Chef Isabel
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Cabrales Asturiano
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Cabrales is Asturias in cheese form: raw milk aged in damp mountain caves until sharp, creamy, and blue-veined. Serve it warm from the fridge, never cold and mute.
Appetizers & Snacks
Spanish
Dinner Party
Special Occasion
Holiday
10 min
Active Time
0 min cook•55 min total
Yield6 servings
Cabrales Asturiano belongs to the Picos de Europa, in eastern Asturias, where the damp caves do the work a kitchen cannot. This is not a cheese you make at home unless you're a cheesemaker with the right milk, moulds, caves, and law behind you. You buy it well, serve it properly, and let it speak.
The method that decides it is temperature. Straight from the fridge, Cabrales is tight, salty, and mean. Give it 45 minutes at cool room temperature and the paste softens, the blue opens, and the sharpness becomes round instead of harsh. Cut it with a clean knife, serve it in small pieces, and put bread beside it. Bread is not decoration here; it carries the cheese.
If you can't find Cabrales where you are, look first for Valdeón from León or Picón Bejes-Tresviso from Cantabria. They come from the same northern mountain habit of strong blue cheeses, though Valdeón is often creamier and a little milder, and Picón keeps more of that cave-aged bite. Roquefort will do in a pinch, but it tastes of another country. No hace falta haber pisado España, but you do need to buy the right thing and let it come to life before you serve it.
Cabrales comes from the council of Cabrales and nearby villages in the Asturian side of the Picos de Europa, where cow, goat, and sheep milk were preserved by ageing cheese in natural limestone caves. The caves hold the damp, cool air that lets the blue mould develop through the paste and gives the cheese its fierce, peppery depth. It is protected as a Denominación de Origen cheese, tied to its mountain place rather than to a generic blue-cheese style.
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Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
Cabrales cheese
Quantity
200g
kept wrapped until serving
rustic country bread or pan de escanda
Quantity
180g
sliced
membrillo (quince paste)
Quantity
80g
sliced
walnuts
Quantity
60g
cracked
unsalted Asturian butter (optional)
Quantity
30g
Asturian natural cider (optional)
Quantity
to serve
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Cabrales cheesekept wrapped until serving | 200g |
| rustic country bread or pan de escandasliced | 180g |
| membrillo (quince paste)sliced | 80g |
| walnutscracked | 60g |
| unsalted Asturian butter (optional) | 30g |
| Asturian natural cider (optional) | to serve |
Equipment Needed
- •Small cheese knife
- •Wooden board or simple ceramic plate
- •Clean cloth or parchment for covering
Instructions
- 1
Bring it out
Take the Cabrales from the refrigerator 45 minutes before serving, but leave it loosely wrapped so the surface doesn't dry. This is the step that matters. Cold Cabrales tastes blunt and too salty; at cool room temperature it softens, smells of the cave, and turns creamy on the tongue.
- 2
Prepare the board
Slice the bread thick enough to hold the cheese, about 1cm. Cut the membrillo into small pieces and crack the walnuts. Keep the board plain: cheese, bread, quince, walnuts, and butter if you like. Pésalo, no lo adivines, because strong cheese served too generously stops being generous.
- 3
Cut cleanly
Unwrap the Cabrales and cut it into small wedges or rough pieces with a clean knife. Wipe the blade between cuts if the paste clings. You want the blue veins visible and the creamy paste still holding its shape, not mashed into a spread before it reaches the table.
- 4
Serve simply
Set the Cabrales on a small plate or board with the bread closest to it, membrillo to one side, and walnuts scattered in a little pile. Pour Asturian cider if you have it. If not, a dry cider works better than a sweet one. Serve at once, while the cheese is open and creamy. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
Chef Tips
- •Buy Cabrales from a shop that cuts and wraps cheese properly. It should smell strong, yes, but clean and lactic under the sharpness, never ammoniac or wet-rotten.
- •Look for Cabrales first. If you can't find it, Valdeón or Picón Bejes-Tresviso are the nearest Spanish substitutes. Valdeón is usually gentler and creamier; Picón is closer in mountain bite.
- •Do not serve Cabrales ice-cold. Give it 45 minutes out of the fridge, then eat it the same day once cut. Wrapped leftovers keep two to three days, but the edge will sharpen.
- •Membrillo is not there to sweeten the cheese like a dessert. It gives a small, firm sweetness against the salt and blue heat. Use little pieces, not a blanket of it.
Advance Preparation
- •The bread, walnuts, and membrillo can be arranged 1 hour ahead, but keep the cheese wrapped until 45 minutes before serving.
- •If serving after a large meal, cut smaller portions, about 30g to 35g per person. Cabrales is powerful and doesn't need a heavy hand.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 92g)
Calories
345 calories
Total Fat
24 g
Saturated Fat
10 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
12 g
Cholesterol
34 mg
Sodium
515 mg
Total Carbohydrates
24 g
Dietary Fiber
2 g
Sugars
9 g
Protein
12 g
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