Description of Bleu d'Auvergne cheese and features of the production process. Energy value and vitamin and mineral composition. Effects on the body and use in cooking. The history of the variety.
Bleu d'Auvergne is a French blue cheese similar to Roquefort. But, unlike the latter, it is made only under industrial conditions from pasteurized milk. The smell is sour, milky; taste - spicy, piquant, mild, moderate salinity; texture - semi-hard, moist, loose, oily; color - bluish due to large fibers of noble mold. The crust is thin, light gray or pink-brown with a shade of orange, covered with a light bloom. It is produced in the form of flattened cylinders with a diameter of 20-22 cm, a height of 10-12 cm and a weight of 2-3 kg. But consumers are also offered “souvenir” options - up to 1 kg.
How is Bleu d'Auvergne cheese made?
To create an oily creamy consistency, a complex starter is used: mesophilic, heteroenzymatic-gas-forming, thermophilic and fungal culture P.roqueforti. For preservation, calcium chloride and non-iodized salt are used, coagulant - rennet. From 8 liters of raw materials, 1.8 kg of the final product is obtained.
How Bleu d'Auvergne cheese is made:
- The pasteurized milk is cooled to 32 ° C and, without maintaining a constant temperature, calcium chloride is poured in and the sourdough is added. After 3 minutes, stir. Leave in a closed vat to activate the cultures.
- The temperature is raised again to 32-34 ° C. After approximately 1-1, 2 hours, a coagulant is poured in and the calcium is formed. Prolonged coagulation - up to 3 hours - will help get wet grain.
- After a dense curd with a shiny surface appears, cutting into large cubes with 2 cm edges begins. Allow to stand for 5 minutes to separate the whey.
- Next, Bleu d'Auvergne cheese is prepared, like other blue varieties from pasteurized milk. Slowly heating, at a rate of 1 ° C per minute, bring to the initial temperature, stir for 20 minutes, allow to settle, drain a little whey - 1 / 4-1 / 5 part. Mix again.
- During this time, the cubes decrease in size, turning into beans the size of beans. Readiness is determined by the following test - squeeze the pieces in a fist. If they are resilient enough when they unclench their fist, they disintegrate again, you can move on to the next process.
- For the final separation of the whey, the curd mass is spread on a drainage table with a wide colander. They try to distribute the curd mass evenly, without squeezing, so that the cheese grains do not stick together. If this is not achieved, in the future it will not be possible to form cavities in which blue mold will develop in the future. Leave for 20-30 minutes for a more complete separation of moisture.
- The formed monoliths are cut into separate blocks.
- Transfer the curd mass into molds, doing it very carefully, again with a colander. For pressing on 1.5 kg of cheese, set the oppression weighing 2.5 kg. Invert every 30 minutes for 4 hours, removing the draining serum from under the drain mat.
- To dry, leave for 8 hours at room temperature and for the same time placed in a chamber with 12 ° C.
- Dry salting. Despite the fact that the finished cheese turns out to be of moderate salinity, salt requires 2.5% of the head mass. Every day, the edges are rubbed with as much salt as the head takes, then placed in a cool chamber for a day, and so on 3 times.
The same conditions are needed for ripening (humidity 85-90%). For the first week, the heads are turned daily to remove excess moisture. Then they are pierced with a mechanical device (booklet maker) 2/3 thick on all sides - ventilation is necessary to ensure the activation of fungal cultures. They put the cheese back in the cell. Blue mold should appear on the surface after 3 weeks.
The color of the crust and the presence of mold depend on the microclimate of the chamber. With an increase in humidity, it will be reddish-orange, smooth, with a decrease, it will be yellowish-brown, with a bloom of white mold. It can be washed or left on. If necessary, wash off with 20% brine. You can taste it in 4-6 weeks, but the most piquant taste will come out in 4 months.
Composition and calorie content of Bleu d'Auvergne cheese
The energy value of this variety is average, the fat content on dry matter is 50%. Despite the fact that the manufacture is only industrial, GMO additives and flavor enhancers are not introduced. A recipe is used that was originally developed in the middle of the nineteenth century, the improvement (automation) affected only the processes.
