Blue Cheese

We have some leftover blue cheese from our cheese ball, so I figured we should try making some blue cheese salad dressing. Here's the inspiration recipe:

Blue Cheese Salad Dressing

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 teaspoons distilled vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 ½ teaspoon garlic granules
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
• ½ cup good crumbled blue cheese

Combine everything except the cheese and mix well. Add additional buttermilk if needed to reach desired consistency. Fold in the cheese and chill before serving.

Maybe I'll also try this pasta recipe. I did, but we'll never have it again! Blue cheese is just not something I like, no matter how it's prepared.

 

Creamy Blue Cheese Pasta with Walnuts and Lemon

• 4 ounces dried pasta (about 1 cup - short, curly type is best)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes
• 1 lemon
• 2 ounces blue cheese (about 1/4 cup)

Cook the pasta in lightly salted water until al dente. While cooking, prepare the remaining ingredients. Drain the pasta, saving the pasta water. Heat oil in a frying pan; add the walnuts and cook a bit until toasted. Add the garlic, dried chili flakes, and the zest from the lemon. Immediately add the pasta and blue cheese to the frying pan and stir until blended, adding pasta water to help create a sauce. Squeeze the lemon over the pasta and serve immediately.

Note: If the blue cheese is too strong, dilute it by adding cream cheese.

Oh, and here's one more candidate for using up the cheese, along with the roasted beets sitting in the refrigerator. This way was actually pretty good.

Beet Salad with Pecans and Blue Cheese

• 4 medium or large beets
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• ¼ cup micro greens
• 2 tablespoons candied pecans
• 2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese

Ahead of time, roast the beets (here's my recipe), cool and cut in 1/2" cubes. Place in a bowl.

Combine the oil, vinegar, mustard and honey in a jar and shake to combine. Pour over the beets and chill 1-2 hours to marinate.

Melt the butter in a frying pan; cook the onions for about 15 minutes until caramelized.

Drain the beets and arrange them on four salad plates. Top with onions, greens, pecans and blue cheese. Pour remaining vinaigrette over salads if desired.

And here's another salad with blue cheese. I selected this dressing to use up some cranberry sauce in the fridge.

Cranberry Vinaigrette

• 1/3 cup cranberry sauce
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons water or orange juice
• 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients. I served the dressing over a salad made with iceberg, green leaf lettuce, radishes, cucumbers, mushrooms, craisins and topped with blue cheese.

Since these leftovers were still in the fridge when butter lettuce was our "aisle 1" purchase, I added some mayonnaise to turn it into Creamy Cranberry Vinaigrette and served it on our Sunday salad of butter lettuce, celery, mushrooms, red onion, strawberries and feta cheese.