Finding Joy in the Winter Blues

I am not sure about you but we New Yorkers are getting hammered by yet another blustery snow storm. It seems the arrival of Spring can't come soon enough although there are only 23 days until the Vernal Equinox. Why not light a fire, get cozy and embrace the winter blues - blue cheese, that is. Winter is a great time to explore gourmet blue cheese since it pairs perfectly with what I consider to be a cold-weather sipper - Tawny Port. I initially turned up my nose at Port given the medicinal, cough-syrup aroma. But with one sip, I saw the light and will now extol the virtues of a 20 year Tawny Port. With flavors of honeyed dried fruit and a nutty finish, Tawny Port is smooth, sweet and delicious. It makes the perfect foil for an audacious and piquant blue. After a hearty winter meal, this is an ideal gourmet cheese combination for dessert. While we are partial (or should we say Portial?) to our American Artisanal Cave-Aged blue cheese, we also have a few other Port-worthy favorites:

• Gorgonzola Dolce - Gorgonzola Dolce is a creamy and tangy blue cheese from Italy's Lombardy region. Easy to spread, Gorgonzola Dolce (meaning "sweet") is not as spicy as Gorgonzola Piccante (aka Mountain Gorgonzola). Try it on a baguette topped with sliced ripe figs. Mangia!
• Stilton - A traditional Tawny Port pairing, Stilton hails from England where it's been produced since 1720. Dense, rich and creamy with hints of nuts, Stilton is excellent on its own or with a dab of quince paste.
• Generally, I am not a fan of smoked cheeses but Rogue Creamery's Smokey Oregon Blue is a revelation. Not only is Rogue Creamery the first to craft blue cheese on the West Coast of the US, but they are also the first to ever smoke blue cheese. They smoke their robust blue over hazelnut shells. This lends a sweet nuttiness and meaty nuance to the boldness of the blue.

So if you have those fancy little sherry glasses, the kind that forces the extension of your pinky finger, now would be a great time to dust them off. Treat yourself to the stomach-warming libation of Tawny Port and a little nibble of gourmet blue cheese - the perfect antidote to the seemingly never-ending doldrums of winter.