Feeding My Addiction

Almost 2 kilos of fragrant, unpasteurized deliciousness was delivered to me today, direct from a farm in the Auvergne.  Add to that the giant slab of Beaufort d'Eté (so perfect looking that I hesitated cutting into it) and the generous wedge of Tomme des Bauges that a friend hand delivered from his trip to the French Alps last week.

It's great to have friends who will willingly feed my cheese addiction. Pin It

La Fête du Fromage - Fantine

Another week, another fabulous French cheese.

My addiction to fromage has hit epic proportions since being on my own for the last few weeks. 
A hunk of baguette, a sliced tomato and a bit of cheese has become my perfect meal.  Even for breakfast.  And if I'm feeling really adventurous I'll add a handful of arugula or a portion of carottes râpées to my plate.
I've reacquainted myself with some old friends such as Rocamadour and Ossau-Iraty, and brought home a mouthwatering, nutty wedge of 18 month old Comté one day.  (I must confess that I cheated on French fromage a couple of times with Italian formaggio, but my dear French fromage knows it will always be my true love)

My newest acquaintance is Fantine, a fromage férmier from the Cantal region in south-central France.

Fantine's aroma is full of rich, earthy mushrooms and its medium-strong flavor is bursting with flowers, butter and yeast.  The creamy, pressed pâte is silky smooth giving this unpasteurized cow's milk cheese a very luxurious mouth feel.
If you're a fan of cheeses like Laguiole or Salers, then you will love Fantine.  Enjoy with a glass of Touraine.

When I bought it at the market, I worried a bit about the cracks and holes along the rind.  But the flavor was wonderful, so possibly it was just poor handling by the seller?

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La Fête du Fromage - La Brique du Forez

The Auvergne is home to many of France's well known and loved cheeses; sublime Cantal, gorgeous Gaperon and two beautiful bleus, Fourme d'Ambert and Bleu d'Auvergne.

In the extreme eastern edge of the Auvergne lies the le pays du Livradois-Forez, home to this week's cheese, La Brique du Forez (also called Chevreton du Livradois).

La Brique du Forez is soft - in texture, aroma and flavor. Nothing about it is over the top.
This is a humble, well rounded cheese that has beautiful butter and hazelnut flavors, and I also detected gentle hints of goatiness. Its earthy aroma has a tiny bit of barnyard to it, but not aggressive at all.

Made from 100% unpasteurized goat's milk during the spring and autumn and a blend of cow and goat's milk the rest of the year, this cheese is produced both on small farms and by artisan cheese makers.
One website did state that la Brique has become industrially produced, however the Fromagerie where I bought it said that this one was lait cru and fermier.

If you find yourself in the Auvergne or see this cheese for sale at a Fromagerie in France, don't hesitate to try it. It is a wonderful cheese!

Wine recommendation: a fruity Beaujolais or a floral Viognier.

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La Fête du Fromage - Le Pavin d'Auvergne

Le Pavin d'Auvergne's bright, tangerine colored exterior literally glowed amongst the neighboring pale, white and beige cheeses at the Fromagerie.
It was impossible to resist.

This is another spectacular, washed rind, unpasteurized cow's milk cheese produced in the Auvergne, home to some of France's most famous fromages: Cantal, Bleu d'Auvergne, Gaperon, Saint-Nectaire and Fourme d'Ambert are a few examples.


It is named after lac Pavin, a lake that was formed about 6000 years ago in the crater of an extinct volcano in the Puy-de-Dôme département. The lake is known for being the deepest in the Auvergne and is considered to be one of the most beautiful lakes in the region.

Le Pavin d'Auvergne is a strong cheese. Its intoxicating flavor is rich with the taste of mushrooms and walnuts. The texture is dense and chewy, and very smooth and supple. It has a memorable, pleasant mouthfeel.
This one comes highly recommended!

Red wines from Bordeaux such as Côtes-de-Blaye or Côtes-de-Bourg pair well with le Pavin. Pin It

Tommette de Vache and Fourme d'Ambert

Tommette de Vache and Fourme d'Ambert were the two cheeses selected this week for our continuing celebration of French cheese.

I bought the Tommette de Vache from a small market stall this morning. It's a simple, unpasteurized, fermier, cow's milk cheese produced in the Savoie and Haut-Savoie.
I loved this cheese! Its aroma is sweet and nutty and its flavor is slightly salty, very buttery and reminiscent of Beaufort.
A nice, dry white wine would be a good accompaniment.

