UNITED STATES, RAW COW’S MILK
PERSONALITY: A true Vermonter, rugged and yet refined.
Few American blues can claim the complexity and all-around vivacious spirit of this Vermont blue from Jasper Hill Farm. If America has a Stilton, this is it, and yet you won’t find the smoke-and-leather elements that turn British Stilton into a gentleman’s cheese. Bayley Hazen epitomizes Vermont; it’s twangy, herbaceous, nutty, grassy, and smooth, with a hint of licorice. The Kehler Brothers, who developed this cheese, have won every award possible, and their approach to farming and cheesemaking inspires everyone in the business.
The key to this cheese is, as always, milk quality and technique. The Kehlers practice sustainable farming, and they draw on knowledge they learned from apprenticing with the best in the business. French cheesemakers taught them the process, and affineurs (master agers) at Neal’s Yard Dairy in London schooled them on maturation. Once you get a taste of this dazzling blue, you’ll want to seek out Jasper Hill’s other cheeses. Try Constant Bliss (page 94), Moses Sleeper (page 106), and Winnimere (page 112).
Good matches: Parker Pie in West Glover, Vermont has made a classic out of Bayley Hazen pizza, topped with apple slices and smoky bacon. Replicate it, or just enjoy the hell out of a good wedge and some baguette. If you want to play off the fennel-y notes in this cheese, try crumbling some over a fennel-apple salad dressed with walnut oil and a splash of fruity vinegar.
Wine/beer: Pick Zinfandel or Canadian ice wine. This is an excellent blue to pair with stout. Grab a Lancaster Milk Stout or, for a sterling Vermont-on-Vermont match: Dark Angel Imperial.
UNITED STATES, RAW COW’S MILK
PERSONALITY: An honest blue cheese in overalls, a Pennsylvania favorite.
In Philadelphia, there’s one blue cheese that you’re bound to see on restaurant menus, and that’s Sue Miller’s wonderful Birchrun Blue. It’s creamy, earthy, and grassy, with a twinge of mushroom, a characteristic common in cheeses from Chester County. Nearby Kennett Square is famous for being America’s ’shroom HQ, so perhaps there’s something in the soil. The terroir definitely cries out, “Champignons!”
Miller has an interesting story. She and her husband Ken are life-long dairy farmers, and when milk prices hit bottom a few years ago the family risked losing their land. One night, Sue went to bed with a brainstorm: she would learn to make cheese in order to add value to her milk supply. In the morning, she registered for a class, and within a few months she was making her first batch of blue. Di Bruno Bros. became her first customer, and Sue is now one of the area’s most successful raw-milk cheesemakers. Look for her at Philadelphia-area farmers’ markets, including the Market at Headhouse Square. Sue’s Red Cat and Fat Cat (page 146) are also local faves.
Good matches: This cheese can swing sweet or savory. Figs and walnuts harmonize on a cheese plate, but you can also crumble Birchrun Blue into a leek-and-mushroom quiche or use it as a topper for a mushroom burger. In Philly, local confectioner Betty’s Tasty Buttons uses this cheese to make Birchrun Blue fudge!
Wine/beer: Since this cheese is modeled after Stilton, try serving a glass of port or barleywine. In summer: a late-harvest Riesling. Porters and stouts make for dreamy combos, but one of the most interesting pairings is local to the Miller’s farm: Victory Golden Monkey, a big Belgian ale brewed in Downingtown, Pennsylvania.
FRANCE, RAW SHEEP’S MILK
PERSONALITY: A royal weirdo, a blue blood with crazy taste (think Grey Gardens).
This earthy blue princess from the Pyrénées is firm, flinty, and full of intrigue. Like Roquefort, it’s made entirely of ewe’s milk, and yet Bleu des Basques is a completely different beast. Unlike Roquefort, which is extremely moist and neatly wrapped in foil, Bleu des Basques is dry and rustic, with a rind that looks like an ambient-mold pincushion. This is a sniffy cheese, lots going on here: shellfish, mutton, and grass, along with flavors of nuts and pine. What a fascinator.
Bleu des Basques belongs at a garden party in a blue-green frock with cat-eye glasses and a big knitting bag. She’ll melt at a glance, but she loves deep conversation. Consider serving this on a marble platter to keep it cool; this one weeps in the heat. Like all ewe’s milk cheeses, care should be taken not to let Bleu des Basques sit out for too long. The fat beads, oh how the fat beads.
Good matches: Break out the dried figs and walnuts, then put on some waltzes. For a contrast, serve this with a hunk of Ossau-Iraty (page 56) produced by the same French company, Onetik.
Wine/beer: This one needs a tawny port or barleywine. Try Weyerbacher’s Blithering Idiot, a sweet thing full of dark fruit and spice.
ITALY, BUFFALO’S MILK
PERSONALITY: A big, tatted-up cowboy with wild, animal-filled dreams.
Gorgonzola fans, clear the table. This unusual newbie from Lombardy doesn’t have the centuries-old history of Italy’s most famous blue, but its renegade spirit likes to ride neck and neck with the best. Made from the milk of water buffalo, this square-shaped cheese brings nutty, salty, tart, faintly gamey notes to the mat. For those who like more savoriness in their blues, this one wrangles deep, dark flavor. The texture? Well, think of calfskin. Buffalo milk is famously lush.
Blu di Bufala is produced by one of Italy’s great buffalo farms, Quattro Portoni, near Bergamo. The two brothers who released this cheese to the world in 2005 also make Quadrello di Bufala (page 152) and Casatica di Bufala (page 93). These are great cheeses for decadent nights or for taking on a vision quest when you need a substitute for pemmican.
Good matches: This is a fatty, spicy cheese so it can stand up to other intense flavors. Try smoky meats, like speck, or fruit pastes. We can’t recommend our Dessert Grilled Cheese enough (page 230).
Wine/beer: Pair this with a Moscato d’Asti or a leather-tinged shiraz. Tröeg’s Mad Elf, a Belgian Strong Dark Ale, has complimentary notes: cloves, tart cherry, caramel. You could also try a smoked beer.