On a recent visit to South Carolina, I was lucky enough to visit Clemson University to try some of its famous blue cheese. The university first started making its tangy, marbled cheese in the 1940s, when a dairy professor realized that the cool, dank tunnel of an unfinished local railway line would make the perfect curing environment. Although the operations have since moved indoors, Clemson continues to make its Roquefort-style cheese in small batches using the same artisanal methods (see Sources, page 377). At the campus cafes, you can try everything from blue cheese pizza to blue cheese milkshakes. This rich, creamy dressing was inspired by the flavor of Clemson blue cheese—but in a pinch, any Roquefort-style cheese will do.
Recipe information
Yield
makes about 2 cups
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Place the blue cheese, vinegar, and shallot in a small bowl and mash the cheese into the vinegar with the back of a fork to blend. Whisk in the buttermilk, mayonnaise, yogurt, chives, and marjoram until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use, or for up to 1 week.
On the Side
Step 2
Re-create classic sports bar flavors by serving this thick, piquant dressing as a cooling dipping sauce for barbecued chicken and fresh celery, cucumber, and carrot sticks. It’s also great drizzled over a wedge of crisp iceberg or Bibb lettuce.
