MountainTop Bleu is a surface-ripened blue and white mold pyramid. It ripens from its rind inwards, growing progressively softer and creamier. The rind is completely edible at any stage of the cheese’s ripening. In fact, the cheese’s fullest flavor is concentrated in its rind.

World Cheese Awards
2008 Bronze Medalist
2006 Silver Medalist
2004 Bronze Medalist

American Dairy Goat Association Cheese Competition
2009 Second-Place Finisher
2007 First-Place Finisher
2006 Third-Place Finisher

American Cheese Society, Cheese Judging
2006 Second-Place Finisher
2005 Third-Place Finisher
2004 Third-Place Finisher
2002 First-Place Finisher

Saveur Magazine
2005 Editor's Pick - 50 Favorite American Cheeses

Weeks 1-3
MountainTop Bleu is considered a soft-ripened cheese. We work hard to balance the white and blue molds to produce a cheese that has the luscious creaminess of a world-class soft-ripened cheeses plus the delicate piquancy of a blue mold cheese. This balancing act changes with the temperature of the seasons and the composition of the milk -- as an artisan cheese, you'll note that sometimes MountainTop's are more blue; sometimes less. But they will always have that same subtle and distinctive taste.

It develops its white and blue-bloomed rind within a week’s time in our aging room. We wrap the young MountainTop Bleus at 2-3 weeks old to ensure that they have the maximum shelf life possible. At this stage, MountainTop Bleus are firm to the touch. The blue piquancy tends to be more pronouced at this stage -- before the white mold has a chance to ripen and soften the cheese body. These young MountainTop Bleus can be used in cooking, and will melt nicely.

Weeks 4-6
We think of this period as “adolescence” for MountainTop Bleus. The rind beginning to do its work and when the cheese is cut, you can see the ripening cheese body just below the rind. At room temperature, this ripened portion of the cheese body will be soft (and in the Spring quite creamy). The taste of the cheese is developing rapidly during this period; and the clean sharpness of the young cheese becomes increasingly complex as white and bluie molds do their work in tandem.

Weeks 7-12
During this period, the “adult” MountainTop Bleu reaches its fullest and most complex flavor profile. The rind has now ripened the cheese body ½ inch or more toward its center. The cheese will feel soft to the touch, particularly at room temperature. Secondary molds and other “imperfections” may appear on the surface. The white and blue-bloomed rind of youth begins to deepen to lovely darker hues. When unwrapped at this age, the captured ammonia (an exhalation by-product of the rind as it ripens the cheese body) may need to dissipate – allowing these older MountainTop Bleus the time to “breathe” as they warm before serving is time well spent.

MountainTop Bleu is a lovely addition to your meals. It can be served alone as an appetizer, cut for a cheese board, served with crackers and a savory tapenade, or used in finer cuisines. Younger cheeses are definitely better for cooking, as they will withstand the heat of melting better; more mature cheeses shine as “solo-acts” on cheese boards, or served with complimentary stand out ingredients: stewed figs, Spanish or Portugese membrillo, or cured olives.

Once you have removed its original wrapping, take care not to re-wrap too tightly in plastic wrap. This will suffocate the cheese. We store a partially consumed MountainTop Bleu in a plastic container or a dessert plate covered in plastic wrap. Both methods allow for a bit of air around the cheese and continued breathing.

Pasteurized goat milk
Vegetable rennet
Bacterials starter cultures (gluten-free)
Salt
Enzymes