Thoughts About Blue

Bymilkslinger.com

I recently came across this video about an artisanal cheesemaker who makes only blue cheese.

A few takeaways:

  • They work those curds. They are way more aggressive with them than I am, which makes me kinda laugh at myself for being so precious.
  • In the early stages — they let the curd ferment for several days prior to molding — the curd is positively riddled with holes. It looks like the milk has been wildly contaminated and yet it’s perfectly fine. 
  • They do not innoculate the cheeses with penicillium roqueforti. Whether or not they get blue veining is hit or miss, and they’re okay with that.
  • As the cheeses dry, they develop cracks in the rind and those dried out cracks — what I’ve always considered to be “bad” — are what allow the blue mold to penetrate the cheese.
  • Some of the cheeses get that dangerous white “cat hair” mold on the rind, and the guy didn’t seem at all concerned. I’m not sure how he handled it — maybe just brushed them off? — but now I’m wondering just how dangerous that type of mold, which I’ve never seen firsthand, actually is. Like, if you remove it, is the cheese still fine?

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