November 15, 2008

La Fête du Fromage - Round Up # 3

Voilà! - the November round up of La Fête du Fromage International Cheese Tasting Event.
Thank you to everyone who joined in and I hope to see you again in December!


Nathalie of Spaced Out Ramblings offers us an enticing chunk of Italian cheese from the Piemonte region of Italy called Castelmango. She describes it as round and sharp, with flavors of ripe fruits and dried grass. It looks sublime! Thanks for the introduction, Nathalie.


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My sincere apologies to Mariana at History of Greek Food, as I accidentally left her entry out of the original round-up. The recipe she shares for Cheese and Sesame Balls using Manouri, a fresh, delicate goat or sheep's milk cheese, was inspired by a poem that is over 2000 years old. Truly inspiring and a great idea for us "cheese junkies."



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Chelly at Rolling in Dough, wrote an engaging love letter to Comté, a cheese that conjures up fond memories of France in every delicious bite.
"When I have thin slices of Comte' on Baguette for lunch, I'm in France. But Comte' really shines when enjoyed with some crusty bread and a glass of red wine. Simplicity defined - to me there isn't a better combination."



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Camille, who lives in Paris and writes the inspiring blog Croque Camille, spiced up a humble tuna melt with some crumbly, tangy Tillamook Cheddar cheese (and this fellow expat living in France wants to know where she found it exactly?!?). This sandwich looks like some serious comfort food.


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A Chutney Cheese Ball made with tangy and creamy artisan chèvre is the Fête du Fromage entry from Rachel at The Crispy Cook. The cheese is produced by Elizabeth Porter of Argyle, New York and the Chutney Cheese Ball is Rachel's brilliant creation.


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First a taste, then a tart.
Judith at A Shortcut to Mushrooms, a blog that is full of fabulous vegetarian recipes, really enjoyed the the soft, mild Port Salut that she tasted for La Fête. After sampling it on its own, she whipped up a Pepper, Port Salut and Onion Tart and loved how the cheese paired with the red pepper and sweet onions. This looks wonderful!


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A beautiful trio of mezes, (mezes is an appetizer served with wine, ouzo or tsikoudia) called Cheese Sagnaki, is Ivy's of Kopiaste's entry to la Fête. "Saganaki is very easy to make but you will need a very good Greek hard cheese. Saganaki can be made with Graviera, Kefalotyri, Kefalograviera, Formaella, Halloumi, Kaskavalli..."
Ivy shares three recipes for Sagnaki and they all look fantastic!


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We're in the height of the Vacherin du Haut Doubs season, my cheese entry for La Fête. This is a soft and yeasty flavored cheese that is infused with mild pine flavors by the spruce wood box that the cheese sits in while it matures. It is only available from August 15 and March 31, so get some while you can!



Thanks again everyone!


Come and celebrate cheese with us again in December.
Tell us why you chose this particular cheese. Tell us how it tasted. Tell us about its texture and aroma. Did you eat it on its own? Or with something? Did you drink anything special with your cheese? Would you recommend it or not? Is there something unusual or interesting about it?

The 15th of every month will be the official day for La Fête du Fromage. Please have your entries to me by the end of the 13th.
  • Photos are wonderful, but not necessary
  • Entries must contain the words La Fête du Fromage and contain a link to Chez Loulou
  • Posts should be written specifically for La Fête du Fromage and not entered in any other food blog event
  • Please send the link to your post to louloufrance (at) gmail (dot) com with the words Fête du Fromage in the subject line
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11 comments:

spacedlaw said...

I love Vacherin! It has to be one of my favourite French cheeses (with fresh Munster Géromé). I saw some in the airport last time I was in Paris and was tempted to buy some and write aboout it but felt sure that you would - if you had not already.
Thanks for another great Fête du Fromage!

Jennifer said...

Nathalie
Thank you for joining in.
I've seen Vacherin around a lot lately and am tempted to buy another box. We haven't had any since last winter. It's great cheese!

Ivy said...

Great roundup. It's so wonderful to learn so much about the different kinds of cheese.

Rachel said...

Thank you for hosting this fun event. I picked up some cute cheese plates at a thrift store recently and will hunt up some cool cheese to place on them for the next Fete du Fromage.

Anonymous said...

Heh, the cheese was hand-inported by my husband after his last trip to the states. If I ever find it in France, I'll be sure to let you know!

That Vacherin sounds great - I'll have to keep my eyes open for it.

Jennifer said...

Ivy
I agree! You always introduce us to some great ones. I look forward to seeing what you taste in December. :)

Rachel
Thank you for the great Chutney Cheese Ball recipe. I think I'll be giving that one a try!
Can't wait to see the cheese plates you found.

Camille
I wondered if that was the case. Oh well!
Our local grocery store, G20, has started carrying English cheddar but I haven't bought any yet. I love Tillamook!

Anonymous said...

Loulou, thank you for hosting such a wonderful event. However,it seems that you have skipped my entry on Manouri cheese and sesame balls.
http://www.historyofgreekfood.com/?p=172

Mariana

Jennifer said...

History of Greek Food
I knew I was missing one! I am so sorry and will add it right now!
Oops. :)

L Vanel said...

Sorry I missed it! Hopefully I can do it next time!

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much!!☺

Jennifer said...

lucy
I can't wait to see what succulent cheese you share with us in December.

Mariana
you're welcome. Again, thanks for joining in! I promise not to leave you out next time! :)