Forget Ricotta, Try Whipping Up Blue Cheese For A Versatile Topping
Blue cheese can be intimidating. With its sharp, pungent flavor and vibrant veins of delicious mold, it is not a food for the ambivalent. With its undeniable kick, blue cheese may seem worlds away from the soft, mild flavors of ricotta. But if you're looking to up the sharpness in your dinner recipes, whipped blue cheese is exactly the topping you've been searching for.
Though blue cheese and ricotta differ in spice and tang, both are soft, rich cheeses. They crumble and blend easily, so substituting one for the other won't change your kitchen methodology — just the flavor impact in your final dish.
If you're ready to substitute in whipped blue cheese, start by thinking twice about the dishes you usually use ricotta in. Mac and cheese with blue cheese layered on top of the cheddar or American cheese you're already using creates a full-flavor blast of a meal. A dollop of whipped blue cheese on a buttery baked potato elevates your meal from a basic staple to a gourmet treat. Or, try subbing in blue cheese for ricotta in scrambled eggs for a rich, salty brunch delight.
Why whip your blue cheese?
Blue cheese is crumbly on its own, but whipping it up gives you a creamier, more versatile texture, allowing you to layer it into your recipes instead of just sprinkling it on top. Simply mix your blue cheese in a one-to-one ratio with cream cheese in a food processor until it's light and fluffy. Using whipped cream cheese will give your final topping an extra airy lift. You can also add a spoon or two of olive oil and white vinegar for a deeper, tarter finish.
This whipped topping is ready to spread on bread or crackers, and is perfect for all kinds of recipes. Pour it over roasted beets for a tart and sweet combo, or serve it with grilled asparagus to complement the charred vegetables. Blue cheese is already excellent in a burger, so try mixing it into meatballs, or layering the creamy mixture on a meatball sub.
If you get tired of the whipped topping format and crave that blue cheese tang in dip form for your next party or tailgate, try making a buttermilk blue cheese dip. Though bold in flavor and not for the faint of heart, blue cheese is endlessly versatile.