3:56 p.m. and I just finished a late lunch—or early dinner—as the case may be. I remembered the Stilton blue cheese waiting in the refrigerator for me, and that I hadn’t continued with the comparison testing of blues I had purchased.
No time like the present!
I didn’t have time to cook anything, so threw together a plate of what I had. I love this about cheese; one can just eat it any time with so many other things one has on hand.
I will admit though, that I had a disaster the other night. I made some red beans and rice—yum—and thought to toss on some blue cheese just to see how it tasted. DON’T DO THIS! I repeat … BLUE CHEESE AND RED BEANS AND RICE ARE NOT A GOOD MATCH!
Well, I learn from my mistakes as well as from successes, don’t you?
Today I happened to have fresh blueberries I purchased from the farmers market in Blaine, had a chilled delicious apple from the Bay Center Market in Birch Bay, a handful of unsalted roasted almonds, and a little bit of leftover sauvignon blanc … AND … a marvelous Stilton blue!
So simple! So delicious! The Stilton was crumbly, but very creamy. It had more of a salty presence than the smokey blue of last week. It is a strong taste, but not offensive. It went quite well with the sweet freshness of the blueberries and the nutty crunch of the almonds, and what doesn’t go with a crisp apple? I happen to enjoy white wine but sauvignon blanc isn’t a typical match for Stilton. Who cares? I could tell that Stilton would go well with a cabernet. I had read it also pairs well with a sweet red, like a port, when Stilton is presented as a dessert cheese.
I was reading in “The Cheese Plate” by Max McCalman and David Gibbons, that Stilton, probably the most celebrated cheese in England, went through a lot of historical hoops, some of which just about caused its demise. Farmstead cheeses were made by dairies, but when the railroad came through, the dairies could ship their milk to other areas where the cheese was made. This was a good and bad development. Good because it enabled more options for dairy farmers. Bad because it was easier and more cost effective to ship off the milk rather than make the distinctive farmstead cheeses, which weren’t protected, and were in danger of being lost to mass production cheese. Also, during the great wars there was rationing and many of the farmhouse cheese makers went out of business. There was also a health scare that erroneously tied in ANY unpasteurized cheese in the Listeria crisis of 1980s. In 1989, the British minister of agriculture proposed to ban the sale of unpasteurized cheeses—the traditional farmhouse ones. A double whammy was that the British supermarkets took the position that they would only stock pasteurized cheese. All these difficulties notwithstanding, traditional farmhouse cheeses survived and thrive in Britain.
Knowing a little of the history of a cheese enhances my enjoyment. This doesn’t stop at historical or political notes, but also the nature of the land itself.
No time like the present!
I didn’t have time to cook anything, so threw together a plate of what I had. I love this about cheese; one can just eat it any time with so many other things one has on hand.
I will admit though, that I had a disaster the other night. I made some red beans and rice—yum—and thought to toss on some blue cheese just to see how it tasted. DON’T DO THIS! I repeat … BLUE CHEESE AND RED BEANS AND RICE ARE NOT A GOOD MATCH!
Well, I learn from my mistakes as well as from successes, don’t you?
Today I happened to have fresh blueberries I purchased from the farmers market in Blaine, had a chilled delicious apple from the Bay Center Market in Birch Bay, a handful of unsalted roasted almonds, and a little bit of leftover sauvignon blanc … AND … a marvelous Stilton blue!
So simple! So delicious! The Stilton was crumbly, but very creamy. It had more of a salty presence than the smokey blue of last week. It is a strong taste, but not offensive. It went quite well with the sweet freshness of the blueberries and the nutty crunch of the almonds, and what doesn’t go with a crisp apple? I happen to enjoy white wine but sauvignon blanc isn’t a typical match for Stilton. Who cares? I could tell that Stilton would go well with a cabernet. I had read it also pairs well with a sweet red, like a port, when Stilton is presented as a dessert cheese.
I was reading in “The Cheese Plate” by Max McCalman and David Gibbons, that Stilton, probably the most celebrated cheese in England, went through a lot of historical hoops, some of which just about caused its demise. Farmstead cheeses were made by dairies, but when the railroad came through, the dairies could ship their milk to other areas where the cheese was made. This was a good and bad development. Good because it enabled more options for dairy farmers. Bad because it was easier and more cost effective to ship off the milk rather than make the distinctive farmstead cheeses, which weren’t protected, and were in danger of being lost to mass production cheese. Also, during the great wars there was rationing and many of the farmhouse cheese makers went out of business. There was also a health scare that erroneously tied in ANY unpasteurized cheese in the Listeria crisis of 1980s. In 1989, the British minister of agriculture proposed to ban the sale of unpasteurized cheeses—the traditional farmhouse ones. A double whammy was that the British supermarkets took the position that they would only stock pasteurized cheese. All these difficulties notwithstanding, traditional farmhouse cheeses survived and thrive in Britain.
Knowing a little of the history of a cheese enhances my enjoyment. This doesn’t stop at historical or political notes, but also the nature of the land itself. Here’s an excerpt from Julie Harbutt from her “Guide to the Finest Cheeses of Britain and Ireland”:
“Watching cows munching their way through the grasses of an English pasture, one can see why our British cheeses have a reputation for their sweet, creamy, rich and complex scents and flavours. The characteristic sea spray freshness of Cheshire can only be obtained from the rich salt deposits lying just below the surface of the pastures while the distinct herby, slightly metallic blue taste of Stilton is surely influenced by the mineral rich seams of coal and iron running through the rolling fields of Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire. These are the great territorials of Britain.”
Artisan cheese provides an enjoyable experience. It’s more than a food source. It’s travel to distant lands, history, politics, tradition, all wrapped up in a wheel of cheese! One doesn't have to pack a bag, make sure the passport is current, or sit on a plane for hours and hours and hours. Just walk or drive to your local cheesemonger or a supermarket with an artisan cheese department ... and enjoy the journey!
“Watching cows munching their way through the grasses of an English pasture, one can see why our British cheeses have a reputation for their sweet, creamy, rich and complex scents and flavours. The characteristic sea spray freshness of Cheshire can only be obtained from the rich salt deposits lying just below the surface of the pastures while the distinct herby, slightly metallic blue taste of Stilton is surely influenced by the mineral rich seams of coal and iron running through the rolling fields of Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire. These are the great territorials of Britain.”
Artisan cheese provides an enjoyable experience. It’s more than a food source. It’s travel to distant lands, history, politics, tradition, all wrapped up in a wheel of cheese! One doesn't have to pack a bag, make sure the passport is current, or sit on a plane for hours and hours and hours. Just walk or drive to your local cheesemonger or a supermarket with an artisan cheese department ... and enjoy the journey!
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