Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

good over gnocchi too!

Extra Velvety Gorgonzola Cream - For sauce lovers...

Your grandmother, heck, even your mother, may not have had the availability in her southern kitchen a choice of gorgonzla in her selection of cheeses. More than likely, any blue-strand cultures probably came from the beauty shop down the street. Many women in my hometown got a blue-rinse at least once a month. But that has nothing to do with gorgonzla, now does it?

Somehow, I suspect the blue found in southern markets back in their day was that from France, like the softer Roquefort. Today, we know a good, well ripen creamy Danish will do just as well in many recipes and will also be less costly as an Italian gorgonzla. It can also be substituted with Stilton cheese in a pinch. One of our favorite cream sauces is like the one below using an older Gorgonzola Montagna and served over lightly seasoned grilled steaks.

Did you know, Roquefort is made from sheep's milk, Gorgonzola is from cow.

Now, to the recipe today.
The art of making a good sauce starts with knowing how to make the basic Mother Sauces. From one of these, you can easily adapt. This cream sauce is a variation of a Velouté, which is made using a stock from veal, fish or chicken and incorporated with a roux of equal parts of butter and flour to create a creamy, velvet like soup. Speaking of mother sauces, I don’t know if my mother knew anything about Velouté. I can only suspect she did, ‘cause she sure knew how to make one fine cheese sauce using a roux with chicken stock.

Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

perfect topping for steaks, seafood and pasta
makes about 2 cups

2 tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon flour
4 oz crumbly Gorgonzola cheese (about 1 cup)
2 Tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons minced fresh chives or parsley, optional

In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon butter, wine and stock over medium-high heat until it starts to bubble. Lower heat to medium / medium-low and simmer gently for 20 minutes or until the liquid has reduced to about one third in volume. Add cream and allow to simmer until reduced by half, stirring occasionally, about an hour. Remove from heat.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and add flour. Whisk cooking for 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the cream sauce followed with the Gorgonzola cheese and Parmesan cheese. Stir in salt, pepper, and chives stirring until the cheese has melted. Cover and keep warm until ready to serve.