Salsa de Queso Cabrales

Revision as of 15:08, 23 October 2022

This classic blue cheese sauce is the perfect accompaniment to steaks. Very popular in Asturias as a dip for french fries as well.

Summary

Type Category

Sauce & Condiment

Ingredient Category

Cheese

Technique Category

Simmered

Diet Category

Vegetarian

Origin Category

Asturian

Time:

25 minutes

Difficulty:

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size -		Servings in recipe -

Amount Per Serving
Calories -
% Daily Value*
Total Fat -
Saturated Fat -
Trans Fat -
Cholesterol -
Sodium -
Total Carbohydrate -
Dietary Fiber -
Sugars 1g
Protein -

Vitamin A	-	Folate	-
Vitamin B1	-	Vitamin B2	-
Vitamin B3	-	Vitamin B5	-
Vitamin B6	-	Vitamin B12	-
Vitamin C	-	Vitamin D	-
Vitamin E	-	Vitamin K	-

Calcium	-	Copper	-
Iron	-	Magnesium	-
Manganese	-	Phosphorus	-
Potassium	-	Selenium	-
Sodium	-	Zinc	-

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
	Calories	2,000	2,500
Total Fat	Less than	65g	80g
Sat Fat	Less than	20g	25g
Cholesterol	Less than	300mg	300mg
Sodium	Less than	2,400mg	2,400mg
Total Carbohydrate		300g	375g
Dietary Fiber		25g	30g

There are two ubiquitous products in Asturian food culture. Cider, and blue cheese. No matter where you go, I guarantee you are within arms reach of at least one of the two. Probably both. They are both deeply loved, and widely used in all manner of culinary creations. Cabrales indeed shows up absolutely everywhere. One of the reasons for that is that it makes an incredible accompaniment to so many things. Which is certainly how salsa cabrales came to be.

There is some evidence that the origin of salsa cabrales lies in the late 1970’s. Casa Fermín, the first Asturian restaurant to earn a Michelin star (in 1974), had in the 70’s both an innovative chef (Leandro Cortina) and a powerful manager (Luis Gil Lus). Between the two of them, the idea to adapt French roquefort-based sauces to local products was hatched.^[1] From that first Solomillo al Cabrales to ubiquitous french fry topping in less than 40 years!

Regardless of the origin of salsa cabrales, I do know that it is now incredibly popular in Asturias. So much so that even the DOP that oversees production of cabrales cheese did not bother to include it in their recipe book featuring only cabrales-based recipes. The idea being that no one would need a recipe for so common a preparation. But you and I need a recipe, so I have one. A really good one.

Ingredients

750 g Cabrales cheese. No substitutions possible here!
250 g heavy cream.
10 g unsalted butter.
White pepper.
Salt, to taste.

Instructions

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
Stir in the heavy cream, slowly, to avoid boiling it.
Crumble the cheese into the pot and whisk it until it is completely incorporated.
Reduce the heat to low and reduce for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently.
Season with salt and white pepper, stirring well once again.
Leave the sauce thinner than you want for serving, as it will thicken as it cools.

↑ Méndez Riestra, Eduardo. Diccionario de cocina y gastronomía de Asturias. p 116. 2017.

[1] Méndez Riestra, Eduardo. Diccionario de cocina y gastronomía de Asturias. p 116. 2017.

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-{{SHORTDESC: Creamy Asturian Blue Cheese Sauce}}There are two ubiquitous products in Asturian food culture. Cider, and blue cheese. No matter where you go, I guarantee you are within arms reach of at least one of the two. Probably both. They are both deeply loved, and widely used in all manner of culinary creations. Cabrales indeed shows up absolutely everywhere. One of the reasons for that is that it makes an incredible accompaniment to so many things. Which is certainly how salsa cabrales came to be.
+{{SHORTDESC: Creamy Asturian Blue Cheese Sauce}}There are two ubiquitous products in Asturian [[Food Culture|food culture]]. Cider, and blue cheese. No matter where you go, I guarantee you are within arms reach of at least one of the two. Probably both. They are both deeply loved, and widely used in all manner of culinary creations. Cabrales indeed shows up absolutely everywhere. One of the reasons for that is that it makes an incredible accompaniment to so many things. Which is certainly how salsa cabrales came to be.
 There is some evidence that the origin of salsa cabrales lies in the late 1970’s. [https://casafermin.com/ Casa Fermín], the first Asturian restaurant to earn a Michelin star (in 1974), had in the 70’s both an innovative chef (Leandro Cortina) and a powerful manager (Luis Gil Lus). Between the two of them, the idea to adapt French roquefort-based sauces to local products was hatched.<ref>Méndez Riestra, Eduardo. ''Diccionario de cocina y gastronomía de [[Asturias]]''. p 116. 2017.</ref> From that first ''Solomillo al Cabrales'' to ubiquitous french fry topping in less than 40 years!