Review of Bleu du Vercors-Sassnage cheese and manufacturing technology. Energy value, chemical composition and quality description. How to use in the home kitchen, the history of the variety.
Ble du Vercors-Sassnage (Sachennage) is a blue French semi-hard cheese, which is made from a mixture of several types of milk - pasteurized and raw cow, with the addition of sheep and goat. The texture is elastic, buttery; color - yellowish or straw; in section it resembles marble with white veins in the center of the piece, blue and emerald ones closer to the edge; smell - sour milk, with a nutty tint; taste - delicate, soft, with bitterness. The crust is thin, brownish-orange, covered with a white fluffy bloom. Heads - cylindrical, weight - from 3, 8 to 4, 5 kg, height - 8-9 cm, diameter - 27-30 cm.
How is Bleu du Vercors-Sassnage cheese made?
The original taste of the blue delicacy is obtained due to the special processing of the raw materials. Milk is prepared in the evening: milk is pasteurized, covered with a lid and left until morning milking. And then they are mixed with fresh cow's milk, adding 1/5 of goat's and sheep's milk. To make one head, 35-37 liters of raw materials are prepared.
The peculiarities of the processes explaining how to make Bleu du Vercors-Sassnage cheese are known only to the cheesemakers of the Vercors Plateau, where the city of Sassenage is located. In home recipes, liquid rennet is used for coagulation, but in farms or dairy factories, skim whey is poured into the feedstock from the previous batch. The beneficial substances, partially decomposed during heat treatment, are supplemented when a mixture of raw fresh cow, sheep and goat milk is added. It also increases the fat content of the product.
The vat with the initial raw material is heated to no higher than 30-33 ° C, the sourdough is added - a complex consisting of mesophilic and lactic acid gas-forming bacteria, and then a fungal culture - penicillin of various types. Next, they move on to curling.
The time required for coagulation is 40-45 minutes. After checking for a clean break, the curd is cut.
Next, Bleu du Vercors-Sassnage cheese is made, like other blue varieties, in which it is necessary to leave cavities for the development of mold. Maintaining a constant temperature, slowly stir the curd pieces so that they acquire the necessary firmness and elasticity. The layer is allowed to settle to the bottom of the container, the whey is drained - 1 / 4-1 / 5 part.
Check the intermediate raw materials for readiness, clenching them into a fist. When the fingers are unclenched, the grains should disintegrate. The curd layer is transferred to a drainage table covered with a sparsely woven cloth and left for 6-8 hours to remove excess whey. The monolith is cut into large pieces, which are periodically shifted on top of each other. Thus, pressing is carried out and at the same time the curd mass is prevented from sticking.
When the liquid stops separating, the pieces are laid out in molds and left for a day at a temperature of 23-25 ° C. Invert 7-8 times to ensure a constant outflow of fluid. The salting is dry, the salt is rubbed into the surface of the heads and left on the drainage table. The draining whey forms a brine which is absorbed into the curd. Salt the cheese 3 times within 36 hours, turning every 4 hours.
Maturation takes place in several stages. First, the heads are transferred to a chamber with a temperature of 18-20 ° C and a low humidity of 75-80%. Within a week, the heads are turned over every 4 hours and wiped with brine with dissolved brevibacteria. Then the head is pierced from all sides - the knitting needles are inserted to a depth of 2/3 of the thickness of the cheese.
The microclimate of the chamber is changed. The temperature is reduced to 6-8 ° C, and the humidity is increased to 95-97%.
A brownish-orange crust forms within 2 weeks, and by the end of the third, white mold grows on it. When an emerald cannon appears, it is removed with brine.
The production of the delicacy is long-term. All processes, except for cutting, are carried out manually - kneading, draining, pressing, salting, turning. You can taste it in 3 weeks. But the taste is finally revealed only after 15 weeks. A pronounced almond bitterness appears in it, and the texture becomes elastic and well cut.
Composition and calorie content of Bleu du Vercors-Sassnage cheese
The energy value of the product depends on the type of feedstock. With the addition of the milk yield of goats and sheep, it increases, albeit slightly.
The calorie content of Bleu du Vercors-Sassnage cheese is 342-401 kcal per 100 g, of which:
- Proteins - 22-28 g;
- Fat - 30-34 g;
- Carbohydrates - 0.7 g.
Vitamins per 100 g:
- Folic acid - 49 mcg;
- Pantothenic acid - 2.334 mg;
- Riboflavin - 0.516 mg;
- Vitamin A, retinol - 267 mcg;
- Pyridoxine - 0.224 mg;
- Cobalamin - 1.65 mcg
The mineral composition of Bleu du Vercors-Sassnage cheese is represented by calcium, potassium, magnesium, manganese, zinc, iron and phosphorus.
Minerals per 100 g:
- Phosphorus, P - 522 mg;
- Calcium, Ca - 713 mg;
- Selenium, Se - 19.6 μg;
- Zinc, Zn - 3, 59 mg.
The dominant amino acids are valine, tryptophan, isoleucine, leucine, threonine. If you eat a piece weighing 100 g per day, you can replenish the necessary reserve of calcium and phosphorus by 70%, iron and magnesium by 40%, and zinc by 17%. But this amount is not recommended.
The permissible dosage of varieties with mold is no more than 30 g per day for women and 40-50 g for men. The right snack will help the absorption of nutrients and maintain tone throughout the day.
Benefits of Bleu du Vercors-Sassnage cheese
This variety is just a storehouse of vitamins and minerals necessary for the normal functioning of the body. Thanks to the addition of sheep and goat milk, fermented milk protein is absorbed completely and much faster than with the use of other fermented milk products of this group.
Benefits of Bleu du Vercors-Sassnage cheese:
- It has an anti-cellulite effect, accelerates fat burning.
