Valdeón

Today I had the chance to try Valdeón, a Spanish cheese. Though similar to blue cheese, Valdeón is more mild than its assertive cousin. It has a dense, almost fudge-like texture which is marbled with veins, producing a rich, earthy and slightly spicy taste. The package says it has hints of sweet caramel and tobacco, but I did not pick that up. I hope they mean the taste of tobacco when smoked, because even though that is pretty gross, the taste of actual tobacco is disgusting - take it from me I smoke hand-rolled cigarettes and i strive not to get any tobacco in my mouth, it is truly awful! Wheels of the cheese are typically wrapped in sycamore, chestnut, or maple leaves during aging.

It was suggested to pair Valdeón cheese with honey, walnuts, and figs, or alongside a stout beer. For a savory suggestion, they mentioned adding it to steaks (beef or portabello) either melted into a sauce or crumbled directly on top. Of course, the classic Spanish pairing is with sherry, but that is not a popular drink in the US. Like many blues cheeses, Valdeon is common Spanish choice for a dessert course, and is complemented well by dark fruits and chocolate. One interesting and impressive looking recipe calls for the cheese to be broiled on top of poached pears.

Whether introduced deliberately or acquired from their surroundings, blue cheeses all sport colorful veins of different Penicillium molds (not the same type used in antibiotics). These veins can range from soft green to inky blue, and give the cheese its characteristic piquant and salty flavors. For most blue cheeses, mold cultures are added to the milk in the early stages of the cheese making process. After wheels have been formed, they are pierced with holes, allowing oxygen to penetrate the cheese and the mold to grow. Though blue cheese can be an acquired taste, they range from very mild like Gorgonzola Dolce to very intense like Roquefort.