La Fête du Fromage - Five Cheeses to Try in France

Last week I wrote about five fabulous French cheeses that can be found in cheese shops or online in the States. I hope it helped to inspire some of you to try something new!

Unfortunately, many French cheeses aren't available overseas as they are either unpasteurized (and that is viewed as dangerous for some reason) or simply aren't exported by their producers. So in honor of this week's La Fête du Fromage I have put together a short list of luscious French cheeses to taste the next time you come to France.

I just know that these will entice you to get those plane tickets purchased!

When you arrive in France and find yourself in front of a large display of all sorts of strange looking, wonderfully smelly cheese at the Fromagerie, you can be confident that you are familiar with at least a few of the names and impress the person behind the counter when you ask for these five.
Believe me, you won't be disappointed.

1) Brugère - pronounced brew-jhere
A wonderful silky, slightly chalky textured fromage de chèvre that is a delight!


2) Tome Basque
A refined, sophisticated cheese with buttery and hazelnut flavors. It is super smooth and melts in your mouth. I love this one!


3) Camembert Brebis Fermier
A very special ewe's milk cheese from the Languedoc-Roussillon, made in the style of Camembert.


4) Cendré de Champagne
A luscious, creamy cheese with a slight smoky flavor from its ash covered rind. Truly sublime!


5) Chèvre Frais
In four stages of affinage. If you have the chance, try them all to find your favorite. Be sure to have some honey or fig jam to serve alongside.

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Photo du Jour - Learning to Drive

I walked outside the other day and witnessed this scene in front of our neighbor's cave, just across the street from our house.
Their dog was learning to drive the tractor.

I wonder if he knows that here was a job listing for a tractor driver on the unemployment website the other day? Pin It

Looking For Work in France

As soon as my contract at the restaurant ended in October, I gathered all of my paperwork and went to register with the unemployment office in Béziers. It was an errand that took a ridiculous amount of time driving around lost in a Zone Industrielle with unmarked streets before I finally stumbled across the nondescript Pôle-Emploi building surrounded by car dealerships.

Once there I met with a couple of young, perky fonctionnaires and left the office with my all important registration number and yet another dossier crammed full of information to translate.

Almost every morning I dutifully log in to their website to see what jobs are available within a 50 kilometer radius of our village. You'll never guess what employment opportunity popped up on my search the other day...



a job as a shepherd.


For a second it looked intriguing.

Then I read the job requirements and they only wanted a shepherd with at least three years experience.

Guess that leaves me out of the running. Pin It

La Fête du Fromage - Five Fabulous French Fromages

Choosing just five French cheeses out of the multitude that I've tasted over the last couple of years was an interesting task. Especially since so many of my favorites aren't available outside of France. But I thought that if I narrowed down the choice to just five superb French cheeses that are all available in the States, maybe it would inspire some of you to put together a cheese platter to serve family and friends during the holidays.

One of the best things about a cheese platter is there's no cooking involved. At this time of year, you've got to love that! After you've purchased a varied selection, it just takes a bit of arranging on plates or platters and adorning with some fruit, possibly some nuts, and sliced French bread or crackers.

I think a cheese platter is the perfect thing to take the edge off if you're throwing une petite fête that will carry on until the wee hours. After the nibbles have been reduced to crumbs, put out a cheese platter and your guests will be revived and ready to keep the party going!


1) Bleu d'Auvergne
Buttery and smoky tasting. A delicious bleu!



2) Comté
No wonder this one is a favorite here in France. Its distinctive nutty and caramelized flavor is so satisfying.



3) Brie de Nangis
Smooth and buttery and an absolutely delectable member of the brie family.



4) Pouligny Saint-Pierre
This little pyramide is sublime!



5) Brin d'Amour or Fleur de Maquis
Seductive and soft on the inside. Spicy and herby on the outside.



These cheeses are all available online through my Amazon Store, Murray's Cheese, fromages.com and artisanalcheese.com

Bonnes Fêtes! Pin It

Belgian Endive, Roquefort, Apple and Walnut Salad

Greens, cheese, fruit and nuts. Mix them together and you've created the kind of winter salad that I love! In this case, a salad of Belgian Endive, Roquefort, Apples and Walnuts.

