Blue Cheese Recipes

This column is dedicated to my friend Arlene and her love of blue cheese. Me not so much. In fact, on the scale of the cheeses that I love to eat and cook with (cheddar and brie among the top 5) blue is not even on the chart. Whenever we eat lunch together and the opportunity to share a salad comes up the first rule of our friendship is that the blue cheese ALWAYS goes on the side so I don't even have to look at it, let alone smell it.

Because there has been such an explosion in kosher cheeses available in today's market place it's easy to find both domestic and imported kosher certified blue cheese. Blue cheese (also spelled bleu cheese) is a cow's milk and/or goat's milk cheeses with a vein of blue or blue-green mold running through it, Yeah, I know, eating mold, not so appetizing when you have to explain it. Today most blue cheeses are either injected with the mold, as with Roquefort, or the mold is mixed right in with the curds, as it is with Gorgonzola, to insure even distribution of the mold throughout the cheese. Most of these cheeses are still aged in the original caves where they were first created. The pungent flavor of blue cheeses tends to be sharp and salty. The smell of this cheese is widely considered to be strong, even compared to other smelly cheeses. It's great (so some say) eaten all by itself or crumbled in or melted over different types of salads, breads and soups. Much like wines, blue cheeses are a product of the areas in which they are created. True blue cheeses, like Roquefort, Gorgonzola, and Stilton are a "protected designation of origin" cheese. That means they can bear the particular cheese name ONLY if they have been made in a particular region in a particular country. Not surprising to me is the notion that Blue cheese is believed to have been discovered by accident. You think someone just said, oh yes, let's put mold in cheese and eat it, yes, that's a good idea? Me either. Since Arlene is one of the best cooks I know I'll take her word for it that blue cheese is actually tasty. I asked several cooking colleagues to send me recipes that were tasty, easy and showcased how versatile blue cheese can be. I have not personally tested any of the following recipes, but have their guarantee that they're delicious.

• Blue Cheese Dressing (dairy)
• Baby Greens, Pear, Walnut, and Blue Cheese Salad (dairy)
• Blue Cheese Walnut Crackers (dairy)
• Stuffed Mushrooms With Blue Cheese (dairy)
• Apple Salad With Blue Cheese (dairy)
• Blue Cheese Coleslaw (dairy)
• Blue Cheese Log (dairy)
• Crispy Potato Salad With Blue Cheese (dairy)
• Waldorf Salad With Blue Cheese (dairy)
• Tomatoes With Blue Cheese Dressing (dairy)
• Red Onion Tart With Blue Cheese (dairy)