1924 Blue
1924 is a French soft cheese named for the year of its creation, made in the tradition of the rich, bloomy-rind cheeses that emerged in France between the wars. It belongs to the family of small-format soft cheeses designed for the table rather than for long keeping.
Flavor Profile
The paste is dense and creamy beneath a natural rind, with a texture that softens noticeably as the cheese approaches room temperature. The flavor is sweet and buttery with a distinct blue-tinged character in some expressions, balanced by a mild savory depth. The finish is rich and rounded without sharpness.
How to Serve
Serve at room temperature, allowing at least 30 minutes out of the refrigerator for the paste to soften fully. It is best appreciated simply, on a board with good bread and minimal accompaniment so the richness leads.
Pairing Suggestions
Pair with a red wine, a Burgundy, or a Champagne. Serve with crusty baguette, walnuts, fresh pears, and honey.
Storage
Wrap in wax paper and store in the refrigerator. As a soft cheese, consume within one to two weeks of cutting.
Arpea de vache
Arpea de Vache is an alpine cow’s milk cheese in the French mountain tradition, produced in the high summer pastures where cattle graze on wildflowers and alpine herbs. The name references the vache, or cow, distinguishing it from sheep and goat versions made in the same region.
Flavor Profile
The paste is semi-firm and supple with a natural brushed rind. The flavor is mild and buttery with a nutty sweetness and a clear herbaceous, grassy quality drawn directly from the mountain pasture. There is a gentle savory depth on the finish without any sharpness or pungency.
How to Serve
Serve at room temperature on a board, where the alpine character comes through most clearly. It melts smoothly and works well in gratins, raclette-style preparations, and over boiled potatoes in the mountain manner.
Pairing Suggestions
Pair with a Savoie white, a light Pinot Noir, or a dry cider. Serve with cured mountain ham, cornichons, walnuts, and rustic bread.
Storage
Wrap in wax paper and store in the refrigerator crisper drawer. Best consumed within three weeks of cutting.
Bleu D’Auvergne
Bleu d’Auvergne is a French cow’s milk blue cheese from the Auvergne region of central France, carrying an AOC designation. Created in the mid-19th century by a cheesemaker who experimented with introducing Penicillium roqueforti into his curds, it has become one of France’s most popular blue cheeses.
Flavor Profile
Bleu d’Auvergne has a creamy, moist texture with bold blue-green veining throughout. The flavor is strong and tangy but more approachable than Roquefort, with a peppery bite and a buttery finish. It offers an excellent introduction to the world of blue cheese for those who find Roquefort too intense.
How to Serve
Crumble into salads, melt into cream sauces for steak or pasta, or serve on a cheese board as the bold accent. Bleu d’Auvergne also works well in dressings and dips where its creamy texture blends smoothly.
Pairing Suggestions
Pair with Sauternes, Port, or a rich Côtes du Rhône. Serve with walnuts, honey, fresh pears, and dark bread.
Bleu en Blanc
Bleu en Blanc is a French cheese that combines a bloomy white rind with blue veining, an unusual pairing that brings together two normally separate cheesemaking traditions. The name references exactly what it is: blue within white.
Flavor Profile
The soft white rind contributes the earthy, mushroomy character of a bloomy-rind cheese, while blue veining runs through the dense interior paste delivering a savory tang. The result is milder than a conventional blue, with the creamy rind softening the blue’s sharpness. The flavor is sweet and rich with a balanced blue finish.
How to Serve
Serve at room temperature on a board, where the white rind and blue interior make a striking cross-section. Its restrained blue character makes it a good bridge cheese for guests who find traditional blues too aggressive.
Pairing Suggestions
Pair with a Sauternes, a Port, or a light Burgundy. Serve with fresh pears, honey, walnuts, and crusty bread.
Storage
Wrap in wax paper and store in the refrigerator, separated from milder cheeses since blue mould transfers. Best within two weeks of cutting.
Bocconcini
Bocconcini are small balls of fresh mozzarella, roughly the size of an egg. The name translates from Italian as “little mouthfuls,” which describes both their size and their intended use. They are traditionally packed in water or light brine to preserve their moisture.
Flavor Profile
Bocconcini are delicate, milky, and faintly sweet with a clean lactic finish and very little salt. The texture is soft and yielding with a slight springiness from the stretched curd, and they release a light milky liquid when cut. The flavor is subtle by design, meant to complement rather than dominate.
How to Use
Their size makes them ideal for salads and skewers. Toss them with cherry tomatoes, basil, and olive oil for an insalata caprese, thread them onto appetizer picks, or scatter them over pizza where they melt into soft pools. They are best used fresh and uncooked or only briefly heated.
