Blue cheese crumbles can add a jolt of flavor to just about anything. Yet this cheese is about as low-profile as it gets. You won't see blue cheese crumbles hogging center stage on the charcuterie board. It's not the kind of cheese that takes top billing in a recipe. Crumbly blue cheese prefers to work its magic behind the scenes, bringing a sharp, creamy, peppery flavor to all kinds of salads, burgers, and pastas.
Here in Wisconsin, we've long appreciated the understated ethic of blue cheese crumbles. That's kind of the way we roll, too. We're content to do our job performing minor culinary miracles and let everyone wonder how we do it. Just like blue cheese crumbles.
Check out our website to meet some crumbly blue cheese made right here in Wisconsin. Search our recipes for all the ways blue cheese crumbles can add salty tang and creamy earthiness to a dish. Or scroll down for info on how to pair blue cheese crumbles and answers to other questions.
There's a whole world of flavor adventure that awaits you with blue cheese crumbles. Whether you're sprinkling it on pastas, baked potatoes, grilled steaks, roasted game meats, or a burger with bacon, blue cheese crumbles up the ante on flavor for every dish.
On a cheese and charcuterie board, blue cheese crumbles make an irresistible pairing for freshly cut fig halves drizzled with honey. Try it with candied walnuts and dried cranberries on a whole-grain cracker. Or layer it on a slice of pear with a bit of onion jam. You can melt blue cheese crumbles for dips and sauces, or whisk it up with mayo and sour cream to create a chunky homemade blue cheese dressing.
When it's time to knock back a few drinks, blue cheese crumbles prefer fruit beers, hearty stouts, weiss beer, porter and Belgian ales. The bubbles in prosecco are a nice antidote to the richness of blue cheese. Big-flavored wines like cabernet, zinfandel, chianti, and malbec are bold enough to drink with blue cheese. For higher-proof pours, think port, madeira, tequila reposado, or tequila añejo.
Blue cheese crumbles are small bits of blue cheese that are broken off from a larger chunk or wheel.
During the cheesemaking process, cheesemakers add a type of mold – Penicillium roqueforti– to the curd. As the cheese ages in a wheel, stainless steel spikes or rods are inserted to allow oxygen to flow through the cheese. The oxygen allows the mold to grow in streaks or veins, producing the sharp, pungent flavors that are prized in blue cheese.
In terms of texture, there are two types of blue: creamy and crumbly. Creamy blue cheese typically is made by adding cream to the curd as the cheese is made. Creamy blues have a higher moisture content and more butterfat, making them easy to spread. Crumbly blue cheeses have less butterfat and are aged longer to lower the moisture content.
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Want to know how to win over a Wisconsinite? Just offer up some blue cheese crumbles. We'll drop everything and pretty much eat anything that's topped with these funky morsels of blue-green goodness.
It helps, of course, that Wisconsin cheesemakers make the best blue cheese crumbles in the world. We've been making cheese in Wisconsin for 180 years – since before we were even a state – and our cheesemakers have spent that time perfecting their blue cheese recipes. The result: Old World varieties like gorgonzola and new mavericks like cheddar blue are winning awards left and right. We're actually running out of room to store the trophies – we already have more than 5000 cheese awards on the mantle. The point is: when you choose blue cheese crumbles from Wisconsin, you're choosing some of the tastiest, highest-quality, most award-winning cheese on the planet.
Craving award-winning aged cheddar, pining for parmesan, or searching for a new cheese to try? The world’s best cheese is just a click away! Explore our directory of Wisconsin cheesemakers and retailers who offer online cheese shopping and get cheese shipped right to your door. What are you waiting for?
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