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Great ingredients make for great meals. Whenever you can, use the highest quality supplies for your recipes. The flavor difference will always come through in your finished dish.

If there is an ingredient that you are not familiar with, check our Ingredient section. There are pages and pages of information about the ingredients used in my recipes.

Blue Cheese

Blue Cheese Wedge

Special Diet Information

Coumadin® (warfarin)
Blue cheese is safe for Coumadin users with only 1 microgram of Vitamin K.

Lactose
There is less lactose in blue cheese with 1 ounce containing up to 0.7 grams lactose (reference: 1 cup whole milk contains 12 grams lactose).

Sodium
Blue cheese contains a lot of salt and should be used with caution.

GERD / Acid Reflux
With its strong flavor and higher fat content blue cheese might be a GERD trigger for some.

Gluten Sensitivity
Blue cheese is considered a gluten free food.

Nutrition Facts

Serving size = 1 ounce

 

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Amount Per Serving

Calories 99 Calories from Fat 71
  % Daily Value 
Total Fat 8g 4%
    Saturated Fat 5g 26%
    Monounsaturated Fat 2g  
    Trans Fat 0g  
Cholesterol 21mg 7%
Sodium 391mg 16%
Total Carbohydrates 1g 0%
    Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
    Sugars 0g  
Protein 6g  
Vitamin A 4% Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 15% Iron 0%
Vitamin K <1 mcg Potassium 72 mg
Magnesium 6 mg

 


 

Ingredient Information

Blue Cheese

There are myriad varieties of blue cheeses. Most on the market are made from cow's milk, but there are both sheep's and goat's milk versions as well. The blue mold that runs in fine veins through these cheeses is most commonly from the bacteria Penicilllium roqueforti or Penicillium glaucum. The mold grows during ageing and results in fine blue or blue-green veins throughout the cheese.

True Roquefort is made from sheep's milk in the south of France, while Stilton is the most famous English version of blue cheese. The Danish Danablu and Italian Gorgonzola are made in the same fashion. All blue cheeses have subtle differences, and the variations between creameries and countries, as with any cheese, number in the hundreds. The variations range from a drier, crumbly texture such as Stilton to a creamier Gorgonzola. The molds bring different flavors, with some being subtle and others with a strong, sharp taste.

In 1941, Iowa State University developed a process for making blue cheese using pasteurized milk. E.H. Maytag, the son of the American dishwasher manufacturer, began producing a cow's milk cheese and his dairy still produces a fine American version of blue cheese. Maytag still ages their cheese in underground caves in much the same way as with French and European creameries. Maytag blue cheese is generally a milder version than European cheeses, but it still has a creamy, tangy flavor.

Blue cheeses are generally a medium fat cheese, having between 8 and 9 grams of fat per ounce. Some are higher in fat with up to 12 grams per ounce, but as with so many flavorful cheeses, a little can go a long way. As with many cheeses it also contains a fair amount of sodium, so you may not have to add as much salt to recipes that use blue cheese.

There has been controversy over whether blue cheese is gluten free or not. The concern grows out of the fact that the mold spores for blue cheeses were originally grown on breads and other media that contained gluten. For a long time blue cheese was considered off limits for those on a gluten free diet. Excellent research by Dr. Terry Koerner in the early 1990s and funded by the Canadian Celiac Association (PDF) showed that the amount of gluten transferred from the growth media to the cheese was quite small, with levels far below the 20 parts per million generally accepted as safe.

Related Topics

Ask Dr. Gourmet: What can I use in place of Gorgonzola cheese?
Ask Dr. Gourmet: With my cholesterol problem, should I avoid all cheeses?
Ask Dr. Gourmet: Do you have information on tyramine in foods?
The How and Why of Eating Healthy: Are dairy products good for you?
A Healthy Pregnancy: What NOT to eat
Dairy Products in the Mediterranean Diet

Recipes Using Blue Cheese

Blue Cheese Acorn Squash
Iceberg Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing
Blue Cheese Crab and Fusilli Pasta
Tenderloin with Blue Cheese Butter
Filet of Tenderloin with Roasted Pepper & Maytag Blue Cheese Sauce