Roquefort, as I've said before, is not one of my favorite cheeses. It's a shame really, as we live just next door to Roquefort country.
I do however, love it cooked into tarts and added (with a light hand) to salads.

Belgian endive has an earthy, invigorating flavor and crisp texture that lends itself perfectly to salads. Especially hearty, composed salads that include apples for a hit of sweet, Roquefort or blue cheese for a nice, creamy, tangy flavor and chopped walnuts for richness.
This combination is heavenly!


Belgian Endive, Roquefort, Apple and Walnut Salad
serves 6

• 6 medium Belgian endive
• 6 ounces Roquefort cheese at room temperature, crumbled
  
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1 tart apple (I use Granny Smith), peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Make the vinaigrette: Mix the salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar together in a bowl until the salt is dissolved. Slowly add the oil in a steady stream, whisking constantly until the mixture has emulsified. Add the garlic and whisk again.

For the salad: Just before serving, otherwise they will discolor on the edges, remove the outer leaves from the endive and separate the other leaves from the core. Wash and dry them, then cut into thin, crosswise slices.
Place the sliced endive, crumbled Roquefort, chopped walnuts and chopped apple in a bowl.
Pour the vinaigrette over everything and mix well.
Serve immediately.

Belgian endive is made up of 90% water and is rich in potassium, calcium, folate and vitamins A and K. When choosing, look for leaves should are white with pale green edges, firm and closed into a tight cylinder.

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Photo du Jour - Festive

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Pin It

Sunday Links

The exhilaration and shock of receiving la nationalité française has started to wear off and life slowly gets back to normal. One can only drink so much Champagne!
Actually I'd be very happy to drink Champagne every day...but our bank balance wouldn't be very healthy.

Winter has hit the Minervois with a sharp, numbing, freezing wind, and its arrival coincides with my annual dog sitting stint for our friends. Every morning I don as many layers as I possibly can and head out in the vineyards for a long walk with la belle T'choupi.

One of the best things about being outside that early is enjoying the colors of the sunrise. And when it's this cold, that is the only enjoyable thing!



A few links that have crossed my radar this week:

T & A & Fromage. Does sex really sell when it comes to cheese?

An interview with yours truly. Thanks again Keith!

Sensational seasonal market menus and recipes.

One dish, two versions. I plan on making them both.

Yum! YUM!!!

What a fabulous clock! Especially the one in French. Pin It

Je Suis Française

I still can't believe it.

I returned home from a shopping trip to Narbonne yesterday and the moment I walked in the house, husband held up an envelope and started singing la Marseillaise.
He must be mistaken, I thought. It's too early. The sous-préfecture said last May that it would take 1 more year to process my citizenship application and I had heard from several readers that they had to wait 2 years, 3 years, even 6 years.

I tentatively opened the envelope.

Madame,
J'ai le plaisir de vous faire savoir que vous êtes Française depuis le 30/11/2009.


Tears welled up in my eyes. I know that sounds silly, but it has been such a drawn out, paperwork-filled, frustrating journey to get here, I just can't quite believe it.
I am officially a French citizen.

The celebration has begun. Vive la France!



The Journey:
The First Few Steps Toward French Citizenship
Stumbled Already!
Picking Myself Up and Brushing Myself Off
Marseille - One More Step on the Path to French Citizenship
Life as a Stranger
French Citizenship Update
French Citizenship - One Step Closer
The Boys in Blue
French Citizenship - Chapter One Too Many to Count Pin It

Tartiflette Weather

When it gets really cold in New Orleans people like to say, "it's Gumbo weather." Here in France, when the temperature dips this low (-3 degrees C this morning and I doubt it will get above freezing today) I like to say," it's Tartiflette weather."



Now, I realize that because I live in the Languedoc I should be saying, "it's Cassoulet weather." (I say that sometimes too)
But who can resist a dish of layered potatoes, onions, bacon and crème fraîche, smothered with bubbly, melted Reblochon cheese?
Not me!

The recipe is super easy and I like to serve it with a big green salad so I don't feel so bad about all the cream and cheese I've just inhaled.