- Prevents osteoporosis, exacerbation of arthritis and degenerative-dystrophic processes of the musculoskeletal system.
- Stimulates the formation of muscle fibers, helps to build muscles with regular exercise.
- It has an anti-inflammatory effect and increases the body's defenses.
- Normalizes the work of the cardiovascular system, stops atherosclerosis, prevents the development of hypertension.
- Stabilizes the hormonal system.
- Helps recover from tuberculosis.
- Maintains a stable state of the intestinal flora, inhibits the development of pathogens that penetrate with food.
The use of Bleu du Vercors-Sassnage 3-4 times a week stops age-related changes and stops the degenerative processes of the optic nerve.
Since the composition of Bleu du Vercors-Sassnage cheese includes goat and sheep milk, the iron content is increased. This allows you to quickly raise the level of hemoglobin in anemia caused by debilitating diseases, improves tone and allows you to get rid of chronic fatigue after physical or emotional stress.
Contraindications and harm of Bleu du Vercors-Sassnage cheese
The addition of raw materials to pasteurized raw materials increases the risk of foodborne infections at the slightest violation of storage or transportation conditions. In addition, fungal cultures were used in the manufacture of the fermented milk product, which increases the allergic hazard. For these reasons, you should not introduce a new taste or consume a delicacy during pregnancy or lactation, or introduce it into the diet for the elderly or children under 14 years of age.
Bleu du Vercors-Sassnage cheese is harmful for obesity - too high in calories. For persons with a history of diseases of the digestive system, the content of saturated fats (up to 28 g / 100 g) is not dangerous, but in case of any exacerbation, the use of cheese should be discarded. Symptoms of intolerance: heaviness in the epigastrium, nausea and headaches.
You should not lean on a delicacy in case of impaired kidney and liver function due to increased salinity.
Recipes with Bleu du Vercors-Sassnage cheese
This variety can be used to prepare very simple dishes and gourmet delicacies. It is served with red dessert wines or homemade liqueurs. But it is not customary to serve it on cheese plates, it is eaten with bread, nuts and fruits.
Recipes with Bleu du Vercors-Sassnage cheese:
- Snack salad … Grind the cheese with olive oil, add pieces of fried mushrooms, a little crushed garlic, chopped herbs and crushed hard eggs to it. Juice and seeds are removed from large fleshy tomatoes, the pulp is cut out to make cups. Fill the molds with the cheese mixture. If "almost" the dietary option does not suit, the oil is replaced with mayonnaise.
- Ravioli with cheese … The dough is kneaded in advance, it needs to stand. Very carefully break 6 eggs, separate the whites and yolks, mix 450-500 g of flour and add salt. When a tough elastic dough is obtained, it is wrapped in plastic wrap and left to lie on the table. Mix 2 types of cheese - Parmesan and Bleu du Vercors-Sassnage, add a little lemon zest (someone prefers orange). Then roll out the dough thinly, cut into strips 8 cm long and 4 cm wide. Spread a spoonful of filling on 1 side of this rectangle, glue the edges so that there is no air left inside. Boiled in salted water. If the ravioli are made correctly, then after being placed in boiling water, they first sink to the bottom of the pan, and only then float to the surface. However, even if there is air inside, it will not affect the taste of the final product.
- Dessert salad … The pear is peeled and cut into fairly large slices. Heat the honey in a frying pan, dip the fruit slices into it and, constantly turning over, stand for 8 minutes so that all the pieces acquire a beautiful golden hue. While everything is cooling, the arugula leaves are torn with hands and sprinkled with lemon juice and balsamic vinegar, and allowed to stand. Stir with a pear, pieces of young cheese - it is better to break it with your hands, sprinkle with fried pine nuts and generously add black pepper. Season with olive oil.
- Stuffed dates … This very simple dish is served as an appetizer and as a dessert. In large berries, a longitudinal cut is made, the bones are removed, the grated cheese is put in. Spread on a dish and sprinkle with honey. Decorate with mint leaves.
- Sauce for meat dishes … In a blender bowl, mix 120 g of yogurt, 30 g of Bleu du Vercors-Sassnage, 2 tbsp. l. Beat the olive oil and juice squeezed from half a medium lemon. Season the sauce with a mixture of peppers to taste or black pepper. Cool before serving.
See also Camembert cheese recipes.
Interesting facts about Bleu du Vercors-Sassnage cheese
Mentions of this variety are found in manuscripts dated to the XIII-XIV centuries A. D. The name was formed from 2 parts. The first is based on the region in which the monks lived, who shared the cheese recipe with farmers, and the second - after the name of the baron who owned this mountain range. The literal translation is "Blue Cheese of the Vercors Mountains".
Farmers in the region, which now houses the Vercors Regional Natural Park, were unable to transport milk for sale due to the terrain, so all taxes were paid with cheese. Since the pastures for grazing were extensive and all types of farm animals grazed on them, they developed a recipe that included all types of milk yield.
In the XIV century, Baron Albert took away from the peasants the right to freely sell their products and "centralized" export, that is, he organized trade through grocery stores. In addition, the members of his Charter moved freely around the country under the protection of armed soldiers, and Bleu du Vercors-Sassnage became famous throughout the country.
By the beginning of the 19th century, production had declined as, thanks to improved roads, farmers were able to sell milk, and due to the construction of residential complexes, the number of pastures decreased. And in 1920, a tram began to run in Grenoble, and most of the profits for the farms came from the sale of butter and sour cream. Only after the World War the cheese maker from Savoy remembered the old recipe for tender fat cheese and, having slightly processed it, resumed production.
Interestingly, the AOC certificate was obtained in 1997, and in 1998 the development was patented, and the variety was officially named "Bleu de Vercors-Sassenage".
Watch the video about Bleu du Vercors-Sassnage cheese:
