Echo Mountain from Rogue Creamery in Central Point, Oregon

I have come to a decision that if you buy bottled blue cheese dressing or dip we can no longer be friends. I think our friendship is worth 3 minutes to make some yourself. Don’t you?

I remember growing up and getting blue cheese dip in the plastic tub, which I think was supposed to be some kind of upgrade for lazy people. Just because it is refrigerated and not shelved (blehk), does not make it better. High fructose corn syrup has no business sniffing around blue cheese. And for your mouth’s flavor and touch receptor’s sake don’t even look a second time at blue cheese crumbles. Pretend you just saw your parents making out and walk away. Blue cheese doesn’t just decide it want to stay crumbled. It has binders added to it. Keep away.

Some people turn their nose up at the mention of the pungent blue, but it can be an acquired taste, so don’t write it off forever. I didn’t always like strong blue cheese, and now I eat a slab for dinner. With bread of course.

One of my favorites is the Echo Mountain cheese (as seen above). It is seasonal, and available right now. You do not need to use the best blue cheese when making dressing or dip, but don’t use garbage cheese either. Use what you can afford. That means maybe paying your bills late, not buying cheap cheese.

 

Cornichons, olives, strawberry preserves, and pretty girl blue, Echo Mountain.

 

Blue Cheese Dip/Dressing

1 1/4 cup crumbled-by-you blue cheese (I like mine only a tad chunky, not completely creamy. Adjust to your liking.)

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

2 tbls. fresh lemon juice

1 tbls. freshly ground pepper ( I know it’s a pain, but no cheating)

Cholula hot sauce to taste

pinch of salt

buttermilk : adjust for desired thickness

Mix everything together.

Eat.

* Put some in your favorite biscuit recipe, use it for blue cheese coleslaw, pipe it into olives or dates,put it on your steak, or use it as a pizza base.

 

Buffalo chicken bites. Not exactly the same as from home, but they did in an unwavering craving.

 

For all things cheese, go here:

http://www.murrayscheese.com/

And here. These are two of my favorite cheese blogs:

http://brielegrandfromage.blogspot.com/

http://itsnotyouitsbrie.com/

Thanks for all the love and support while I have been in school. My frequency of writing has no reflection on how much I love you guys. Hang in there, a pie or something has got to be made soon. While these spritz are addicting, I need to make some bread pronto. I miss my oven.

 

Valentine's Day spritz cookies.

“People who know nothing about cheeses reel away from Camembert, Roquefort, and Stilton because the plebeian proboscis is not equipped to differentiate between the sordid and the sublime.”
Harvey Day