a fleurine, a type of natural fault that runs through the Combalou mountain. It was at that moment that he seized an opportunity to turn his small cellar into a more substantial one for aging cheese.

Aging Roquefort.

 The reason Roquefort cheese ages so well in these natural caves is that the faults blow air either into or out of the caves as the atmospheric pressure changes, resulting in the perfect environment in terms of humidity and temperature. Most Roquefort cheeses are aged three to 15 months.

Roquefort on display.

If you haven't tried Roquefort, hold on to your chapeau. This cheese will wake you up and call all your senses to attention with the first whiff of its fragrant, strong aroma. Don't worry -- the odor it emits is not like the wash-rind stinky cheeses that most people either love or hate. This is a potent, slightly sour but pleasant smell. 

Sampling the cheese.

 

The cheese itself is rich and creamy with big salty, sharp, pungent and tangy flavors. This is a blue cheese like no other, and there's a reason why it's the most popular of all the blues. Stilton, Bleu D’Auvergne, Gorgonzola and Cabrales all have their strong points, but Roquefort stands out among them as a true leader. Some describe the French cheese as crumbly, which is only partly accurate. The white edges can sometimes have a drier texture that do crumble, but this isn't a hard cheese and doesn't have the characteristics of one. Both the outer edges and the veins of blue-green mold can have something of a grainy texture, but don't be concerned, as the cheese melts quickly and evenly on the tongue. The reality it that the interior is silky-smooth, especially toward the center.

Roquefort goes with many foods and drinks. Toss it on salad, drizzle it with honey, serve it with fruit, cook it in tarts, or serve it plain on a crusty baguette. No matter how you serve it, you can't go wrong.

Rose goes well with Roquefort.

The bold flavor of Roquefort can tolerate a full-bodied red wine, but try pairing the cheese with a rose. You won't be disappointed.