Kamil Perry
Blue cheese is a popular ingredient in salads, particularly in the United States and Canada, where blue cheese dressing is commonly used as a dip or sauce. Blue cheese is believed to have originated in Europe, with varieties such as Roquefort, originating from France, and Gorgonzola, which is one of the oldest known blue cheeses, originating from Italy. Blue cheese is a versatile ingredient that can be crumbled or melted into a dressing and paired with various ingredients, making it a favourite among salad enthusiasts.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Nationalities that use blue cheese in salad | United States, Canada |
| Blue cheese dressing ingredients | Mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk, milk, vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder, salad oil, seasonings, sugar, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, lemon juice |
| Blue cheese types | Gorgonzola, Roquefort, Stilton, Danablu, Cambozola |
| Blue cheese origin | Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, France |
| Blue cheese characteristics | Varying flavors, colors, and consistencies; distinctive smell |
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What You'll Learn
Blue cheese salad recipes
Blue cheese is a popular ingredient in salads in the United States and Canada. It is often used as a salad dressing or dip and pairs well with other ingredients like chicken, turkey, garlic bread, and corn. Blue cheese is also commonly served as a dip with Buffalo wings or crudités (raw vegetables).
Classic Wedge Salad
This salad typically includes wedges of iceberg lettuce or romaine lettuce, crispy bacon bits, blue cheese, and blue cheese dressing. It is commonly found in steakhouses and often served before grilled steak.
Chopped Blue Cheese Salad
This salad combines all the flavours of a wedge salad but is easier to eat. It includes lettuce, tomatoes, bacon, and blue cheese tossed together in a bowl with a creamy blue cheese dressing.
Blue Cheese and Dried Cranberry Tossed Salad
This salad is a swanky version of a regular tossed salad. It includes romaine lettuce, grape tomatoes, cucumber, pecans, dried cranberries, and blue cheese tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette.
Blue Cheese Chopped Salad
This addictive salad features salty bacon, sweet and savoury creamy blue cheese dressing, nutty toasted sesame seeds, crisp red onions, and blue cheese crumbles. It is served on a bed of romaine lettuce with the option to toss the dressing and cheese with the salad or serve them on the side.
Blue Cheese Butter Sauce Salad
This salad features a blue cheese butter sauce drizzled over grilled chicken breast. The sauce can be made by combining blue cheese with mayonnaise, buttermilk, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, lemon juice, and garlic.
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Blue cheese dressing in the US and Canada
Blue cheese dressing is a popular salad dressing in the United States and Canada. It is typically made with blue cheese, buttermilk, mayonnaise, and sour cream or yogurt, with added ingredients like vinegar, onion powder, garlic powder, sugar, lemon juice, and pepper. Many people in the US and Canada enjoy this dressing on their salads, especially the classic wedge salad, and it is also commonly served as a dip for Buffalo wings or crudités (raw vegetables).
Blue cheese dressing is widely available in grocery stores in the US and Canada, with popular brands including Litehouse, Marie's, and Ken's Steakhouse. Many people also make their own blue cheese dressing at home, with recipes varying according to individual taste preferences. Blue cheese itself is a common salad topping and is often used in Cobb salads. It can also be crumbled over pizza and salads, grilled chicken breast, or burgers and steak.
Blue cheese is a unique variety of cheese with blue mold cultivated in it. American blue cheese is known for being creamier, milder, and less pungent than other types of blue cheese, such as Gorgonzola. While blue cheese is commonly used in salads and dressings, some people find its strong flavor and dry, crumbly texture unappealing.
In addition to salads, blue cheese dressing can be used as a condiment on sandwiches or wraps, or incorporated into dips with ingredients like cream cheese, sour cream, and hot sauce. It pairs well with a variety of ingredients, including chicken, turkey, garlic bread, and corn. Blue cheese dressing is also used in recipes like Buffalo Chicken Lasagna and Bobbe's Super Cheesy Pasta.
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Blue cheese dressing recipes
Blue cheese is a popular ingredient in salads and dressings in the United States and Canada. While it is not known who invented blue cheese dressing, the earliest recording of it was in the Edgewater Beach Hotel Salad book in 1928, where it was called Roquefort dressing.
Recipe 1:
This recipe is by Chef Billy Parisi and involves mixing mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper. Once these ingredients are combined, add in the blue cheese crumbles and gently fold them into the mixture. You can make this recipe up to 3 days ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Recipe 2:
This recipe is from Allrecipes and involves mashing blue cheese and buttermilk together with a fork until the mixture resembles large-curd cottage cheese. Then, stir in sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, and garlic powder. Season with salt and pepper to taste. You can add whole milk instead of buttermilk for a milder flavor. This dressing will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Recipe 3:
This recipe is from Inspired Taste and involves combining sour cream, mayonnaise, blue cheese, parsley, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and stirring until well blended and creamy. For a pourable salad dressing, add a splash of milk, buttermilk, or water. You can also use the back of a spoon to press some of the blue cheese crumbles into the sauce for extra flavor.
