When you think blue cheese, what do you think? Roquefort? Gorgonzola? Stilton? Maybe even Fourme d'Ambert... Your first thought might not be Cabrales or Valdeon...Produced on opposites sides of a mountain range in northern Spain, these are two really unique cheeses that it is worth getting to know. However, just a little side note before we start discussing the cheeses, these are not beginner's blues at all, Cabrales in particular exemplifies all of those blue cheese qualities that some find scary and unappealing. These are some of the most striking and unique cheeses in the world, definitely not your everyday sort and what makes investigating them so exciting is that they are such different cheeses but are produced in such close proximity. It will give you an idea of how differences in terroir can affect a cheese. ...So lets get going! Who is interested in learning about each of these babies?
Let's start off with Cabrales - This baby is only produced in its namesake village, Cabrales along with three other tiny villages in the Penamellera Alta township, which in case you aren't really familiar with Spain, is located in Northern Spain, near the Europa Peaks in Eastern Asturias. It is made from raw milk and in very small production. In the spring and summer, the cheese is made with a mixture of raw cow, goat, and sheep milks however in the winter, that is unavailable. Key point to this, just to drum it into your heads, all milk utilized in this cheese must come from the small area of Asturias, keeping the milk's terroir similar. The cheese is first cured for two weeks in cylindrical molds, salted, and left to cure and harden. Step two is to age the cheese for a further two to five months in the natural limestone caves that are centuries old, in the area. While in the caves, the cheeses are turned ever so often to aid in the aging process. Always wrapped in dark green colored aluminum foil with the D.O (Denomincacion de Origin) stamp on it. Now doesn't that sound interesting? Terroir to the hilt right?!? What you get it is a really strong, really unique, complex, spicy, truly special blue cheese! Best served with a nice Sherry like a Pedro Ximenez.
Now, lets discuss its neighboring cousin, Valdeon, also made in the Picos de Europa mountains, in the Valdeon Valley meaning that you are able to produce this cheese year round with a mixture of cow's and goat's milk. It is typically aged three months in caves as well, but these caves are a bit drier than those that the Cabrales wheels reside in. Therefore this makes the cheese less intense and it tends to have fewer blue veins than its cousin. It is wrapped in Sycamore leaves lending a more earthy, barnyardy flavor than Cabrales.The paste aka interior of Valdeon is also blue veined like its cousin, but lighter in color because it is not aged as long. What you get on your palate is a buttery, aromatic, earthy, dynamic blue cheese, much tamer than its cousin, Cabrales. Valdeon is best with a Gamay or even a Port. Now don't get me wrong, Valdeon is also more intense than say a piece of Gorgonzola, but definitely less so than Cabrales.
Isn't that interesting how these two babies produced so close together yield such different results?! I think so...I recommend trying both if you're up for a crash course in unique blue cheeses, it will open your eyes.
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