Bleu de Gex (Haut Jura)

This stylish blue cheese weighing around 5.4 kg (12 lb) has a lively taste and a rough natural thin crust. The unwashed curds have Penicillium glaucum added to encourage the blue to form. The cheese is allowed to drain naturally and is liberally pierced before going to the ripening room; this prevents the cheese from becoming too dense due to the richness of Montbéliarde cow’s milk. The natural crust forms in the cold ripening room, and after about two months the cheese is ready. You can leave the maturing process longer, but I prefer this cheese on the young side so that its mild nutty flavour allows it to mix well on a cheeseboard with other softer cheeses of the region.