This is the first blue cheese I made, following an on-line recipe that I’ve since learned is a bit out of the mainstream.

You were meant to keep it a room temperature, so here it is after a week or so:

And over the course of several months, scrape off the ever-increasingly interesting molds that grew on its surface, monthly (sorry, no pics).

After four months, it was okay, but nothing special, so I wrapped it and put it in the fridge.

After a year, it’s pretty special.

I learned that wax paper is not a good idea for long aging:

But, you ask, how did it taste?

INTENSE. I love sharp blues, but honestly, this pushed my boundaries. Adds credence to my theory that the “blueness” is more due to aging than the actual amount of (visible) color. So intensely “blue” that maybe I’m only imagining I could taste some of the lactic complexity of an aged cheese behind that.

Best enjoyed thusly, in 3/8″ cubes:

I took a couple of slices, which will do me for a week:

. . . the rest re-wrapped (not in wax paper!) and back in to the fridge.

-R