How to Make Bleu Cheese

How to Make Bleu Cheese (acrylic on canvas)

Bleu Cheese and Olives
acrylic on canvas

I couldn’t resist signing up for a painting class that was all about…food.

“Indulge your creativity and appetite with artist Shari Tipich, and paint from a menu of sumptuous fruits, voluptuous vegetables, and sinful sweets! Tempt your tastebuds with elegant hors d’oeuvres, decadent desserts, wine and libations. Discover additional treats and trinkets among the Crafted aisles! All artistic levels always welcome!”

Shari Tipich has been a full-service decorative artist for 25 years, specializing in custom residential and commercial interiors: murals, specialty finishes, historic ornaments, etc. Her Shari Tipich Decorative Artist business at Crafted features hand-painted furniture, home décor, accessories, and gift items. The artist has been nationally published and has appeared on television; and she is also a very talented cook, preparing an exquisite buffet of appetizers and desserts each month for the class attendees.

Shari's Fabulous Appetizers
Shari’s Fabulous Appetizers

$50.00 per artist includes a 16″ x 20″ canvas, use of easels, paint and brushes, and three hours of inspiring step-by-step instruction. It also includes an impressive buffet of food, and a generous assortment of wine and beverages – a more than ample spread, sure to get those creative juices flowing!

Pear, Bleu Cheese, Pecan, Honey
Pear, Bleu Cheese, Pecan, Honey

The monthly painting classes are held at CRAFTED AT THE PORT OF LOS ANGELES, a large-scale permanent handmade artisan marketplace. The classically restored Warehouse No. 10 is home to more than 100 individual artists, crafters and food makers, each presenting their unique handcrafted goods in a vibrant patchwork of shop spaces.

Bleu Cheese (photograph)
Bleu Cheese (photograph) by Lori Lynn

The traditional method to make French blue veined cheese:

(adapted from Ile de France here)

Following pasteurization, milk is heated to 90°F, sowed with starter cultures and rennet in order to acquire the curdling.

The curd is drained off, broken up and put into its octagonal mould. Cheese is sowed with the penicillium roqueforti.

Next, the fresh cheese is removed from the mould, then salted with coarse salt by hand, gradually for 6 days. Placed on a rack, the cheese is taken to the drying shed, a very humid maturing premise, maintained at a constant temperature ranging between 50 and 54°F.

During maturing, the cheese is “pierced” a procedure that is essential to eliminate gases within the cheeses and to carry oxygen to the mold ensuring the development of the blue color at the centre of the cheese.

The maturing lasts for approximately 80 days.

Bleu Cheese (acrylic on canvas)
Bleu Cheese (acrylic on canvas)by Lori Lynn

The traditional method to paint French blue veined cheese:

The maturing lasts for approximately 3 hours.

How to Make Bleu Cheese (acrylic on canvas)

How to Make Bleu Cheese (acrylic on canvas)

Bleu Cheese and Olives acrylic on canvas

How to Make Bleu Cheese (acrylic on canvas)

The composition of my Bleu Cheese and Olives painting
was inspired by artist Y. Wang.

CRAFTED

Join us at Shari’s WINE, DINE & FINE ART PAINTING CLASS!

The painting class is on hold for March and April as Shari is doing four design spaces at the Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts. The show runs April 17-May 15. Painting classes at Crafted will resume May 29th. For more information, please contact Shari by email: sharitipichart@gmail(dot)com.

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