Cheese, Glorious Cheese

February 11, 2012 4:23 PM

There is four pounds of Maytag blue cheese. There is one of me.

Help, please? Other than making up little blue cheese goodie bags and leaving them on friends' doorsteps, I'm lost. Seeking recipes, things that can be frozen, etc. Expiration date is March 15th. Love blue cheese but really, this is a ridiculous amount. I'm more than happy to share w/ friends if I can think of an elegant gift presentation. Thank you!

posted by cyndigo to food & drink (23 answers total)

Did you see this AskMe from a month ago? Seems like a lot of single people have too much blue cheese.
posted by Houstonian at 4:26 PM on February 11 [4 favorites]

Is it already crumbled or something? If it's a block, cheese doesn't go bad. That's the while point of cheese. You can cut off any (undesirable) mold.
posted by cmoj at 4:27 PM on February 11 [1 favorite]

Darn that search engine. Somehow I missed that. Thanks, Houstonian!
posted by cyndigo at 4:29 PM on February 11

Oh and it's in a giant lovely wheel.
posted by cyndigo at 4:32 PM on February 11 [1 favorite]

Grown up mac and cheese is excellent and involves blue -- http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/grown-up-mac-and-cheese-recipe/index.html

Also you can crumble or shred and freeze for use in baked goods. You might want to portion out the shredded/crumbled into measured portions rather than just freeze one massive bag.

Also on preview -- if it's a wax covered wheel, you're even better with the mold situation (nthing cmoj).
posted by countrymod at 4:34 PM on February 11

This blue cheese cheesecake is one of my favorite things to do with blue cheese. (And that jam is delicious with it!)
posted by trip and a half at 4:46 PM on February 11 [2 favorites]

The expiration date is a legal necessity, but blue cheese pre-dates refrigeration by centuries. With decent preservation, this will be edible after March 15.

If you want to preserve it, the best way is to cut it in halves or quarters and wrap the cut faces with saran wrap, stretched so tightly that there are no wrinkles on the face. Pull cellophane tape around the curve of the wheel and on the corners to hold the saran in place. (It's kind of tough to describe.)

Keep one working piece in your fridge, wrapped in waxed paper. Again, you want to wrap so that the cut faces are flat against unwrinkled wax paper -- like wrapping an oddly-shaped christmas present.

As far as recipes, you can use the stuff in spinach dip; macaroni and cheese; potatoes au gratin; stuffed mushroom caps; salad (it goes nicely with dried cranberries, chopped green apples, and citrus -- you want some tartness to cut the richness of the cheese); spread it on bruschetta, crumble it on top of steaks right before you finish broiling them; drizzle it with honey ... get creative and go nuts.

You now have a great winter project / blog / book idea: identify 100 (or, for that amount, 500) things that go well with Maytag blue.
posted by gauche at 4:50 PM on February 11 [5 favorites]

You know, you could freeze a heavy percentage of it and use it when you need it. Heretical from some cheese lovers' perspective but definitely doable. Heck, I was watching a show and the chef, Michael Chiarello, pulled a huge hunk of blue cheese from his freezer and then started grating it over some grilled steaks.

Things I have cooked with blue cheese:
* blue cheese and potato croquettes that were then finished with a hazelnut oil
* cream sauce with peas and pork product
* sandwich with a blue cheese filling and fig conserve
posted by jadepearl at 5:00 PM on February 11

If you're in Philly, I've just suddenly become aware of the great lack of blue cheese in my life and suspect I'll need to buy some soon...

As for a practical note, if you like blue cheese, you could easily make and freeze a quiche or frittata that's heavy on the cheese, or slices of a tart with apple/blue cheese/walnuts/honey, or used in a stuffing for twice-baked potatoes....this sounds like an awesome problem to have!
posted by jetlagaddict at 5:04 PM on February 11

This roast beef recipe got 200+ favorites the other day, and involves lots of blue cheese...
posted by vorfeed at 6:17 PM on February 11

I have made this blue cheese fondue that really, really good.

1 c. milk
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
2 c. blue cheese
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbs. cornstarch
2 Tbs. half & half
ham, sausage or bread for dipping

Warm milk, & cream cheese in pot. Whisk until smooth. Keep over low heat and gradually stir in the blue cheese. Stir over heat until smooth. In small bowl blend cornstarch and half & half and then stir into cheese mixture. Cook 2-3 min. Serve in fondue pot, keeping cheese mixture warm.
posted by Flacka at 6:25 PM on February 11

I make risotto with roasted butternut squash and blue cheese. I don't have a detailed recipe, but here's the essence:

• Cut butternut (or any winter) squash into 1/4" cubes
• Toss the squash with some olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper
• Spread the squash on a metal tray and roast for about 20 minutes at 400 (start checking after 10 minutes — you want it to be easily pierced with a fork)
• Make a basic risotto — saute some onion and garlic, add a cup or two of arborio rice and saute for a minute, deglaze with white wine, add stock a ladleful at a time until rice is al dente
• Stir the squash and large handful of crumbled blue cheese into the risotto. Taste for seasoning and serve
posted by (Over) Thinking at 7:06 PM on February 11 [1 favorite]

Crumbled blue cheese is fantastic over fruit (pineapple, apples, etc)--along with a little blue cheese dressing and black pepper.
posted by pushing paper and bottoming chairs at 7:39 PM on February 11

Broccoli mushroom casserole with blue cheese. Yummy
posted by Sucht at 7:56 PM on February 11

The Blue cheese fondue above with homemade potato chips or french fries would be delicious. This is a good way to enjoy more of it at a time than other uses for blue cheese off the top of my head. Make the fondue ahead - and get some take out fries on the way home from the bar (bring a friend back?) for the best drunken food binge ever.
posted by sarahnicolesays at 8:47 PM on February 11 [1 favorite]

Make some blue cheese dressing. You will be amazed at the range of things you can use it for.
posted by scose at 3:02 AM on February 12

Wrap it in wonton skins and deep fry... Or bake in little puff pastry nests with maybe a little sliced date on top of each.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 7:39 AM on February 12

1) roast shelled hazelnuts in oven
2) remove hazelnuts from oven, place in towel, rub vigorously to remove majority of skin
3) consider roughly chopping the hazelnuts (I prefer chopped, others don't)
4) slice baguette into circa 1-inch slices
5) place chunk of Maytag on each slice
6) place "appropriate" amount of hazelnut on each slice
7) drizzle with honey
8) place in oven until cheese softens & edges of bread turn golden
9) remove from oven & serve
10) eat, fall down
11) roll around on the floor in ecstasy
posted by aramaic at 8:29 AM on February 12 [4 favorites]

Also, for extra food-related orgasms, replace step 7 with drizzle with truffle honey

shudder
posted by lalochezia at 9:06 AM on February 12

Freezing changes the texture of cheese, makes it more crumbly. But it's still fine for when it's going to end up melted on top of things or used in sauces and so on.

It's easier handle it frozen if you grate it or crumble it first and then freeze it.
posted by Helga-woo at 12:57 PM on February 12

Crumbled Maytag is delicious over chili.
posted by mmascolino at 4:17 PM on February 12

Thank you! All these sound delicious, and I'll mark some best answers as I try them. I also put the word out to friends. If they have anything to do with it, the situation may soon be "There is no pounds of cheese. There is one of me."
posted by cyndigo at 6:57 PM on February 12

You could make the dough for any of these recipes, freeze it and make them in small batches:
Rosemary Blue Cheese Icebox Cookies
Bleu Cheese Shortbread
Blue Cheese and Walnut Crackers
posted by soelo at 7:45 PM on February 12 [1 favorite]