Cook Like Mad

There are some recipes that sound great, taste great, but look a bit unappetizing. I generally find the problem is one of color, where the recipe calls for ingredients, that when combined, turn into something brown or gray. Sometimes the dullness is due to a main ingredient’s color, such as is the case in eggplant dips, and in others the color is due to the sheer number of ingredients being combined. In the case of this blue cheese mousse, the culprit is the blue cheese itself. Depending on the amount of blue in your blue cheese, your mousse could turn out off-white, dark blue-gray, or anything in between. Since I chose Valdeon, a rich and creamy cow’s and goat’s milk cheese wrapped in Sycamore leaves, my mousse was on the darker side, honestly reflecting its strong, earthy, salty flavor.

DUN DUN DUN…the dark, heady, and vivacious Valdeon

In a blind taste test, 100% of testers would tell you they love this appetizer, but in a setting where the color is easily seen, I am willing to bet there would be more than a few people whose eyes prevent them from trying this tasty dish. The point of me harping on this point is this: serve this to fans of blue cheese, adventurous eaters, and perhaps an older crowd and leave it out of the menu for your 12 yr old daughter’s party at Lasertron.

If you choose to use a stinky, hearty blue cheese, I think it should only be served piped on a cracker, slice of pear, or other vessel, since its appearance in a bowl, surrounded by dipping vegetables and fruits, resembles wet cement. Not joking, nor trying to discourage you from making this. It’s just a fair warning.

If you choose to use a mild blue cheese, like Saga or even Gorgonzola Dolce, the recipe will be more much appealing (read: lighter in color), but I still think taking the time to pipe it onto crackers is worth it. If you can decorate it with a slice or grape, pear, or even chopped chives, it will be much more inviting, as I hope the above picture illustrates.

Plenty of foods we love aren’t vibrant, many are in fact brown (meat, cake, cookies, muffins, you name it), but rarely are they blue-gray. You’ll be proud of yourself for serving this adventuresome dish at your next party, and at the very least, it will be a conversation piece. Get rid of the dull cheese plate, and put this out instead. Our tastes are changing, and people are becoming more open to new foods, and old foods presented in new ways. For the right crowd, this dish will be a huge success. Enjoy!

Blue Cheese Mousse (from Garde Manger: the Art and Craft of the Cold Kitchen, by the C.I.A.)

Makes 3 cups

20 oz. blue cheese (I used Valdeon, but pick your favorite, just remember the flavor will be diluted by the cream cheese)

12 oz cream cheese (not the whipped variety)

1 tbsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

4 fl oz heavy cream

red grapes, to garnish, sliced into 1/8 in. thick slices (like coins).

table water crackers

Method

1. Using electric beaters, a food processor, or small stand mixer, whip the cream cheese for 1 minute to soften it.

2. Add blue cheese, salt, and black pepper to the cream cheese and continue mixing to fully incorporate. Place in a large bowl.

3. In another clean bowl, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks, making sure not to go past this point, or your mousse will not be light and airy. Fold whipped cream into blue cheese mixture and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Using a plastic piping bag and star tip, pipe about 1-2 tbsp of the mixture onto each cracker. Garnish with 1 or two grape slices, according to your preference. Mouse keeps for up to 5 days in the fridge, and tastes better when allowed to age for one day. Enjoy!

-M : )

Posted March 9th, 2008 under Appetizers, Recipes. Tags: appetizer, blue cheese, blue cheese mousse, blue cheese recipe, cheese, cheese appetizer, cheese mousse, cheese recipe, gorgonzola, gorgonzola dolce, saga, valdeon
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