The calorie content of Bleu d'Auvergne cheese is 341-363 kcal per 100 g, of which:
- Protein - 20 g;
- Fats - 28, 4 - 31 g;
- Carbohydrates - 1 - 1, 4 g.
Vitamins per 100 g:
- Retinol - 250 mcg;
- Riboflavin - 0.547 mg;
- Pantothenic acid - 0.66 mg;
- Folic acid - 54.8 mcg;
- Cobalamin - 0.85 mcg.
Minerals per 100 g:
- Calcium - 536 mg;
- Potassium - 112 mg;
- Magnesium - 18.1 mg;
- Sodium - 1230 mg;
- Phosphorus - 301 mg;
- Copper - 70 mcg;
- Iron - 0.3 mg;
- Manganese - 0.1 mg;
- Selenium - 3.72 mcg;
- Zinc - 2.68 mg
The composition of Bleu d'Auvergne cheese contains 19-21 g / 100 g of saturated acids and a high amount of table salt - 2, 8 g per 100 g.
The recommended daily dose of Bleu d'Auvergne is 40-50 g, but it is impossible to eat more - too rich, buttery taste. The consumption of such a small piece replenishes the reserve of phosphorus by 25%, magnesium by 24%, calcium by 19.5%, iron and completely folic acid by 35%.
Benefits of Bleu d'Auvergne cheese
With the help of this product, you can quickly restore your energy reserve and regain strength after a busy day at work or heavy emotional costs. But even if over the past time they have not endured stress, and physical effort was not required at work, there is no need to be afraid of gaining excess weight. 15 minutes of vigorous activity - jogging or cross-country walking, 25 minutes of cycling or 1 hour of mopping, ironing or dusting - and no grease.
Benefits of Bleu d'Auvergne cheese:
- It has an anti-inflammatory effect, improves the condition of bone and cartilage tissue, prevents osteoporosis, exacerbation of arthritis and gout.
- It has a beneficial effect on the state of the intestinal flora and increases activity, stimulates the work of the body's defenses.
- Normalizes intracellular metabolism.
- Supports performance, improves memorization, accelerates nerve-impulse conduction. Useful for people of mental labor.
- Replenishes the energy reserve thanks to easily digestible protein, helps to absorb the vitamin and mineral complex from products consumed with blue cheese.
- Prevents the formation of cellulite.
- Increases turgor and accelerates the regeneration of epithelial tissues.
Official research has proven that if Bleu d'Auvergne is added to the daily menu during cholera epidemics, the possibility of getting sick decreases. Noble mold does not act as an antibiotic, but it is enough to stop the activity of vibrios that have invaded the body. But during vaccination it is better to refuse this variety, since an increase in the body's defenses interferes with the action of the vaccine.
Contraindications and harm of Bleu d'Auvergne cheese
There is no need to be afraid to gain weight, even if the habit has already developed - a piece of delicious cheese at least 5 times a week. As already mentioned, eating more than 50 g, or even 30 g, is quite difficult because of the original taste and consistency. Even with a healthy stomach, you can feel weakness, heaviness in the stomach and nausea, and if you have a history of chronic pancreatitis or peptic ulcer disease, overeating is even dangerous.
Bleu d'Auvergne cheese can be harmful in patients with impaired liver or kidney function due to its high salt content. It binds fluid and can cause edema, increased pressure, and dry mouth. You should not introduce the new taste to pregnant women, children under 16 and people with reduced immunity. These statuses are a contraindication for eating foods with mold.
You should not introduce a delicacy into your diet if you are allergic to penicillin and cow's milk.
Bleu d'Auvergne cheese recipes
The taste is combined with delicate wines from white grapes produced in the Graf Bodo region, as well as with Madera and various types of ports. Sliced on a cheese platter, it is served with green apples, hazelnuts, Chinese pears, and beets. In haute cuisine, this variety is introduced into salads, sauces for pasta, dressings for mushrooms and sandwiches are made on its basis.
