Roquefort-style blue

[Gina]

I made my first non-Stilton blue on June 1, -- 4 small Roqurefort-style blues. I'm very pleased with how they are turning out. In fact, one has almost been totally eaten while very young, and I already really like the flavor and creamy texture. I mostly followed the recipe from 400 easy cheeses. I had a bit of extra cream, so I also added that. 

They blued up nicely from the beginning. One I decided to open (wanted to look for veining) and wax about 2 weeks ago (cheese halves in the right of the photo below), but after re-opening those today, decided I far preferred the flavor of the drier non waxed ones.

In the beginning I was 'caring for' them daily, but about a week or so ago I sort of forgot and a white fluffy mold took hold. I wiped them with a salt solution, and dried them off a bit in the cheese cave. I'll return them all to a more closed container later this afternoon.

I like this cheese very much and will definitely make it again. Probably quite soon.

[9mmruger]

They sure look good, what size molds are you using?

[Gina]

Thanks, they were good. Better than expected and almost gone now. I can hardly wait for the next blue to be ready in another few weeks. 

The molds I used are not official cheese molds, but rather slightly tapered tupperware cylinders 2 inches tall by almost 4 inches wide. I think the smallish size allowed them to age faster.

[Brie]

Look good! Just as an FYI, blue cheese is not normally waxed, as it needs air to breathe and promote the blue growth inside the cheese. Waxing will suffocate the whole process. After it's aged to your liking, you can vacuum pack it. Good luck!

[Groves]

So how long total do you age your blues? Is there any benefit to aging past when they have blued on the inside to your liking? Does the flavor change the longer it ages?

[Brie]

I adore blues--and there are so many---Stilton, Gorgonzola--these should be aged for at least 3 months (and well worth the effort and time). Soft blues can be eaten within 5 weeks, but try to age further for a more pronounced taste of the beautiful blue. Bleu de Bresse or Blue de Causses taste great at 4 weeks, but at 8-12 they are to die for, especially if you have raw milk available. Try one with P.Candidum innoculated into the milk and you will have another great dimension going on. Check the recipes on this site for Cambozola.

[Brie]

Sorry--meant to add some of the blue pics

[Gina]

I waxed the cheese as another experiment. It had reached a stage that I found pleasant tasting and since I dont much like rinds, went for it. After opening it a couple weeks later, I found we preferred the drier unwaxed cheeses made from the same batch.

I also enjoy working with wax and wax my cheeses when 'ready' esp since we dont have a vacuum sealer. Another thing I didnt like with the waxed blue however was that the wax got into some of the nooks and crannies. No big deal really, but it was just another thing to have to tend to.

Here's a recent thread on the subject: "Waxing blue cheeses?"
http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,4144.0.html

So how long total do you age your blues? Is there any benefit to aging past when they have blued on the inside to your liking? Does the flavor change the longer it ages?

Aging depends on what cheese you are making and what sort of flavor you like. I prefer less strong cheeses, and since I'm still in the early 'cant wait any longer to taste' stage of cheese making, I tend to open cheeses earlier than they should be. Most do get put back for longer aging.

I was reading that cheeses that are smaller in size also age faster than those that are larger. I was surprised that for some of the blues the time listed for aging was about half for the smaller ones of the same variety.

Flavor does change as cheeses age. It's a matter of finding what stage tastes best to you. Sometimes they can taste very good when younger, but if patient, as Brie says, they can get even better. Or so I've read, lol. You can also over-age blues.