We've got the blues
I don’t give blue cheese enough love in this newsletter. I forget how much I enjoy it until I eat a crumble and then I’m all, oooh daaang I love blue cheese! However, that wasn’t always the case. Until I was 22, I didn’t like blue cheese. Yes, friends, it’s true! I wasn’t into the sharp, strong, almost fruity flavor the blue mold gives cheese. But then I started working here, and I tasted a lot of blue. A LOT of blue. In my first weeks, I tried all of our blue cheeses, like the good little cheesemonger I was, and quickly got used to the funky flavors, and soon after that, I actually started enjoying them. This whole thing also showed me that if I wanted to like a food, I just have to eat it over and over and over again. It might be unpleasant at first, but then it gets really good.
I’m very happy to now be a part of the blue cheese loving world! And one of my favorite citizens of the blue cheese world is Bay Blue from Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. in Point Reyes Station, California. They have a few fun videos on their blog where you can see just how beautiful their farm is on a virtual farm tour. Check them out if you’re feeling antsy and want to be transported for a moment to lush California. Don’t watch them if it will just underline the fact we’re in dreary New England, not sunny California. The Giacominis have been dairy farmers on this land since 1959 and started their cheesemaking operation in 2000. Careful stewardship of their coastal farmland keeps the pastures lush for their herd of over 500 cows, which in turn means rich, flavorful milk. That milk gets turned into a few different cheeses, my favorite being Bay Blue. It is one of our milder blues, certainly sharp and interesting, but also with toasted malt notes and a salted caramel finish which mellows the funky flavor. The texture is very pleasant; it is easy to crumble, but once you take a bite, it becomes fudgy and dense.
As I’m writing this newsletter, I’m doing research on pairings with Bay Blue assisted by my willing coworkers (this is why I can never leave this job). This is the best kind of multitasking! I do wish one of our cheesemongers, David, was here because while Bay Blue is one of my favorite blue cheeses, it is David’s favorite cheese, period. His love for Bay deserves a shout out because man, David friggin LOVES it. That’s him in the picture with his true love. Taste it, and you might find yourself equally as obsessed.
Anyway, we concluded apricots go very well with Bay Blue, so a generous chunk on the Toast for Cheese Apricot Pistachio & Sunflower Seeds crackers was, like, ahhh. Like, so satisfying with the crunch and sweetness from the cracker, and the brightness of the Bay Blue that itself has wonderful sweetness. I’m not going to lie to you, these crackers, not cheap. However, they make a bomb ass snack so I can’t stop buying them. OH well #sorrynotsorry… Bay also pairs well with tomatoes, so we want to break it up over a tomato tart. While we didn’t get to try that this afternoon, I used it on a puff pastry tomato mess I made last summer. It was supposed to be a tart but the pastry kind of bulged in the oven and it became a tomato lump. But when I took it out, I showered it in Bay Blue annnddd I’m still dreaming about it almost a year later. Once I find puff pastry and cherry tomatoes, I’m making this immediately! Maybe it’ll look like a tart this time??! Maybe that’s too much to ask, but I don’t really mind because Bay Blue makes all cooking mistakes better, whether that’s because I’m adding it to the dish, or just inhaling it on the side. I hope you’ll join me in the blue cheese loving world with Bay!
For the love of cheese and changing my mind,
Kiri
