Frame: In All Fairness

blue cheese and honey gelato

I always feel bad for food when I hear someone dismiss a dish or ingredient with a disgusted look on their face, or a fearful “oh, I don’t eat that” statement. What did food ever do to you?

We all have things we don’t particularly enjoy, but it’s not fair to yourself or to food to just cut something out altogether. Although, lest you think I am flawless in this department, I will admit that I have exactly two things that I always decline to eat due to personal taste bias: bananas and hazelnuts. Sure, I will eat the occasional banana- flavored item, but only under duress or out of courtesy. I can’t remember the last time I chose to eat raw banana. If there are chopped hazelnuts on a dish, I can handle it. But if I discover hidden nutella or hazelnut filling in say, a piece of chocolate, I’m no longer interested in finishing whatever is currently in my mouth. These two foods are relatively mundane- most people think I’m crazy when I tell them I don’t eat bananas. But these are often the people that won’t eat blue cheese.

Blue cheese is fantastic. It can be mild, tart, smooth, grainy, hard, or soft. It goes well in macaroni and cheese, over a steak, made into a compound butter, or just on a plate with some grapes. If you don’t eat blue cheese you are missing out on a whole category of dairy that deserves your attention. And you are also depriving yourself of Blue Cheese and Honey Gelato.

I tried this flavor on a recent trip to North Carolina, after listening to about ten people practically shriek at the thought of tasting it, fleeing from the gelato line with their chocolate or mango flavored cone. True, the blue cheese and honey pan looked a little suspect with its greyish color and bits of blue crumbled on top, but the flavor was incredible. Richly layered, the first taste was the tang and salt of the cheese, soon after followed by the sweet creaminess of the honey. The honey mixed with the blue, and then melted it away. Like certain wines, the finish of this flavor was the best part- one is left with just a light sweetness.

Ok, I changed my mind. If you want to list blue cheese as one of the things you just don’t eat, I won’t stop you. You can have my banana split, I’ll have your blue cheese and honey gelato.