Tartiflette
serves 4

• 2 pounds potatoes
• 8 ounces lardons fumé or cubed, smoked bacon
• 1 onion
• 1 Reblochon cheese, sliced in half crosswise
• 2 tablespoons crème fraiche or heavy cream
• 1/2 cup dry white wine

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Peel potatoes and boil in salted water until cooked through. When finished, drain and cut in thick slices.
3. Sauté the bacon until cooked through, but not crisp, then add the onions and sauté until softened.
4. Cover the bottom of a gratin dish with slices of potatoes, then with a layer of the onions and bacon. Repeat with the potatoes, etc...
5. Add the cream, pour the wine over and cover with the halved Reblochon, rind on top.
6. Put in the oven and cook at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 degrees and cook about 15 minutes more, until the Reblochon is melted and golden.

If you're not in France, Reblochon can be purchased through amazon.com

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La Fête du Fromage - Le Buronnier

As this cheese quest advances (20 months, 147 cheeses and counting!), I'm continually surprised by the seemingly endless variety, flavor and character of French cheeses out there.

I picked up this wedge of le Buronnier along with a couple of others when I went to visit Betty in Rodez last month.


That moldy, rough, rustic rind attracted me immediately. I really expected this one to be special!
Well, it wasn't.
Just goes to show that looks aren't everything.

Le Buronnier is an unpasteurized cow's milk cheese that has a mild flavor, a nice, rich and buttery mouthfeel and a bitter bite that comes on late. Strangely it has absolutely no aroma.
There was nothing wrong with this fromage férmier from Aveyron per se, I just found it to be lacking in character.


If you plan on tasting this one, a good wine pairing would be a red Marcillac or a white Estaing.
Who knows, you might enjoy it more than I did. Pin It

La Fête du Fromage - December Round Up

Some of my favorite French cheeses were submitted for this month's Fête du Fromage International Cheese Tasting Event.
I appreciate everyone taking time out from their holiday preparations to submit an entry.


Tammy, who also lives in the Languedoc and writes La Vie Cevenole, tasted the ultimate winter cheese: Vacherin Mont d'Or. She describes this special, spruce wood infused cheese as having "long-lasting aromas of mushroom, balsam and sometimes potatoes."
Thanks for reminding me to pick up a wheel while it's in season! And thank you also for that fantastic vin chaud recipe.

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Soft little rounds of Rocamadour are Camille of Croque-Camille's entry to December's Fête. She's celebrating foods from le Périgord this month, so what better cheese than the region's most famous?
Camille describes Rocamadour as "ultra smooth, with a rich, creamy flavor, mild goaty tang, and a hint of pepper on the finish." Yum! I have fond memories of this one too.

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To wind up 2009 I thought I would submit the smelliest cheese I've ever tasted: Vieux-Boulogne. It is a wonderful, rich cheese with an aroma that will knock you on your derrière. I highly recommend it!

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Thanks again you two. Bonnes Fêtes!


A new year brings us to the 13th Fête du Fromage International Cheese Tasting Event.
Why not make trying new cheeses one of your New Year's resolutions for 2010?
If you would like to join in, please have your entries to me by January 13. The entire round-up will be posted on January 15.

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?

• 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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Photo du Jour - Dazzling

A burst of color where the vineyards meet the garrigue.

This was taken a couple of days ago. I just stepped outside to find little flakes of snow falling. Pin It

Photo du Jour - Winter Vegetables

Carrots, squash, leeks, turnips, broccoli, cabbage, pumpkins, black radishes, Swiss chard, spinach - just a sample of the tempting winter vegetables at the market.

I can't resist them.

Moroccan Carrot Salad
Pumpkin Soup
Garbure
Leek and Swiss Chard Tart
Pork Colombo
Lamb Stew Pin It

My Favorite Latke Recipe

The recipe I use isn't a cherished family one as I didn't grow up with Chanukah or a Bubbie. It comes from David (The Latke King) Firestone and is printed in The New York Cookbook.

They are perfect, in my humble opinion.
And they always get eaten before any photos are taken. So you'll just have to make some for yourself to see how fabulous they are!


Latkes (In His Own Words)
Makes about 16 latkes, which is all you should eat the first night. By the end of Chanukah, you should be able to eat twice that many.

