The Unknown Blue

In my last post I put up a picture of the cheeses that my friends brought (smuggled) back from France while on their honeymoon.  I opened the cryovac seal and removed the 2 cheeses from their wrapping to take a look. The smaller, disc shaped wheel was wrapped in purple plastic wrap with a double layer of yellow, waxed cheese paper on the outside.  These were definitely prepared for the long haul…

After carefully unwrapping I found a small and off-white disc with splotches of brown, blue and greed mold on the moist exterior.  The pungent aroma hit me right from the beginning.  I didn’t even need to put my nose down to it as the strong smell of damp must (in a good way) filled my nostrils.

I cut into the cheese to find a pale paste with light blue and green mold streaks permeating the interior.  My first bite was very surprising as it was much more mild than I expected.  Definitely made from cow’s milk, the creamy texture coated my tongue with an earthy almost nutty flavor, and a nice hint of salt.  I expected a spicy and tongue numbing cheese, and found in return a mild, creamy, and luscious blue that melted in my mouth.  Great!  What is the name of this cheese you may ask?

I don’t know.  My friend doesn’t remember… Is it Fourme d’Ambert?  Bleu d’Auvergne?  Don’t think so.  No clue…  Doesn’t matter!  I was able to taste flavors and textures without any familiarity or benefit of prior tasting, reading, reviews, etc…  Call it an exercise in expanding my palate.  In the end the name doesn’t really matter to me.  I am thankful that I have friends who thought of me enough to bring back some cheese from another country, and it was delicious…

On to the next!