Lilly Higgins: When it comes to cheese, you can’t beat the blues

When I finished my Leaving Cert I went to New York for the summer to work as a nanny. My sister Maeve was nannying in a neighbours’ house, and we had a fantastic summer going between the two houses.

As a 16-year-old coming from rural Ireland to New York, I decided it was best to spend my wages on the finer things in life. My days off were a blur of museums and art galleries fuelled by frothy hazelnut lattes, lightly toasted bagels smothered in cream cheese, and pizza – the best pizza Little Italy could provide.

I always ordered gorgonzola dressing on my salads, its creamy saltiness covering each inch of iceberg lettuce. Only recently I’ve started to make my own blue-cheese dressing. It can go on anything and everything. It’s fantastic to have at barbecues and will keep in the fridge for up to a week.

For this recipe I simply drizzle it over wedges of fresh baby gem lettuce and some crispy salami. It’s an easy starter or light lunch. I usually make this dressing in the Nutribullet, which leaves it nice and smooth. You can then crumble over some extra blue cheese for texture and taste. It’s the perfect dressing to have as a dip with crunchy vegetables or to serve with steak.

I opted for a wheel of Cashel Blue as one of the top tiers of my wedding "cake". For a few years now "cheese cakes" have been served at weddings as an alternative to the typical sugar, flour and butter-based confections. I felt that huge wheels of cheese stacked on top of one another was a much more useful thing to have once it struck midnight after the wedding feast.

All that’s needed is a great selection of crackers, some quince paste, preserves such as chutney and some fruit. It really looks the part, too, and is a great talking point. I got my cheeses from On the Pig’s Back in the English Market in Cork.

Cheesemongers have incredible patience. They choose, unwrap, carefully shave off thin slices of cheese, then wait as the customer decides which one they prefer. When it came to picking cheese myself, I loved each and every one I tried.

It was great to be able to take the time to try some out, as I usually end up buying the same cheeses each week. I finally chose a sturdy base of Gubbeen, topped with organic Oisín Gouda and an Oisín Goat’s Brie, topped with the Cashel Blue round and then a gorgeous little raw sheep’s cheese, Corleggy.

There can never be enough leftovers when it comes to cheese. It’s so versatile. It provided the perfect hassle-free brunch the following day with crusty bread and home-cooked ham. It’s a fantastic way to celebrate and showcase the amazing array of farmhouse cheeses being made in Ireland.

LITTLE GEM WITH BLUE CHEESE DRESSING: SERVES 4

Ingredients
50g Cashel Blue cheese
Juice of ½ lemon
1tbs yogurt
30g salami
2 little gem lettuce

Method
Mash the blue cheese with the lemon juice and yogurt until smooth, adding a few sprigs of chives, finely snipped. You can use a fork to mash, or else a stick blender or Nutribullet. Taste for seasoning. You won't need salt, as the cheese is salty enough. Add more yogurt or lemon juice to taste.

Thinly slice the salami and fry until crispy. Leave to cool slightly on paper towels. Quarter the lettuce and place two pieces on to each plate. Crumble over the crispy salami. Drizzle with the dressing and serve right away.