La Fête du Fromage - Tomme de Thônes

I love butter.  Especially the sweet butter from Brittany, the kind with generous amounts of sea salt flakes mixed into it.  Sometimes I think that there's nothing more delicious.
If I wanted to throw caution to the wind (and buy an entirely new wardrobe in a much larger size) I would eat slabs of the stuff every day.

Well, I think I've found something just as delicious as my beloved Brittany butter; Tomme de Thônes, an absolutely heavenly, buttery tasting fromage de vache from the Haute-Savoie.

Tomme de Thônes is a medium strong cheese that offers the luscious flavor combination of rich salty butter, yeast and sweet mountain grasses and flowers.  It is dense, yet quite soft, and melts in your mouth.
Yes, I'm in love.

It paired nicely with a glass of local rosé, but not with our Minervois red.
I think a glass of white from the Savoie would be perfect.

A little something extra:  A short video showing Le Beurre Bordier being produced.  It's much more amusing than it sounds.  I promise!


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La Fête du Fromage - Timanoix

Somehow, in the midst of my Parisian cheese orgy in September, I forgot to take a photo of Timanoix, a monastic cheese that I bought in one of Pascal Beillevaire's shops.
Fortunately it looks almost exactly like a cheese we tasted last June, so if you need a visual, have a look at the photos from La Fête du Fromage featuring Trappe Echourgnac.

Timanoix is another impressive cheese from Brittany, a region that is celebrated for its sweet butter, but isn't really known for cheese. From what I've tasted, the cheese they do offer is of very high quality and exquisite flavor.

It is produced by Trappist monks in the style of Trappe Echourgnac at the l'Abbaye Notre Dame de Timadeuc, located in the town Bréhan in southern Brittany. A rich, chocolate brown rind enrobes a cream colored, semi-soft cheese made of unpasteurized cow's milk cheese. I've also seen it described online as pasteurized, so possibly it is pasteurized for export?

Frequent bathing in walnut liqueur and brine during two months of affinage produces a cheese with a rich, warm aroma and pronounced, walnut flavor that also has enticing hints of coffee and smoke. The texture is at the same time silky, creamy and chewy.
I believe this one could be an acquired taste, but I found its earthy, nutty flavor absolutely delicious!

The robust flavor of Timanoix would pair well with some strong, hearty ale or a glass of Cabernet Franc.


Don't forget to join in November's La Fête du Fromage International Cheese Tasting Event! The deadline for entries is November 13. Pin It

La Fête du Fromage - Menez Hom

Our friends are leaving for their new home in Brittany in a couple of weeks.
I'm really sad to see them go...however, I think they'll be seeing me up there in the land of cider and crêpes before too long.
I would happily travel all the way to the ends of Brittany just to get my hands on some more of this little gem of a goat's cheese, Menez Hom.


The cheese is named for le Menez Hom, a "mountain" (330 meters) that is way out on the tip of the Crozon Peninsula in Finistère département in Brittany.

This is one of the most unusual unpasteurized chèvres I've ever tasted. Unusual because Menez Hom has no goaty flavor at all and only a very slight, fresh milk aroma. If you're not a fan of goat's cheese, this one might be safe for you to try.
It is delicate and sweet and even though it looks like it might be chalky, it isn't. The texture is super creamy and melts in your mouth. The ash covering is edible and doesn't seem to add any flavor. It has a slight hint of citrus, and some grass and straw flavors. Truly a divine cheese!

I would suggest some hard apple cider, from Brittany, of course, or white wine with this one.


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Photo du Jour - Pink Polka Dot Wellies!

A good luck gift for our friend who is moving to Brittany.

These are so crazy and fun! We don't get as much rain as they do up in Brittany, but now I want a pair too. Their bright color laughs in the face of gray, rainy weather! Pin It

Brittany Cuisine

Then there were six...

Last Saturday was our final World Food Evening of eight. Two of the group are leaving us at the end of this month and moving to their new property up north in Brittany. (How dare they!)

We decided that the perfect food theme to get them ready would be un petit repas Breton.
The only catch...collectively we knew nothing about Breton cuisine.
Except that they drink cider. And eat a lot of seafood.

A crash course was necessary.

After many hours of exhausting research I came to the conclusion that, although there is a seemingly endless amount of information on the Internet, when it came to finding recipes from Brittany, my collection of French cookbooks proved invaluable.



The first course was a Salade Poul-Fetan, named for a small village in Brittany that is just down the road from their new home.



We followed with luscious Cider Braised Pork Chops with Cream and Mushrooms, a very rich Gratin de Pommes de Terre aux Lardons (Potato Gratin with Bacon) and sweet Honey Glazed Shallots.

It was one of our most delicious evenings yet!



I was a Spire Pear Cider fanatic when I lived in Seattle and was happy to taste the French version with our meal. It was lighter, not as sweet and not as fizzy, and I thought it was great with the creamy pork chops and potato and bacon gratin. The hard apple cider was equally good with our Breton feast.



The Far Breton, a heavy, custard dessert (almost like a Breton clafoutis) that is studded with Armagnac soaked prunes, was my contribution.
This is not a light dessert, and after the heavy meal we had just eaten it was probably a bit over the top. However...two of us had second helpings (I'm not naming names).




For our next meal (an Indian curry) the group will only be the six of us left behind here in the south. Maybe we'll find a new twosome to join us one day. Maybe not.

Or maybe we'll just keep those chairs open for when our friends come back for a visit.
Which we hope will be soon. Pin It

Photos du Jour - From Brittany

A friend traveled through Brittany a couple of weeks ago and shared these photos with me. I love seeing other regions of France, even through someone else's eyes.

Looks like a beautiful place!


oozing contentment
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