Gorgonzola, honey and fresh walnuts

In Australia, we have very strict rules about what cheeses we allow into the country. If they are made from raw milk and have not been pasteurised then they will be deemed unfit for Australian consumption. There is so much fuss these days about food and germs. It makes me wonder, how is it that any of us get through a single day still alive, let alone an entire lifetime, with all those germs and bacteria around.  I'm not sure how it is Europeans have been eating unpasteurised cheeses for as long as they have, but at least they get a choice about it.

Nanny states really get up the noses of some people and a few impassioned cheese lovers have lobbied very hard to change these rules. So now we have some exemptions to the conditions of entry such as hard cheeses, like Parmigiano-Reggiano and semi-soft cheeses, like Gruyere and Emmenthal. No exemptions for the soft cheeses though unless they are made with cooked milk. Which is why we still see European soft cheeses for sale here, like this Gorgonzola cheese for example.

I digress. What I really wanted to share with you is the idea of drizzling honey over your blue cheese (wherever it comes from, and I know there are plenty of law-abiding good ones here in Australia), and serving them with fresh walnuts. I reckon the simpler your cheese platter, the better. Be sure to serve the cheese at a risky room-temperature too.