Blue cheese

Blue cheese or Blue cheese-related products.

“Blue cheeses are neither pressed nor cooked.  Most frequently the curd is crumbled, eliminating much of the whey, then scooped into stainless steel cylindrical moulds, each with a wooden disk on the top.  The curd remains in the moulds for 1-2 weeks and is turned frequently to let the weight of the curds press out more of the whey.  Once the cheeses can stand up on their own, they are removed from the moulds, rubbed with salt, then returned to the cellars.”

“The blue mould is a strain of penicillium that is added to the milk before the rennet is added either in liquid or powder form.  The cheese will not turn blue, however, unless it is given air to breathe.  This is done by piercing the cheese with rods.  The blue then grows along the tunnels and into the nooks and crannies between the loose curd, producing the shattered porcelain look that typifies blue cheese.”

From The World Encyclopedia of Cheese, 2010, Hermes House.