Creamy Roquefort Dressing - The One to Keep on Hand

Roquefort cheese goes back hundreds of years. The name comes from a French village, Roquefort-sur-Soulzon. In 1070 the village was granted a charter to make Roquefort cheese. The unique flavor of the cheese comes from Pennicillium mold.

Arlyn Jackett describes the cheese-making process in his article, "Roquefort Begins as a Cave Dweller," published in "The San Diego Union-Tribune." Centuries ago, the Pennicillium mold that was in the air worked its way into the cheese naturally. "Nowadays cheese-makers directly inject the cheese with cultures," he explains.

In a "Michigan Dairy Review" article, "Roquefort-du-Soulzon: A Great Place for a Case of the Blues,'" author John A. Patridge discusses cheese classifications. Blue-veined is a general classification of Roquefort, according to Partridge. English Stilton and Italian Gorgonzola are also in this category.

French Roquefort is aged in limestone caves for three to five months, Partridge says, "during which time they are regularly cleaned of any surface contaminants." The temperature in the caves is perfect for ripening the cheese.

Roquefort goes well with fresh pears, grapes, and plums. Adding crumbled Roquefort to salad makes an ordinary salad special. You don't have to buy pricey greens to enjoy this recipe. This salad dressing tastes great on wedges of ice berg lettuce and garnished with crumbled bacon. Creamy Roquefort Dressing perks up grilled hamburgers and baked potatoes, too.

The texture of the dressing is what makes it so appealing. Do not use a mixer or blender to make the dressing, or you will change the texture, and the Roquefort crumbles will disappear.

Ingredients

1 cup light mayonnaise

8-ounce carton fat-free sour cream

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 cup crumbled Roquefort (or blue cheese)

1/2 teaspoon low sodium salt

freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

Mix ingredients together with rubber spatula. Refrigerate dressing for one hour to blend flavors. Makes 6-8 generous servings.

Copyright 2008 by Harriet Hodgson