blue cheese question

14 years ago

I don't know a thing about blue cheese except that I liked the Stilton I bought a while back. Anyway, I'm trying a really basic Alton recipe tonight which is just a tenderloin head roast opened up, spread with blue cheese, tied up, seared, finished in the oven. Any recommendations on what I should be looking for? Just any old blue cheese? Gorganzola? (That's blue, right?) Will it really matter?

TIA!

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Comments (9)

lyndaluu2
14 years ago
I love blue cheese....Stilton is very good, I also like the Maytag Blue.
I googled and found this...
Blue-Veined Cheeses
Gorgonzola: An aged, distinctively sharp semisoft cheese with a creamy interior streaked with blue-green veins. This is excellent for dessert, in salads, or tasting with a full-bodies red wine. It also teams up naturally with pears and walnuts. When it's aged over six months, Gorgonzola takes on a strong aroma.

Maytag Blue: The best-known American Blue cheese (made by the same Maytag people who make wahing machines)! Ivory-colored blue cheese marbled with blue-grey veins. It has a tangy, slightly sweet flavor with a firm, crumbly texture.

Stilton: A blue cheese first sold in the small village of Stilton in Huntingdonshire, England. Stilton is made from whole milk and is allowed to ripen between four to six months. It has a creamy blue-green veined interior that is slightly crumbly. It's a rich creamy, cheese with a pungent bite. It's best enjoyed with a glass of port or full-bodied red wine.
Hope this helps

Linda
lindac
14 years ago
Any "good" blue veined cheese will do....even though American or Danish blue and Stilton and Gorgonzola are fairly different.
My late husband was CEO of Maytag Dairy.... the cheese is not made by the washing machine people at all, but started by the grandson of the man who started the washer company
Naturally I am prejudiced toward Maytag Blue.
Your blue cheese tenderloin will only be as good as your cheese. I find some blue cheeses taste "soapy" or are dry and crumbly.
Linda C
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I haven't tried Lin's recipe but it reminds me a lot of a delicious one at Epicurious called Walnut-Roquefort Shortbread. The epicurious version makes 36 rounds. 1Â½ cups unbleached all purpose flour 1 cup walnut pieces Â½ pound Roquefort cheese, chilled and crumbled Â½ cup (1 stick) well-chilled butter, cut into small pieces 2 egg yolks 1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper Preparation Blend all ingredients in processor until dough forms. Divide dough in half. On lightly floured surface, form each piece into 1Â½ inch diameter cylinder. Wrap and chill until firm, at least 4 hours. (Can be prepared ahead and refrigerated 3 days or frozen 1 month). Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cut dough into 1/3 inch thick rounds. Place on ungreased baking sheets, spacing Â½ inch apart. (Let frozen dough soften at room temperature 20 minuets before baking.) Bake until edges are golden brown, reversing position of baking sheet once, about 10 minuets. Transfer to paper towels. Serve shortbread warm or at room temperature. Here is a link that might be useful: Walnut Roquefort Shortbread
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This probably will not help as i don't have a favorite or rely on just one type/brand. But if this is a once a year treat like so many things Holiday...you might want to try a variety selection from one of the Artisan on-line places. I've never ordered from artisanal cheese or any of the many as we have a good cheese monger at our local grocery. A few years ago an employee gifted a large selection of cheeses and cured meats. Small slivers from his local monger. That wonderful gift lasted throughout our holiday break. We've continued that tradition once a month or so during the year for an easy weekend meal with fresh bread or my crackers. Fresh fruit, a salad. A lighter goat and/or fresh mozzarella in the warmer months. With garden harvest veg. We let our cheese monger select for us, though keeping in the 3-6 out of ten range, not too mild or too strong. Usually 4 varieties, 1/4lb or less of each. (parm and soft goat cheese i buy at Costco. The goat i roll in fresh herbs or a pepper spice blend). I make my own mozzarella. DH has all the tools to make our own goat cheese this holiday. 2 lbs is a lot of cheese to be disappointed. Have you looked in your own backyard for farms that make their own cheese? Instead of lunch last wednesday i took a walk through UnionSquare greenmarket and sampled lots of locally made cheeses and new-to-me varieties of apples, breads, spreads, salsas, and jams, cider, veggies, even sampled radishes. (lunch!) Beautiful Fall market. Like said, giving Maytag another try might be worth it. Seems a style and tradition you like. Just order early enough to go elsewhere if again disappointed.
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sally2_gw
14 years ago
So that explains the name! Interesting. I've always wondered about why Maytag Blue Cheese is called that - where the name came from. Now I know. Unfortunately, it costs a bit more than the Danish blue, which is what I usually go for since it's usually the least expensive. The other day, though, Whole Paycheck had the Amish Blue for just $7.99/lb., so that's what I got.

Sally
foodonastump
Original Author
14 years ago
Well I bought a hunk of Maytag and it tastes like, well, exactly what I'd expect blue cheese to taste like. Not having tasted a "lesser" cheese in a long time I can't speak to the difference.

I do like the Maytag and really liked the Stilton - maybe it's time to familiarize myself with blue cheese more. Or all cheeses, for that matter.

Oh and the tenderloin - in my haste I cut right through it while butterflying, so we went out to dinner and I'm just going to make steak sandwiches tonight. Things could be worse!
becky_ca
14 years ago
My absolute favorite blue cheese is Cambozola - it's soft like brie or Camembert. I think it's German, but I'm not really sure. The grocery here in our little town only carries it around the holidays, but if you have a bigger cheese section in a nice market they should have it. Love it with pears and walnuts with a glass of red wine :-)

Becky
jessyf
14 years ago
FOAS I'm not going to make another joke about beating your meat, but could you flatten out what you have left of the tenderloin for rolling.

becky, I can't get out of Trader Joes without drooling over the Cambozola. My idea of artery clogging and dying happy.
lindac
14 years ago
Cambazola is an answer (or vice-versa) to Saga Blue which is a US product. brie and Camembert are made in essentially the same way.
Cheesemaker's gossip has it that both resulted from an accidental contamination of a batch with some blue mold, which is also the legend for Stilton.
And the legend for the first blue cheese is that a shepherd left his lunch in a cave when he sought shelter from a storm. Months later, another storm hit and he ducked into a cave and found his sandwich of sheep's milk cheese on rye bread. the bread had turned to blue mold powder, and the cheese was pretty moldy too but he ate the cheese and found it delicious....and thus, so the story goes, was born Roquefort and the beginnings of blue veined cheese.
Maybe I'll have some blue cheese for lunch!
Linda C
brody_miasmom
14 years ago
In my opinion, Maytag blue is the very best blue cheese in the world! I love blue cheese and happen to work by a fabulous cheese store (Murray's in NYC). They are total cheese snobs and I've tried all of their favorite blues ( I think Maytag is a little pedestrian for them) and I keep coming back to Maytag.

Maytag is perfect for eating with crackers, but might be a little mild when combined with beef. If you can find it, Point Reyes is a great blue cheese that has a sharper flavor.
brody_miasmom
14 years ago
I had a hunk of this on my appetizer table at Thanksgiving and it was gone in about 5 minutes. Everyone loved it!

Here is a link that might be useful: Fourme d'Ambert

blue cheese question

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