Grand Blue Cheese

"Trader Joe’s Grand Blue hails from the Allgäu region of Bavaria in southern Germany, and is crafted from the milk of Swiss Brown cows raised on small dairy farms throughout the region, where there is plenty of fresh green grass to graze upon. Their milk is incredibly rich, which contributes to the cheese’s strong flavor profile. That boldy delicious Bavarian milk is combined with a special cocktail of three different Penicillium Roqueforti cultures; the curds are placed in wheels and turned every four hours over a 24 hour period. The cheese is then removed from the wheels and immersed in a salt bath for 24 hours. At that point, the wheels are double-dipped in black wax, which helps retain moisture and build the cheese’s character. The wheels are pierced to allow air to reach the Roqueforti cultures, and the distinctive blue veins begin to develop. After eight weeks, the process is complete and the Grand Blue is sent to Trader Joe’s. From there, you pick up the Grand Blue from our cheese case and bring it home, where you present it on a cheese platter with your other favorites. You enjoy its semi-soft, almost crumbly texture and its rich, creamy, mildly salty, beguilingly buttery flavor on crackers, baguette slices, or blended into pasta or baked potatoes. You also enjoy its price — a truly phenomenal value for a cheese this Grand!"