One of my favorite cheese shops in Paris. And her selection of Comté is incredible!
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Showing posts with label Comté. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Comté. Show all posts
February 9, 2020
January 24, 2015
September 22, 2013
November 12, 2010
La Fête du Fromage - Tome des Bauges
Simply put, Tome des Bauges is one luscious cheese!
Its flavor is well-balanced, unassuming and full of mushrooms, salt butter, mild yeast and soft grasses and its texture is creamy and smooth. I served it with slices of baguette and juicy pears, which matched the flavors perfectly. It was a tasting that I would happily repeat!
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July 1, 2010
La Fête du Fromage - Coeur de Joux
Anyone who loves cheese has to appreciate the array of luscious cow's milk cheeses produced in the Franche-Comté. The farms and fromagères of this region have given us Vacherin du Haut Doubs (often called Mont d'Or), Bleu de Gex, Morbier, Emmental Français and one of the most perfect cheeses ever, Comté.
My newest discovery from this area is Coeur de Joux.
Its two dominant flavors are grass and walnuts, with sweet hints of fruit thrown in to balance everything out. Coeur de Joux is soft and mild, with a dense, chewy texture that is very similar to its famous cousin, Comté.
This is a truly amiable cheese; there's nothing harsh or smelly or aggressive about it. If I had to describe Coeur de Joux in one word, it would have to be uncomplicated.
A good wine match would be Riesling or a soft red from Bordeaux.
February 18, 2010
Craving French Cheese
Been away from home for three weeks now.
As I sit here cramming bottles of Crystal hot sauce, Community coffee with chicory, comfortable pj's from Target, cookbooks, DVD's and new shoes into my bags I can feel the excitement building.
After the boring, 20 hour journey back to France I will be happily greeted by my little family of five and plan on getting either a button of chèvre or a wedge of Comté in my hands as soon as possible.
In a perfect world I would be able to get one of these in France...I guess life is all about trade offs.
For now I'm happy with French cheese. And a glass of wine.
Of course. Pin It
As I sit here cramming bottles of Crystal hot sauce, Community coffee with chicory, comfortable pj's from Target, cookbooks, DVD's and new shoes into my bags I can feel the excitement building.
After the boring, 20 hour journey back to France I will be happily greeted by my little family of five and plan on getting either a button of chèvre or a wedge of Comté in my hands as soon as possible.
In a perfect world I would be able to get one of these in France...I guess life is all about trade offs.
For now I'm happy with French cheese. And a glass of wine.
Of course. Pin It
December 23, 2009
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
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
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 ofItaly called
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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."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.
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.
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!
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.
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
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"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."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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!
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!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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
March 8, 2008
Cleaning-Out-The-Fridge Cake
By cake, I mean a savory cake that is baked in a long, narrow loaf pan.
I've come up with a savory cake batter that allows me to throw in whatever needs to be used up in the fridge. I always have bits of cheese lying about and often have bacon, ham or even leftover roasted chicken. Add some sautéed vegetables for texture and flavor, mix it up, bake it and voilà! Dinner is served!
I call it Cleaning Out The Fridge Cake.
The basic batter recipe:
3 large eggs
1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk - whole or 2%
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
Mix everything together in a big bowl.
Create the ultimate combination to suit your taste!
Some great ones are smoked salmon and sautéed fennel, ham and olives. Chèvre, plumped up golden raisins and mint. Mozzarella, sun dried tomato and rosemary.
The amount of additional salt and freshly ground pepper will depend upon what ingredients you're using.
Here are a few more savory cake recipes with slightly different batter recipes.
Roquefort and Pear Cake
Savory Cheddar-Chive Bread
Roquefort Walnut Savory Loaf Pin It
I've come up with a savory cake batter that allows me to throw in whatever needs to be used up in the fridge. I always have bits of cheese lying about and often have bacon, ham or even leftover roasted chicken. Add some sautéed vegetables for texture and flavor, mix it up, bake it and voilà! Dinner is served!
I call it Cleaning Out The Fridge Cake.
The basic batter recipe:
3 large eggs
1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk - whole or 2%
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
Mix everything together in a big bowl.
