Bleu des Causses PDO

Description

Bleu des Causses PDO Cheese

About Bleu des Causses PDO

If cheeses had families, Bleu des Causses would definitely be a cousin of Roquefort PDO. They come from the same extraordinary part of southern France, share a tradition of blue cheesemaking and are matured in the naturally cool, humid conditions of the region — but there’s one very important difference. Bleu des Causses is made with cow’s milk rather than sheep’s milk.

Its home is the Grands Causses, an area of dramatic limestone plateaus, deep gorges and caves in southern France. This landscape has been associated with blue cheese for centuries, with the natural conditions underground providing an ideal environment for maturation.

Bleu des Causses has developed its own identity within that tradition. The cow’s milk gives it a wonderfully creamy character, while the blue brings saltiness, earthiness and spice. If you enjoy Roquefort but fancy exploring another side of French blue cheese, this is a very good place to start.

A Cow’s Milk Cousin to Roquefort

Bleu des Causses and Roquefort share more than just geography. Both owe much of their character to Penicillium roqueforti, the blue mould that develops those distinctive veins through the cheese.

But changing the milk makes a fascinating difference. Roquefort’s sheep’s milk gives it its own distinctive richness and character, while Bleu des Causses has the creamy, buttery quality of cow’s milk.

I always find comparisons like this fascinating because they show just how many variables go into making a cheese. Similar mould, similar landscape and similar maturation conditions — change the milk and you end up with something recognisably related, but completely its own cheese.

Protected by PDO Tradition

Bleu des Causses PDO is a protected cheese, which means its production and maturation are tied to a defined area and governed by rules designed to preserve its traditional character.

Particularly important is the maturation. The cheeses are aged in the cool, naturally humid caves and cellars of the region, where the conditions allow the blue mould to develop through the paste.

That connection between cheese and place is what PDO protection is really about. Bleu des Causses isn’t simply the name of a style of cow’s milk blue — it’s a cheese with a particular home and a tradition that belongs there.

Bleu des Causses PDO – Jen’s Tasting Notes

How to Serve and Pair Bleu des Causses

• Make sure you take it out of the fridge a good hour before you want to eat it so it can come up to room temperature.
• Classic pairings:
• Sauternes is a classic for good reason. Its honeyed sweetness is fabulous against the salty blue while its acidity stops all that richness becoming too much.
• Something a little different: Try a dry, fruity rosé. It might sound slightly unexpected with a blue cheese, but the freshness and fruit work surprisingly well — particularly on a sunny day.
• On the plate: Pears or crisp apple are lovely, along with a handful of walnuts or hazelnuts. Sweet, creamy, salty and crunchy — job done.
• In the kitchen: Crumble Bleu des Causses over a salad of rocket, apple and walnuts with a simple vinaigrette. It’s also brilliant melted into a sauce, although I’d always save a piece to eat while I’m cooking.

Jen’s note: I love tasting Bleu des Causses alongside Roquefort. Same part of France, the same family of blue mould and two completely different milks — yet two very different cheeses. It’s a brilliant little cheese lesson, particularly if eating two blues can legitimately be called a lesson!

Buying Bleu des Causses PDO

• Brand or Producer: Fromages et Terroir
• Product name: Bleu des Causses PDO
• Milk: Cow
• Country: France
• Region: Occitanie
• Strength: Strong
• Vegetarian: No
• Suitable for pregnancy: No
• Allergens: MILK

Sizes and Prices

• 100g wedge, £3.40
• 500g wedge, £17.00
• 1/2 Wheel (approx. 1.2kg), available to pre-order

Storage Advice

• Keep refrigerated
• Wrap in waxed paper or cling film
• Remove from the fridge before serving
• Consume within 10 to 14 days of opening

Delivery and Collection

• UK wide courier delivery
• Click and collect from our Pangbourne shop
• Free local delivery available for selected postcodes

Ingredients (Allergens are listed in capitals)

MILK, starter cultures, rennet, salt, Penicillium Roqueforti