How Is Gorgonzola And Blue Cheese Different

Blue cheese is delicious but when you look at gorgonzola and blue cheese you may be wondering what the difference is. First you have to understand that the term blue cheese is given to several different types of cheese which include cows’, goats’ or sheep’s milk based cheeses which are made with a Penicillium mold. Gorgonzola is one of those cheeses so it is not so much the blue cheese and gorgonzola are different but rather that gorgonzola is a particular type of blue cheese.

This is similar to the effect that Sharp Cheddar is still a cheddar cheese just as aged Swiss is still a Swiss cheese.  It is also worth noting how blue cheese came to be. Its origins date to some centuries ago while gorgonzola only goes back to the 11th century. The name gorgonzola comes from an Italian town where it was first created.

Blue Cheese

If you go to a cheese specialty store you will find that there are many types of blue cheese and the flavor depends on the manufacturing of the cheese itself. There are flavors that can be called pungent and some which are mild. Textures can also vary like for example Montbriac is made of cow’s milk and it is one of the French varieties. The texture is very close to that of Brie. One of the best varieties of blue cheese is Roquefort which is also a French type of blue cheese but it is made out of sheep’s milk. If you wanted a mild type of blue cheese then Stilton comes from Britain and will give you that mild taste you are looking for but make sure not to eat the rind.

Gorgonzola

Gorgonzola has a pale yellow color with some streaks of green-blue which run through it. The varieties that are still produced in the country of Italy are milder and creamier than the ones produced across the ocean in the United States. The two most popular varieties of gorgonzola are naturale and dulce. Dulce has a sweet taste because of its shorter aging time. Naturale should be aged for a minimum of 6 months which gives it a strong, sharp and pungent flavor. Gorgonzola should be served at room temperature for optimal flavor. While it is possible to freeze gorgonzola, doing so can affect the texture making it mostly good for salads.
Just as with Mozzarella, Swiss or Gouda, you can use Blue or Gorgonzola in a wide range of dishes. Take the following example:
Recipe: Baked Potato Skins With Gorgonzola And Rocket
Ingredients:

• 12 small potatoes
• 2 handfuls wild rocket (washed and dried)
• 150 grams of gorgonzola cheese (chopped)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Black pepper
• Optional: chopped mustard fruit in its syrup

Instructions:

First preheat your oven to 400 Fahrenheit or 200 Celsius. Get a little olive oil on each potato and place the potatoes in a baking dish. Bake the potatoes for 1 hour until they are tender and golden. Let them cool until you can handle them and leave the oven on. Half the baked potatoes and use a teaspoon to scoop the middle of the potato into a bowl. Make sure to leave some of the potato on the edges to keep shape. Mash the potato using a fork. Chop half of the rocket and add to the potato along with the gorgonzola. Season with freshly ground black pepper and mix. Spoon the mix into a potato skin. Place on baking tray and bake for 10 minutes. The cheese should melt. Serve with the rest of the rocket and a little olive oil. Add mustard fruit if you would like.