• 2 1/2 pounds Idaho baking potatoes, unpeeled
• 1 large yellow onion, quartered
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup matzoh meal
• 4 to 5 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 to 3 cups olive oil
• 1 large jar (16 ounces) unsweetened applesauce

1. Pick up the potatoes and admire their heft, their pure starchiness. Then scrub them with a brush.

2. Place the onion in a food processor. Pulse the blade a few times until the onion is diced into crunchy bits. Remove the blade and scrape the onion bits into a small bowl. Return the food processor bowl to the machine. No need to wash it yet.

3. Cut the potatoes lengthwise to fit in the food processor feed tube. Find the medium-coarse food processor shredding disk, which you've never used. Put it into the machine and turn it on. Begin feeding the potato slices into the machine.

4. When the potatoes are shredded put them in a colander over a large bowl. Dump in the onion bits and mix everything around with your hands, squeezing the potato moisture out as you work. Let the mixture drip for a few minutes while you put on a recording of Kitty Carlisle singing "Beat Out That Rhythm On A Drum."

5. Pour out the potato liquid from the bowl, but leave the starch that clings to the bowl. This is good for you. Dump in the shredded potato and onion mix. Add the eggs, the matzoh meal, the parsley, the salt and the pepper. Stir the mixture eagerly. Then let it sit for about 10 minutes.

6. In a large cast-iron skillet, pour in 1/4 inch of the oil. Over high heat, get the oil very hot, but don't set off the smoke detector. Using the 1/4 cup measure or a long-handled serving spoon, start spooning the batter into the skillet. Flatten each with a metal spatula to a diameter of 4 to 5 inches. Do not try to make the latkes uniformly round. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the latkes until golden brown on one side. Then turn over and fry them some more. When crispy on the outside and most inside, about 5 minutes per side, remove and place on several thicknesses of paper towels. Keep doing this until you run out of batter.

7. Remove from the room anyone who prefers latkes with sour cream. Serve the latkes immediately. With applesauce.

(Husband prefers his with sour cream but I let him have some anyway)

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La Fête du Fromage - Le Crémeux du Mont-St-Michel

"Cheese is probably the best of all foods, as wine is the best of all beverages." - Patience Gray 1957

Amen to that.

And amen to my most recent discovery - this little drum appropriately named Le Crémeux du Mont-St-Michel.
This cheese is so good, it deserves a shrine dedicated to it. Maybe not as big as the Abbaye du Mont-St-Michel, but I'm sure I can think of something.


Luscious butter and cream are the first two flavors that wash over your taste buds when you nibble a bit of this divine, unpasteurized cow's milk cheese from Normandy. A slight spiciness and strong mushrooms are next. And those flavors linger. And linger.
And linger.

My last bite was more than an hour ago and I can still taste them.

I'm in heaven!


Le Crémeux is made by a Fromagerie Artisanale in Isigny-le-Buat, just down the road from the famous AOC Isigny milk, cream and butter production, and the world's largest diary museum, Lactopôle. This corner of France looks like a dream destination for the cheese and dairy lover.

The soft, fluffy texture spreads perfectly on slices of baguette and tastes wonderful with apples. The rich flavor and velvety texture demand a fruity, dry white wine or hard cider.

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There's still some time to send me your cheese tasting stories for the 12th Fête du Fromage International Cheese Tasting Event.
Please get them to me by December 13. The entire round-up will be posted on December 15.

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?

• 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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Cookbook Review: Real Simple - Best Recipes

Recently Real Simple asked if they could send me their newest cookbook to review. As a long time reader of their magazine - basically since day one - I was happy to accept!

When the editors of Real Simple magazine decided to publish this cookbook they had two requirements: the recipes must be easy and they must be memorable. I would say that they have succeeded.

As soon as I cracked open my copy of Real Simple - Best Recipes and started turning the pages, I immediately wanted to run to the kitchen and start cooking. The recipes are fresh, contemporary and require less than 10 ingredients and the huge, mouthwatering photographs that accompany each recipe are inspiring!