Fourme d'Ambert is one of France's oldest cheeses and is known as its mildest blue cheese. It comes from the volcanic Auvergne region where it is shaped into tall cylinders, injected with mold, then left to mature in humid caves. Made from cow's milk, it has a dry rind and a firm and dense, yet creamy texture, so it doesn't crumble like many blue cheeses. Its aroma is earthy and nutty and its flavor brings to mind fruit and mushrooms. It was very nice but wasn't as interesting as Blue de Basque or Bleu de Gex.
Enjoy some fruity red wine such as Beaujolais or a sweet white such as Sauternes with Fourme d'Ambert.


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La Fête du Fromage - Bleu de Chèvre, Tomme Corse and Saint-Marcellin

Bleu de Chèvre, Tomme Corse and Saint-Marcellin are the three cheeses I picked for this week's Fête du Fromage.

The Bleu de Chèvre was by far our favorite of the three. It was fruity and sweet and crumbly and oh so delicious! I thought that Bleu de Basque was my favorite bleu, but the Bleu de Chèvre now has that honor. It is made from unpasteurized goat's milk and comes from the Auvergne region of central France. Enjoy with a glass of Côtes du Rhône.

Corsica produces some amazing cheeses, none of which we'd had the chance to taste until I brought home the Tomme Corse. The word "Tomme" appears often when you're looking at cheese. The basic definition: a round, rustic cheese that is produced in the mountains. The flavor was very mild and slightly salty with an underlying sharpness.
We thought this sheep's milk cheese was just ok, it certainly didn't leave us clamoring for more. Drink some Corsican rosé alongside.



The little piece of Saint-Marcellin we tasted was very, very young. It was soft and runny with a mildly acidic, grassy and somewhat fruity flavor that at first I wasn't very excited about. It seemed unrefined and immature. But I gave it another try the next day and really enjoyed it the second time around. Maybe my palate was off or something.
I'll keep my eyes peeled for an aged piece to try next time.

Saint-Marcellin is a close cousin of one of my favorite's, Banon , and is made in the Dauphiné region, north of Provence, from unpasteurized cow's milk. There is mention of its production since the 15th Century when the soon to be crowned King Louis XI had an accident while hunting and shared a meal with his rescuers. They introduced him to Saint-Marcellin and he in turn introduced it to the cheese makers in Paris. The result; a cheese that has been enjoyed by French ''society" for over 500 years.
 Have a glass of Côtes du Rhône or Châteauneuf-du-Pape with this one.


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La Fête du Fromage - Valençay and Cantal Entre-Deux

I need to make a list.

While standing at the fromagerie counter last week and surveying the vast array of cheeses on offer I spent an astonishing amount of time thinking to myself, "have I tasted that one? I don't remember...how about that one?
Damn, I need to make a list!"
The poor woman behind the counter.

After much consideration (and reflection on the fact that I must have short term memory loss) two very different looking and tasting cheeses were chosen for this week's Fête du Fromage.

Cantal entre-deux and Valençay

Cantal entre-deux is one of the five AOC granted cheeses that come from the mountainous Auvergne region of central France. The "entre-deux" means "between" as there are three ages of Cantal; young, entre-deux and vieux. Young, mild Cantal is aged for 1-2 months, entre-deux is aged for 3-6 months and the strongest tasting, vieux more than 6 months. Cantal is considered one of the oldest cheeses, having been mentioned by Pliny the Elder around 2000 years ago. It is made from unpasteurized cow's milk and has a sweet, fruity flavor and creamy, smooth texture. It is extremely enjoyable, not too strong, but not too mild either.
Fruity, red wines such as Gaillac are a good match.

Valençay is another fetching little pyramid shaped cheese with a salted, ash covered, bumpy rind. Made in the Loire Valley from raw goat's milk, it was granted AOC status quite recently, in 1998. Its flavor was tangy, mild and nutty with subtle hints of citrus and the texture was supple and smooth. All around delicious!
Drink a white Valençay or Sancerre or a light red wine with this one.


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Tuesday's Fête du Fromage - Bleu d'Auvergne and Saint-Félicien

Bleu d'Auvergne and Saint-Félicien

Saint-Félicien is a luscious, creamy cow's milk cheese with a high fat content (60%), made in the Rhône-Alpes region.
I adore this cheese! The texture is very soft and the flavor is mildly sour and tangy. I think Saint-Félicien is perfect in the morning, spread on toast and drizzled with honey.

Buttery, moist and smoky tasting, Bleu d'Auvergne is named for its place of origin, the volcanic, remote Auvergne region of south-central France. It was discovered in 1850 by a farmer and was granted AOC status in 1975.
Try it with a sweet white wine and dried figs or with gutsy reds such as Côtes du Rhône or Cahors.


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