Gorgonzola Dolcelatte con Fichi Arrostiti e Miele

Sweet Gorgonzola with Roasted Figs and Honey

Gorgonzola DOP is a soft, full cream cow's milk bleu cheese; the bleu veining is called erborinato, because the mold color resembles parsley green. It is produced in the northern Italian regions of Piedmont and Lombardy in specially designated areas. During the 12th-century, this cheese was made in the tiny village of Gorgonzola then aged for a minimum of 2 months in grottos where the natural molds impregnated the cheese slowly causing the bleu characteristics. Today, this naturally fermented cheese is called del nonno (from the grandfather) or antico (the old-fashioned way), tends to be more compact with a crumbly texture and concentrated areas of mold and is made in very limited quantities.

Standard production of Gorgonzola DOP includes rennet, enzymes and Penicillium Roqueforti added to transform this cooked curd cheese to a bleu cheese. After storing in a humid atmosphere for a few days, each cylinder is hand-salted or immersed in a brine bath, then the cheese goes through one-month aging. Producers "assist" nature by piercing the newly-formed cheese with steel or copper needles so the molds are evenly distributed. With continued aging, the characteristic green-blue mold streaks form inside the piercings.

Gorgonzola Montagna is firmer and salter; Gorgonzola Dolcelatte is soft, sometimes runny in its center and sweeter. Composition ranges are usually 25-36% butterfat and 20-25% protein.

Intensely flavored, Gorgonzola Montagna is a table cheese as well as a cooking cheese that asserts itself with a little bit grated into fillings, sauces or leafy green salads adding noted piquancy. Gorgonzola Dolcelatte is creamy to the point of being unctuous, and is a fabulous Italian table cheese served with fresh pears or apples in the autumn. As a cooking cheese it is often mixed with fillings or added to cream-based sauces for memorable primi piatti of pasta, gnocchi, risotto, and even added to pizza to satisfy modern taste cravings of combining prosciutto, figs and Gorgonzola.

Serving cheese as dessert, or just before dessert, is a delightful European tradition. Select Gorgonzola Dolcelatte (meaning sweet milk) at its peak of ripeness, not Mountain Gorgonzola, which is a salty version best for antipasto or insalata.

Rather than simply serving cheese and crackers along with a bowl of fresh fruit, transform this into a presentation plate for each person. It's beautiful and everyone loves luscious figs and cheese with peppery arugula and sweet honey. Serving a dessert wine, such as Malvasia or Recioto di Soave, completes this extraordinary balance of classic Italian flavors.