SERVES 4
Of the various blue cheeses produced in Spain, the heavily veined and intensely pungent Cabrales from Asturias is, for me, the finest. Made from cow’s milk or, during part of the year, cow’s milk blended with that of goat or sheep, the heavy wheels are aged for at least two months inside natural caves around the Picos de Europa mountains. A piece of queso de Cabrales, with its milky, slightly acidic flavors and sharp, piquant notes, perfectly accompanies a handful of toasted nuts, some crisp apple slices, or a glass of Asturian sidra (cider).
But the cheese also makes an excellent base for sauces. You find these either warm and served over a grilled steak (see page 259) or, like this version, cold, and spooned over mildly bitter Belgian endive.
1. In a small bowl, blend the cheese and cream into a runny, textured sauce with a fork by a combination of whisking and mashing.
2. Cut the endive in half lengthwise. Place a pair of endive halves on each salad plate with the cut center facing upward. Spoon the sauce over the endive. Top each endive half with two anchovy fillets in an “X” and generously grind over pepper before serving.