Punk your friends into loving bleu cheese

by Karina Longworth, Posted Aug 15th 2005 @ 1:30PM

Some people simply won't eat blue cheese. That's just unacceptable to me, because blues probably have the widest range in flavors of any category of cheese around. From a light, grassy goat blue like Jacquin Bleuet, to a melty, sticky blue with an almost alcoholic aftertaste like the Blue de Rey, to a spicy, runny Spanish Picon (which even I won't touch with a ten-foot baguette), there should be something there for everybody. My favorite way to turn people on to the possibilities of blue cheese is to serve it for dessert. There are two ways you can go with this: simple or spectacular.

The simple version involves getting something smooth and creamy -- a Gorgonzola Dolce is usually cheap and easily available; a Gorgonzola Torta is harder to find, way more expensive, and totally worth it -- and serving it at room temperature as essentially a dip, with toasted walnuts or pecans and maybe a few firm red apple slices. Oh, and port -- maybe a Ficklin? -- and, if you're really dealing with bleu cheese scaredy cats, a little bit of dark chocolate.

But there's nothing I enjoy more than tricking someone into eating, and loving, something they think they can't stand. That's why the best way to serve bleu cheese for dessert is to serve it warm and serve it secretly; if you choose the right cheese, your guests won't have any idea what they're eating.

My favorite cheese to use for this little culinary prank is Berkshire Blue. Based on a British recipe, it's now made in Massachusetts. It's hard and crumbly and breaks off the wheel like chips off a block of chocolate. In fact, straight from the ice box, it's a dead ringer for white chocolate; at room temperature or slightly heated, it melts slightly, and leaves an aftertaste like vanilla frosting. It's the perfect accompaniment for this peach bruschetta -- but you could easily substitute apples or honeydew and get away with it.

Peach Bruschetta

3-4 peaches, peeled and thinly sliced
One good firm block Berkshire Blue (note: you may want to put the cheese in the freezer for an hour or so before using to firm it up for shaving)
1/2 lemon, rind and juice
4 tbsp granulated sugar, divided
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 medium ciabatta loaf, sliced in half lengthwise
3 tbsp unsalted butter (preferably French)
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Brown sugar

Place peach slices in a glass bowl and cover with lemon, 2 tbsp of the sugar and the basil, and marinate for 15 minutes. Place the ciabatta under a preheated broiler just until lightly toasted, and spread with butter. Combine the rest of the sugar with the cinamon and sprinkle on the bread, top with peach slices and a sprinkle of brown sugar and broil until the sugar starts to bubble. Remove the bruschetta and shave the blue cheese directly over the peaches to taste. Place the bruschetta back under the broiler for one more minute. Slice into slices and serve.

Filed Under: Ingredients, Drink Recipes
Tags: cheese, dessert, fruit, wine

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

8-19-2005 @4:25PM Chris said... Great article..........I once punked a friend into liking gator tail.
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8-22-2005 @3:01PM Queijo said... If you can find blue de Termignon, which has very subtle blue veining, it also works nicely as a substitute in your Punk. Cashel Blue, too. I find the best way to make it palatable to the haters is to bake blue into something, anything...muffins, flan, savory pudding...but you wouldn't want to shell out the big bucks for a sexy blue like Termignon if you were just going to bake it.
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