Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Identify Stilton Cheese







Stilton cheese is traditionally a cheese created in the United Kingdom as their country's blue cheese. Commonly known to Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, Stilton cheese is considered Britain's favorite blue cheese. Stilton has a creamy texture and can be eaten alone, with crackers or with biscuits. Many people even spread Stilton cheese on bread with peanut butter! Here's identify Stilton cheese.


Instructions


1. Inspect the cheese. Stilton cheese has a distinct off-white appearance with bluish veins radiating from the center of the cheese wheel. The more mature a Stilton cheese becomes, the more crumbly and mellow it becomes.








2. Look for the official British Stilton label of authenticity. Only the three counties mentioned previously are licensed to sell this blue cheese under the name of Stilton. Although Stilton is a county in England, Stilton County does not produce licensed Stilton cheese.


3. Taste the Stilton cheese. Traditional Stilton has a crumbly texture in its youngest stage to a buttery smooth texture and mellower flavor after aging another 5 to 6 weeks. Similar to a traditional blue cheese, Stilton will have a strong, nutty flavor with rich overtones.


4. Make certain the Stilton cheese has been allowed to age naturally without the "pressing" process associated with similar cheeses. Stilton is placed in its forms to settle over time and is not squeezed to remove moisture. This allows a "layered" effect throughout the cheese.


5. Ensure that the coat or crust of the Stilton cheese wheel is solid all the way around. Stilton forms a thin crust when aging that allows the "bluing" process for the cheese.

Tags: Stilton cheese, blue cheese, cheese Stilton, Stilton cheese, blue cheese Stilton