I was immediately attracted to the recipes for Deep Dish Polenta Pizza, Roasted Chicken, Apples and Leeks, Wheat Berry Salad with Bacon and Stewed-Vegetable Gratin. Warm weather recipes include Chicken and Peach Salad and Salmon and Fennel with Roasted-Lemon Vinaigrette.
The Easy Ice Cream Cake, which uses pre-made ice cream sandwiches, sounds like a fun, summertime dessert. More sophisticated desserts include Apricot-Coconut Cake, Roasted Apple and Walnut Tarts and Boozy Clementines with Pound Cake, which I'm making this weekend.

Though the book does sometimes rely on store bought ingredients (canned broth, rotisserie chicken, frozen pierogies, refrigerated pizza dough, frozen pie crust) it also calls for an abundance of fresh vegetables, fruit and grains in its recipes.

In almost every chapter there is an "At-a-Glance" guide to popular vegetables, how to interpret the labeling on chicken, cooking advice for common cuts of lamb, beef and pork, and what to look for when buying fish. The book concludes with practical advice: Meat cooking temperatures, Menu Suggestions and nutritional information for each recipe.

If you're the kind of person who loves to cook delicious, uncomplicated, beautiful food, but who doesn't have the time or the inclination to spend hours and hours in the kitchen, then Real Simple - Best Recipes is a cookbook that you'll love. Pin It

Photo du Jour - A Glance

Ever feel like you're being watched? Pin It

Sunday Links

Haven't posted any Sunday Links for a while...here are a few that have piqued my interest in the past few weeks.


Just heard this song. It is officially The Season.
And this version of an old favorite brought a huge smile to my face this week.

If I make a batch of this today it will just be ready in time for Christmas.

Simply lovely.

Soothing shades of gray. And brilliant shades of orange.

The recipe states that it makes a great side dish. I beg to differ! Add a green salad and a glass of white wine, and this makes a delicious meal.


If you have a favorite new recipe, website, blog - please share it with me.
Bon dimanche!

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10 Reasons I Love Gascony

Ten reasons barely scratch the surface. But it's a start.


1) The Armagnac
Deep caramel flavors and fruity aromas. Very special stuff indeed.



2) The Landscape
Uncrowded and dotted with treasures to discover. Gascony is often referred to as "the land of milk and honey."



3) The People
Friendly, passionate and always willing to share a recipe or two, give restaurant recommendations or to just stop and chat.



4) The Towns
Nérac, Agen, Condom, Auch. A lifetime wouldn't be enough to explore them all.



5) The Fritons
Crispy, salty, fried duck skin. Need I say more?



6) The History
The Hundred Years war, King Henri IV, The Wars of Religion. Gascony's history is layered and rich.



7) The Pigeonniers
Why do I find them so charming?



8) The Foie Gras
Silky, rich and utterly irresistible.



9) Les Pruneaux
Dried or pitted and stuffed with natural cream or Armagnac infused cream. What a treat!



10) Kate Hill
Dynamic, kind and devoted to the region, its food and the people who grow and produce it.
I can't say enough kind things about her. If you have the opportunity to study Gascon cuisine with Kate at her Kitchen at Camont, you must!
It is an incredible and unforgettable experience

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Photo du Jour - French Mushrooms

A few varieties of les champignons available at the market in late autumn. Pin It

La Fête du Fromage - La Gayrie Brebis

One taste and I knew there was a problem.

It seems nice enough at first, like another yummy unpasteurized ewe's milk cheese.
You take a nibble and kind of enjoy it. You even consider taking another bite.
Then something happens...
the flavor changes...

and becomes virtually inedible.

La Gayrie is like the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of the French cheese world.


What first hits your tongue are mild hazelnut and mushroom flavors. Then it morphs into spicy, acrid, sharpness that is extremely bizarre. And absolutely awful.

Maybe it was a bad piece?

Fromagerie la Gayrie has been making organic ewe's and cow's milk cheeses in Aveyron for more than twenty years. Their cheeses are carried by the acclaimed Androuet in Paris and the renowned Xavier in Toulouse.

It must have been a bad piece. Quel dommage!

Sorry, no wine recommendation this time. If anyone tries La Gayrie and has a better experience, please let me know. Pin It

Photo du Jour - Courge Olive

Olive Squash Cucurbita maxima

"... a dull-skinned heirloom with thick yellow, sweet flesh which is excellent in puddings and preserves."
Taken at the market in Éauze. Pin It