All About Blue Cheese

“Think of this as a 'beginner’ blue cheese. With a wonderful flavor, and without the spiciness that a stronger Roquefort can have, it’s perfect to serve to people who 'don't like blue cheeses’” – Murray’s Customer Experience 

With roots in 19th century France, Bleu d'Auvergne is a sweeter take on the standard spicy blue. In the rolling green mountains of Auvergne, pasteurized cow’s milk is transformed into satisfyingly salty, silky cheese with subtle graham cracker sweetness and rich, mushroomy flavors. Bleu D'Auvergne was first developed in the mid-1850s by French cheesemaker Antoine Roussel. According to folklore, after a farmer sprinkled mold from his rye bread into a vat of fresh curd, Roussel created and perfected the recipe for Bleu D'Auvergne. Bleu D'Auvergne is often described as the milder cow’s milk version of Roquefort. 

We recommend serving it for dessert with some Astor Apiaries Raw Orange Blossom Honey and Piedras de Chocolate. 

Now we’re getting serious about blue: the multi-award-winning Bayley Hazen Blue from Jasper Hill Farm in Vermont. This farmhouse blue’s presidential connections go beyond the 2014 White House dinner with French President François Hollande: Bayley Hazen shares its name with the Bayley Hazen Military Road, a supply route commissioned by George Washington during the Revolutionary War, located in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.

Thanks to its determined creators, the Kehler brothers, this Stilton-esque cylinder fulfills its duties. Expect a dry yet dense paste, and full of balanced chocolate, hazelnut, and licorice flavors. This cheese is definitely blue, with pleasant pepperiness and complexity, but its smooth paste mellows it considerably. One taste and you’ll know why it’s considered one of the best blues in America — one best paired with Hungry Bird Eats’ Nordic Crisps and Divina Sour Cherry Spread. 

For the deep end of the spectrum, we look to the most classic, old world blue: Roquefort. Milk from Lacaune sheep is transformed into cheese and aged in the Combalou caves of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon to create the eponymous classic Roquefort cheese, a king among blues. For centuries, the cheese has been made in the small, southern French village, where its name and production methods have been protected since 1411. The creamy paste gives way to a spicy, peppery bite and earthy undertones thanks to the blue mold that penetrates the cheese.

Roquefort’s heavenly flavor is reminiscent of the cavern air where the cheese ripens and the mold naturally grows, transforming the Lacaune ewe’s milk it’s made of. This variety is round, deep, and perfectly balanced: big, creamy chunks of the paste dissolve on the palate like sharp, soothing milky lozenges. Sweet and fudgy, its linger is peppery and sometimes quite spicy. For serious blue cheese lovers, there’s no substitute.

Contrast the savory richness of this cheese with a bright and tart pairing of Blenheim Apricots or something sweeter like pears and chocolate.

There you have it, the definitive Murray’s guide to Blue Cheese. Whether you’re just looking to try a blue that you won’t hate, or you’re a passionate blue cheese lover who’s interested in expanding your blue horizons, we hope you’ve found some inspiration. As with any cheese family, the only way to know what you do or do not like is to taste, taste, taste. Now go out and get some blues! 

Blue cheeses get their distinct blue veining from a mold called penicillium. Once penicillium is added to the cheese, wheels are punctured with a needle to allow air in and let the blue ribbons develop. Unlike other types of mold, the types of Penicillium used to produce blue cheese do not produce mycotoxins and are considered safe to consume.

However, not all blue cheeses are the same, and that there is, in fact, an entire spectrum of blue cheese. You may have sworn off the blue stuff for being too pungent or salty, but maybe a more relaxed blue is the cheese you’ve been waiting to love all along. We like to say there’s a spectrum for all cheese, but especially for blue cheese: From Mild to Intense. So, what’s the perfect blue for you? Check out our guide below, which starts with the least intense blues to the most intense and includes our favorites at each level. 

For those who want to dip their toe into the blue cheese world, we suggest starting with Champignon Cambozola Black Label. With just the slightest hint of blue veining, this is a mild, spreadable blue cheese unlike any other. The pasteurized cow’s milk cheese ripens slowly at a low temperature, allowing the paste to gradually break down and amplify its toasty, buttery taste and texture while also creating a unique triple-crème blue with a bloomy, gray-mold rind.

Käserei Champignon was founded in 1908 in Heising, Germany. It was a collaboration between, cheesemaker Julius Hirschle and wholesaler Leopold Immler. Hirschle had perfected a Camembert with distinct aromas of fresh mushrooms and they called the cheese “Champignon Camembert,” and Käserei Champignon was born. A portmanteau of Camembert and Gorgonzola gives Cambozola its name, as it blends the creaminess and the Penicillium camemberti mold-ripened rind of the former with the tangy, blue flavor of the latter. Pasteurized cow’s milk is ripened slowly at low temperatures, building the complex, rich flavor that earns it “Black Label” status as it ages.

We suggest pairing with a glass of champagne and Brooklyn Cured Sliced Smoked Beef Salami for a sweet and savory snack.