Blue Cheese Butter

When I was a kid I hated blue cheese.  Nothing could convince me to eat it.  And whenever my mom made something with blue cheese in it, I resisted it with all my stubborn might.

But this story has a good ending.  Once I hit adulthood I finally came to my senses and fell completely in love with it! Now it’s almost a hobby of mine to sample all the blue cheeses I can get my hands on, both domestic and international varieties.  I’ve had at least 20 different kinds of blue cheese from around the world and I can regularly be found browsing through the specialty cheese section, eager to try a new one.

I love using blue cheese in a variety of ways, including just nibbling on it or featuring it as part of a cheese board for entertaining.  Blue cheese is also amazing in cream sauces, with pasta dishes, on pizza, salads and about a thousand other ways.  Oh, and lets not forget using it for dunking bread sticks and pretzels!

Something I also like to do with it is incorporate it into a blue cheese compound butter.  Besides tasting out of this world delicious, it’s also a great way to lengthen the life of the blue cheese because once you mix it with the butter you can freeze it.  When I see specialty blue cheeses on clearance when they’re approaching their expiration date, I’ll stock up on them and, after eating a generous portion of them, I’ll make blue cheese butter and freeze the logs so I have them on hand as needed.

It’s absolutely divine melted on grilled corn or steamed veggies and added to mashed potatoes!

And melted over a grilled steak…it’s pure heaven!

Let’s get started!

You just need two things:  Butter and blue cheese.

How much blue cheese you use per stick of butter is personal preference.  I usually gauge it based on the strength of the blue cheese.  The milder it is, the more of it you’ll need to provide a good amount of flavor; the stronger it is, the less you’ll need.  I love a strong blue cheese though so I’ll use a good amount of even the strongest varieties like Stilton.

Optionally, you can add some fresh herbs to it like parsley, thyme, rosemary or chives or add some finely minced garlic.

The butter needs to be at room temperature so it’s soft.  Combine it in a bowl with the blue cheese, which has also been allowed to sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

Mash the two together with a fork.  You don’t want to puree it because keeping a few of those tiny cheese chunks in the butter contributes to a nice texture.

Scoop the mixture onto some plastic wrap on a flat surface.

Roll it up in the plastic wrap, pressing and forming it into a log.

Chill for at least a couple of hours before serving.  This will keep in the fridge for the life of the blue cheese or can be frozen.

Enjoy!

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Blue Cheese Butter

Prep Time

5 mins

Total Time

5 mins

 

Servings: 8 ounces blue cheese butter

Calories: 50 kcal

Author: Kimberly Killebrew, www.daringgourmet.com

Ingredients

• 1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
• 4 ounces blue cheese you can use less if you prefer if you're using a really strong blue cheese like Stilton or Roquefort, at room temperature
• Optional: Chopped fresh herbs such as parsley thyme rosemary or chives or some finely minced garlic

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Place the butter and blue cheese in a bowl and mash with a fork until thoroughly combined.
2. Some tiny chunks of blue cheese is great for texture.
3. Scoop the mixture onto some plastic wrap on a flat surface. Roll up the blue cheese butter in the plastic wrap, pressing and forming it into a log.
4. Chill for at least a couple of hours before serving. This will keep in the fridge for the life of the blue cheese (check the expiration date) or can be frozen.

Nutrition Facts

Blue Cheese Butter

Amount Per Serving

Calories 50 Calories from Fat 36

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 4g 6%

Saturated Fat 2g 10%

Cholesterol 10mg 3%

Sodium 198mg 8%

Potassium 36mg 1%

Protein 3g 6%

Vitamin A 2.2%

Calcium 7.5%

Iron 0.2%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.