Recipe 4:
This recipe is a variation suggested by a user on Reddit and involves mixing 2 cups of mayonnaise, 1/2 cup of buttermilk, 4 ounces of blue cheese, a large dash of Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco to taste, lemon juice to taste, 6-8 cloves of crushed garlic, and pepper.
Feel free to experiment with different ingredients and seasonings to create your own unique blue cheese dressing recipe!
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Blue cheese in France
Blue cheese is a popular ingredient in salads in the United States and Canada, where it is often used as a salad dressing or as a dip for raw vegetables. Blue cheese is also used in salads in France, where it is held in high regard. In fact, in France, Roquefort, a type of blue cheese, is often referred to as the "king of cheeses" or the "cheese of kings".
The distinct blue veining found in blue cheese is a result of a mould called Penicillium roqueforti, which does not produce penicillin. This mould is added to the cheese, and the cheese is then punctured with needles to allow air in and for the blue ribbons to develop. Blue cheese can be thick and fudgy, or dense and crumbly, with a flavour profile that ranges from mildly earthy to bold and peppery.
In France, the Bleu de Gex is a variety of blue cheese that dates back to the 1300s. Produced in the Jura region, this cheese is made from the unpasteurised milk of Montbéliard and Simmental cows. Weighing about 8 kg, the cheese is aged for 21 days and has a mild flavour with lactic aromas and notes of chanterelle mushrooms. If matured for over 50 days, the cheese becomes more powerful and is nicknamed "Perrachu" or "Perassu".
Another famous French blue cheese is the Bleu d’Auvergne, which was created by Antoine Roussel in 1845. Roussel, needing to provide for his family, attempted to produce and age cheeses in his home's cellar. Some of the cheese wheels accidentally developed blue mould, which Roussel deemed "Special, Pleasant, and Fragrant". He then began to analyse his cheese-making process to encourage the uniform development of the blue mould, discovering some practices that are still in use today.
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Blue cheese in ancient Austria
Blue cheese is a popular ingredient in salads in the United States and Canada, where it is often used as a salad dressing or a dip. However, the use of blue cheese in salads is not limited to these countries, as it is a common ingredient in Cobb salads and can be used as a substitute for other cheeses like feta.
Interestingly, the use of blue cheese in cuisine dates back thousands of years. In ancient Austria, specifically in the Hallstatt-Dachstein/Salzkammergut region, people consumed blue cheese up to 2,700 years ago during the Iron Age. This discovery was made through the analysis of ancient fecal samples, or paleofeces, found in the area's prehistoric salt mines. The high salt concentrations and constant annual temperature of around 8 degrees Celsius preserved these samples, allowing researchers to uncover evidence of food fermentation technologies used by the Hallstatt miners.
The ancient Austrians' consumption of blue cheese is further supported by the presence of Penicillium roqueforti and Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA in the paleofeces samples. Penicillium roqueforti is a type of fungus that is essential in the production of blue cheese, as it is responsible for the characteristic blue-green spots or veins and the unique flavor of this cheese variety. By analyzing the microbes, DNA, and proteins present in the paleofeces, researchers were able to reconstruct the diet of ancient Austrians and confirm their production and consumption of blue cheese.
The process of making blue cheese has evolved over time, but it typically involves six standard steps. One of the critical phases is the culturing of suitable spore-rich inocula, which involves the use of Penicillium roqueforti. This fungus is either sprinkled on top of the curds or mixed with them, creating the distinct blue veins and flavor that define blue cheese. The ancient Austrians likely utilized similar techniques to create their blue cheese, contributing to our understanding of ancient culinary practices and the long history of cheese and dairy production.
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Frequently asked questions
Blue cheese is used in salads in the United States and Canada. It is often used as a salad dressing, mixed with mayonnaise, buttermilk, sour cream, vinegar, and seasonings. Blue cheese is also commonly used as a salad topping in the US.
Blue cheese is any cheese made with the addition of cultures of edible moulds, which create blue-green spots or veins through the cheese. Blue cheese varies in flavour, colour, and consistency.
Roquefort, Gorgonzola, Stilton, and Cambozola are some examples of blue cheese. Roquefort originates from the village of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon in France, while Gorgonzola is one of the oldest known blue cheeses, dating back to the 9th century.