Then you fold in:
4 ounces grated cheese such as Gruyère, Comté or Swiss
4 - 8 ounces sautéed vegetables such as zucchini, peppers, fennel, onions, jarred roasted red peppers or roasted tomatoes
8 ounces soft cheese such as chèvre or feta
1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs or 1 teaspoon dried
freshly ground black pepper
optional: 1/4 - 1/2 cup of diced ham or diced, cooked chicken, smoked salmon, dried fruit, pitted olives
Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Serve warm or cold.
4 ounces grated cheese such as Gruyère, Comté or Swiss
4 - 8 ounces sautéed vegetables such as zucchini, peppers, fennel, onions, jarred roasted red peppers or roasted tomatoes
8 ounces soft cheese such as chèvre or feta
1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs or 1 teaspoon dried
freshly ground black pepper
optional: 1/4 - 1/2 cup of diced ham or diced, cooked chicken, smoked salmon, dried fruit, pitted olives
Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Serve warm or cold.
Create the ultimate combination to suit your taste!
Some great ones are smoked salmon and sautéed fennel, ham and olives. Chèvre, plumped up golden raisins and mint. Mozzarella, sun dried tomato and rosemary.
The amount of additional salt and freshly ground pepper will depend upon what ingredients you're using.
Yesterdays bread with roasted red peppers, fresh goat cheese, herbes de provence and grated Comté cheese.
Here are a few more savory cake recipes with slightly different batter recipes.
Roquefort and Pear Cake
Savory Cheddar-Chive Bread
Roquefort Walnut Savory Loaf Pin It
September 11, 2007
La Fête du Fromage - Comté and Ossau-Iraty
They may look similar, but these two cheeses, Comté and Ossau-Iraty, produced on opposite sides of France, are quite different.
Comté, on the right, is one of France's most popular cheeses. After production in cooperatives, called fruitières, in the villages of the Franche-Comté region of eastern France, each cheese must pass strict quality tests before being allowed into the marketplace. It takes the daily production of 30 cows to make one 80 pound (35 kilo) wheel of Comté.
It's flavor is sweet and caramelized with a slightly nutty and salty tang, and it melts in your mouth. In the kitchen, this is an extremely versatile cheese. It is delicious cut into cubes and added to salads, eaten with fruit, melted in a sandwich or used to make fondue.
Really wonderful!
A glass of fruity Beaujolais or white Sancerre pair nicely with Comté.
Ossau-Iraty, on the left, is an unpasteurized ewe's milk cheese that is produced in two areas of the Pyrénées in southwestern France: Ossau Valley in the Béarn and the hills of Iraty in the Basque country. Historians maintain that this cheese has been produced for more than a thousand years.
It has a soft, supple texture with a mild, nutty flavor that we both loved. I wasn't expecting much from Ossau-Iraty, but it is scrumptious!
Savor a cold glass of Jurançon or a red Madiran with this cheese. Pin It
Comté, on the right, is one of France's most popular cheeses. After production in cooperatives, called fruitières, in the villages of the Franche-Comté region of eastern France, each cheese must pass strict quality tests before being allowed into the marketplace. It takes the daily production of 30 cows to make one 80 pound (35 kilo) wheel of Comté.
It's flavor is sweet and caramelized with a slightly nutty and salty tang, and it melts in your mouth. In the kitchen, this is an extremely versatile cheese. It is delicious cut into cubes and added to salads, eaten with fruit, melted in a sandwich or used to make fondue.
Really wonderful!
A glass of fruity Beaujolais or white Sancerre pair nicely with Comté.
Ossau-Iraty, on the left, is an unpasteurized ewe's milk cheese that is produced in two areas of the Pyrénées in southwestern France: Ossau Valley in the Béarn and the hills of Iraty in the Basque country. Historians maintain that this cheese has been produced for more than a thousand years.
It has a soft, supple texture with a mild, nutty flavor that we both loved. I wasn't expecting much from Ossau-Iraty, but it is scrumptious!
Savor a cold glass of Jurançon or a red Madiran with this cheese. Pin It
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