Pairing Suggestions
Pair with a Pinot Grigio, a dry Prosecco, or a light Chianti. Serve with ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, good olive oil, aged balsamic, and prosciutto.
Storage
Keep refrigerated in their packing liquid and use within a few days of opening. Never freeze, as the texture breaks down completely.
Chèvre
Chèvre is the French term for goat cheese, and in its most common form, it is a fresh, soft cheese made from goat’s milk. French chèvre has been produced for thousands of years and is one of the most versatile and widely enjoyed cheeses in French cuisine.
Flavor Profile
Fresh chèvre has a clean, bright, tangy flavor with a slightly citrusy quality. The texture is smooth, creamy, and spreadable. As it ages, chèvre becomes drier, firmer, and more intensely goaty. The flavor is refreshing and light, providing an excellent counterpoint to richer, heavier cheeses on a board.
How to Serve
Spread on crusty bread, toss into salads (especially with roasted beets and walnuts), use as a base for herb-coated appetizers, stuff into chicken breasts, or crumble over pizza and flatbreads. Chèvre is one of the most versatile cheeses in any kitchen.
Pairing Suggestions
Pair with Sauvignon Blanc (the classic match), Sancerre, or a dry rosé. The wine’s acidity mirrors the cheese’s tanginess beautifully.
Farmer Cheese
Farmer Cheese is a fresh, unaged cheese made by draining the whey from cultured milk curds, a technique found across Northern and Eastern Europe. It is one of the oldest and simplest forms of cheesemaking, requiring no aging, no rind, and no special conditions.
Flavor Profile
Farmer Cheese is mild, fresh, and lightly tangy with a clean milky sweetness. The texture is soft, dry, and crumbly, firmer and less wet than cottage cheese and less spreadable than cream cheese. It carries little salt, which makes it a neutral base that takes on whatever it is paired with.
How to Use
Its versatility is the point. Use it in blintzes, pierogi, and cheesecakes, where it is traditional across Eastern Europe. Sweeten it with honey and fruit for breakfast, or season it with herbs, salt, and pepper as a savory spread. It also crumbles well over salads.
Pairing Suggestions
Pair with a light white wine or simply with tea or coffee. Serve with honey, fresh berries, cucumber, dill, and dark bread.
Storage
Keep refrigerated and tightly covered. As a fresh cheese with no rind, it should be consumed within a week of opening.
Fontina Val d’ Aosta
Fontina Val d’Aosta is the authentic, DOP-protected original, made only in the Aosta Valley high in the Italian Alps from the raw milk of Valdostana cows grazing on mountain pasture. It is a substantially different cheese from the generic Fontina-style products made elsewhere.
Flavor Profile
The genuine article is markedly more complex than its imitators. The paste is dense, elastic, and straw-colored with small scattered eyes. The flavor carries pronounced earthy and mushroomy notes alongside butter and toasted nuts, with a savory depth and a lingering alpine herbaceousness that comes from the mountain flora the cattle graze. The washed rind is aromatic and edible.
How to Use
This is the cheese for fonduta, the Piedmontese fondue enriched with egg yolks. It also transforms polenta, risotto, and baked dishes. Because it costs considerably more than generic Fontina, reserve it for preparations where its complexity will actually be noticed.
Pairing Suggestions
Pair with a Nebbiolo, a Barbera, or a structured alpine white. Serve with walnuts, honey, cured speck, and dark bread.
Storage
Wrap in wax paper and store in the refrigerator crisper drawer. Bring to room temperature 30 minutes before serving so the full aromatic range opens up.
Fourme D’Ambert
Fourme d’Ambert is one of the oldest and mildest blue cheeses in France, with origins dating back to the 8th century in the Auvergne region. Its tall, cylindrical shape and gentle character set it apart from the more assertive French blues. It holds an AOC designation and is made from cow’s milk.
Flavor Profile
Fourme d’Ambert is the gateway blue cheese. It has a buttery, almost sweet character with gentle blue veining that delivers a mild tang without the sharpness of Roquefort or the intensity of Bleu d’Auvergne. The texture is creamy and smooth, and the blue flavor is well-integrated rather than aggressive.
How to Serve
Serve at room temperature on a cheese board as an accessible blue option, especially for guests who think they don’t like blue cheese. Fourme d’Ambert pairs wonderfully with fruit, melts into sauces, and makes an excellent salad cheese.
Pairing Suggestions
Pair with a sweet wine like Sauternes or Banyuls, a fruity Beaujolais, or a glass of Port. Serve with fresh figs, pears, honey, and walnuts.