Recipes with Bleu d'Auvergne cheese:
- Pasta dressing … Fry a finely chopped onion in butter until transparent, spread 100 g of fresh spinach and stew, adding a little water, for 15 minutes. Pour 60 g of blue cheese and stir quickly, so that the pieces are soaked on all sides, season with pepper. Salt is added as needed after filling the paste. It should be borne in mind that this amount of sauce is designed for 3-4 servings. Short-term heating does not stop the activity of penicillin, so overeating is harmful.
- Zucchini muffins … The oven is heated to 180 ° C. In a deep container, beat 2 chicken or 5 quail eggs, pour 4-5 ml of refined sunflower oil, add half of sweet pepper and 1 zucchini, cut into pieces. Pour in 2 tbsp. l. milk, add flour - 200 g, 125 g Ble d'Auvergne, 15 g baking powder (bag), 1-2 tbsp. l. peeled sunflower seeds. Silicone muffin molds are oiled, spread in a thick, viscous mixture and baked until the surface is browned. Cupcakes are served warm.
- Omelette … The number of products is calculated for 2 servings. Peel 10 walnuts and crush the kernels without frying. Beat 4 eggs. Pour in 1 tbsp. l. heavy cream, 120 g of blue cheese, cut into pieces, pepper and salt, if necessary. First, in a frying pan, in butter, fry tomato rings on 2 sides, pour in an egg mixture, add nut crumbs and bake under a lid for 12-15 minutes.
- Chicken rolls with cheese … The oven regulator is set to 180 ° C. Chicken breasts are beaten off, rubbed with pepper and salt, can be placed in balsamic vinegar for 15 minutes, fried in sunflower oil over low heat - 7 minutes on each side. Then put on a chop thin slices of tomatoes, pieces of bacon - very finely chopped, slices of blue cheese and on a sprig of parsley. Roll up into rolls, secure with wet thread and spread on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Salad with raw mushrooms … Beat equal amounts of lemon juice with olive oil until foamy, pepper and let stand. For 300 g of mushrooms - 3 tbsp. l. each ingredient. The champignons are cut into thin slices and put in one layer in a salad bowl, pour the dressing. Spread the moldy cheese on top, sprinkle with herbs to taste to cover the mushrooms. Cool for 20 minutes before serving.
See also recipes with Cantal cheese.
Interesting facts about Bleu d'Auvergne cheese
This variety is one of the Auvergne's calling cards. The protected name was received back in 1975, it was then that he was awarded the highest quality category.
The recipe was developed 150 years ago based on Roquefort. Since that time, they purposefully began to plant blue mold in the heads, ennobling the taste of the final product. Before that, fungi colonized the heads at random due to the fact that not only cheeses were stored in the basements, but also other products - for example, black bread.
Chemist and amateur cheesemaker Antoine Roussel was the first to notice the change in the quality of the cheese. He began to cultivate fungal cultures artificially. He also suggested increasing the veins of mold in Roquefort, due to which a new variety appeared. At first, he simply sowed spores, removing them from bread, then, to improve the taste, he conducted experiments, activating spores on parsley and other greens, until he brought out several types of noble mold. Now all cultures are grown in the laboratory.
The same Roussel drew attention to the fact that the structure of the cheese affects the activity of penicillin - the moisture and porosity of the texture, and even the way the heads are pierced. If this is done by hand, it is difficult to insert the needles one length. Therefore, the cheese maker invented a device with many needles - a stitching machine. It has now been equipped with an automatic drive.
Roussel's followers continued to develop a new variety with a high amount of mold and did not complete until the middle of the 20th century, despite the fact that during World War II the Germans removed some of the equipment. After the release, the work continued. Now this variety has received general recognition, it is exported to countries in Europe, Asia, Canada and the United States. PDO registration year - 2009
Store Bleu d'Auvergne cheese in the refrigerator - for 3-5 days, on a shelf, wrapped in parchment to finally stop fermentation. If you ignore the recommendation or wrap a piece in cling film, completely depriving the air flow, the delicacy will go bad. Do not try to freeze it - the beneficial properties, and most importantly, the original taste, will not be preserved.
Watch the video about Bleu d'Auvergne cheese:
