Decisions, Decisions: Blue Cheese

I know, I know.  Blue cheese (bleu cheese?) is a love/hate thing.  But I think most people who hate it haven't learned that it's a category of cheeses as varied as the day is long.

Smooth. Creamy. Soft. Hard. Firm. Mild. Sharp. Sweet. Peppery. Stinky.

And depending on what you're planning to do with it, you need to make different selections.

In my research, I found a few sites with good articles for understanding the world of blue cheeses:

• Of course, Wikipedia has a page: Blue Cheese
• "Blue cheese is a general classification of cheeses ... spotted or veined throughout with blue, blue-grey, blue-green, or blue-brown..."
• So it's not a type (like Cheddar or Mozzarella or cream cheese), but a general classification.  There are lots of different blue cheeses... keep reading.
• Serious Eats
• An Introduction to Blue Cheese: 4 Beginner Blues for Newbies
• Cheese 101: There's More to Blue Cheese Than You Think
• The Cook's Thesaurus has a great article on the major varieties of blue cheese

For this project, I'm intentionally sticking with the varieties that are available at a reasonable price point in my local grocery store.  The cheese won't be served on its own, but folded into the stuffing of a pierogi, so it doesn't need to be strong enough to stand up to a cheese plate, or pair nicely with a certain wine or dinner plate.

I stopped by the store and took a few pictures of my options with my cell phone (so forgive the quality of these pictures):

• These aren't really being considered... but I grabbed a picture anyway.  The flavors on these will be much more strong than I'm looking for in this recipe.  I'm sharing just to point out that there is an OK variety at my local store:
• Country Castle Limburger ($4.99 for 6oz or $0.83/oz):
• A semi-soft cheese with origins from Belgium. Only one factory in the USA, located in Monroe, Wisconsin, produces Limburger domestically. Limburger is a pungent smelling, surface-ripened cheese that pairs well with hearty rye breads and even a slice of onion.
  
• Société Roquefort ($7.99 for 3.5oz or $2.28/oz):
• Société® Roquefort has an ivory-colored paste with emerald-green veining and a creamy, moist texture. Its rich, intense sheep milk flavor balances the blue mold aroma creating the magic taste that has made Roquefort famous around the world and distinguished it by many as the King of Cheeses.
  
• Several are generically labeled as "blue"...  will be hard to tell from a package what they're like:
• Salemville Amish Blue ($4.29 for 4oz or $1.07/oz):
• Internationally renowned rBGH free blue cheese produced in an Amish community from cows that are hand-milked twice daily. Salemville® Amish Blue cheese is recognized for its well-balanced, earthy flavor and picturesque veining.
  
• Athenos Blue ($4.99 for 4.5oz or $1.11/oz):
• Athenos Blue Cheese, aged 60 days for a more complex flavor, is crumbled and ready to be thrown into your next salad.
  
• Stella Blue ($3.74 for 7oz or $0.54/oz):
• a delectably rich and tangy flavor and an easy-to-crumble, semi-soft texture that’s perfect for salads and sauces.
  
• Two Danish Blue's:
• Castello Traditional Danish Blue ($4.99 for 4.4oz or $1.13/oz):
• A fine, nutty, blue mould aroma with hints of marzipan and a soft bitterness of sourdough
  
• Castello Extra Creamy Danish Blue ($5.99 for 4.4oz or $1.36/oz):
• A mild blue mould aroma, buttery with a hint of oiliness and a sharp blue mould sourness overlaid on tempered salty butter.
  
• And one Gorgonzola:
• Salemville Amish Gorgonzola ($4.29 for 4oz or $1.07/oz):
• Salemville® Amish Gorgonzola cheese gained widespread fame by winning Best American-Made Blue Cheese at the World Championship Cheese Contest in 2000. This rBGH-free artisanal blue cheese is made in small batches by a Wisconsin Amish community. Milk comes from local farmers whose herds of four to twenty-five cows are hand-milked twice a day. Savory, slightly piquant, earthy flavor with a rich, creamy texture and beautiful, consistent veining.
  

So.... which to pick??

We decided to go with the Gorgonzola for this batch.  We'll see how it turns out, but I think the creamy texture and earthy flavor will work well with potatoes and bacon.

Up tomorrow... the key to this redhead's heart: potatoes.