Blue Cheese

Legend has it that the first blue cheese was created when some mold from the penicillium family was accidentally transferred from bread to a nearby piece of cheese. If true, what a fortunate accident indeed. For the result is a family of deliciously flavorful cheeses that is equally at home atop a steak, on a salad or as the centerpiece of your cheese tray. The distinguishing characteristic of blue cheese is the creamy ivory color which is laced with blue/green veins.

Chefs, including Gregg Wangard of Marisol restaurant at the Cliffs Resort in Shell Beach, Cal., prize Wisconsin blue cheeses such as Hook's Blue and Roth Käse's Buttermilk Blue for their full piquant flavors and versatility across a wide range of dishes. In addition to using blue cheese in a variety of dishes from pizzas to soufflés, Chef Wangard likes it simply served on a cheese plate with ripe pears. As a dessert, Chef Wangard recommends a very simple, but sophisticated preparation of a fig crème brulee with Wisconsin blue cheese.

Wisconsin Cheesemakers make several award-winning styles of blues. Tony and Julie Hook, for example, stopped making high volume cheeses so they could focus on outstanding artisan specialties featuring a few blues including a Tilston Point which has been compared to the famed English Stilton. Another Wisconsin standout is Salemville Cheese which makes several styles of blues including blue cheese crumbles that are hand-crafted using milk from dairy farmers in one of Wisconsin's Amish communities. The Danish Style Mindoro Blue from Swiss Valley is made by Master Cheesemaker Richard Glick, the only cheesemaker to have earned a Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker certification for blue cheese. The Creamy Gorgonzola made by BelGioioso is crafted under the watchful eye of the Italian-born cheesemaker, Gianni Toffolon. Finally, the Treasure Cave line of cheeses offers a cave-aged blue cheese crumbles as well as gorgonzola crumbles.

A trait these cheeses have in common is their excellence. They are created with pride by some of the nation's best cheesemakers. To find Wisconsin Cheese companies that make blue cheese, visit our Buy Wisconsin Cheese section.

For more information on Wisconsin blue cheeses, view our Cheesecyclopedia.

Look for Wisconsin blue cheeses at specialty and gourmet stores and select grocery stores. You can also purchase some Wisconsin Blue Cheeses, such as Roth Käse Buttermilk Blue directly from the cheesemaker's Web site.