One of only two remaining, farm produced Camembert de Normandie is made by La Fromagerie Durand. It is worth the extra €2!
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Showing posts with label camembert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label camembert. Show all posts
January 22, 2020
Camembert de Normandie Fermier
One of only two remaining, farm produced Camembert de Normandie is made by La Fromagerie Durand. It is worth the extra €2!
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October 14, 2011
Les Fromages de Normandie
What's the first thing you think of when you think of Normandy?
Is it the apples? Mont Saint Michel? The D-Day beaches? The Calvados? The cream? Honfleur? The charming half timbered houses? The seafood? The gardens of Giverny?
I think of cheese.
The Brillat Savarin, the Crémeux du Mont-St-Michel, the Neufchâtel, the Livarot, the Pônt l'Evêque, the Camembert!
We're up heading to Normandy next week for a little vacation. It's going to be a delicious trip.
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January 15, 2010
La Fête du Fromage - January Round Up
This month offered a fantastic mélange of cheeses for la Fête du Fromage International Cheese Tasting Event. A huge merci to all of you who joined in!
Poor Nathalie had to forgo cheese during the entire month of December due to a diet her husband was on (which she said almost led to divorce). She's joined us again this month with this scrumptious Caprino di Fattoria, a fresh, Italian goat's cheese that she credits with saving her marriage! Have a look at her blog, Spaced Out Rambling for a few more mouth watering photos of this creamy, tangy little cheese.
Welcome back Nathalie!
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La Couronne Lochoise, a chèvre from the Loire, is this month's entry from la petitie parisienne Camille of Croque-Camille. She chose this particular cheese at her local Fromagerie because she liked its doughnut shape, which she later learned represented a crown, not a doughnut! Camille describes this cheese as "smooth and buttery" on the inside and "sharp" and "zippy" on the outside. I concur.
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New to la Fête du Fromage is Susan of Savoring Time in the Kitchen. She tasted a wedge of Pleasant Ridge Reserve from Wisconsin which she describes as a "combination of an aged white cheddar and a fine French Gruyère." Sounds wonderful! And don't those spicy chili crackers look delicious?
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Shira of Petit Pois started the new year off in the right direction with a resolution to taste more cheese. I love that! Almost immediately however, she found herself being lured back to one of her favorite French cheeses, Fourme d'Ambert. Its flavor, "round and nutty...neither insipid nor one-dimensional" and its reasonable price were too enticing to pass up.
"Resolution be damned," she says. And I agree. She plans on trying some new cheeses this year, but Fourme d'Ambert will always be on her short list!
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A trio of Normandy's best known cheeses were written up by Maggie of Normandy Life. Pont l'Evêque, Camembert and Livarot are three French cheeses that she says make up the perfect Normandy cheese board. I have to agree! I also like Maggie's suggestion of tasting them with a glass of Calvados, the famous apple brandy from the region.
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That's a wrap! Thanks for making January's round up a great one!
The next Fête du Fromage International Cheese Tasting will take place in March as I'll be in New Orleans joining in the Mardi Gras festivities in February.
Please have your entries to me by March 13. The entire round-up will be posted on March 15.
There is an amazing world of cheese out there to discover and there are many small farmers and artisan cheese makers who appreciate our support. I look forward to reading about your tastings in March!
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?
Poor Nathalie had to forgo cheese during the entire month of December due to a diet her husband was on (which she said almost led to divorce). She's joined us again this month with this scrumptious Caprino di Fattoria, a fresh, Italian goat's cheese that she credits with saving her marriage! Have a look at her blog, Spaced Out Rambling for a few more mouth watering photos of this creamy, tangy little cheese.
Welcome back Nathalie!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
La Couronne Lochoise, a chèvre from the Loire, is this month's entry from la petitie parisienne Camille of Croque-Camille. She chose this particular cheese at her local Fromagerie because she liked its doughnut shape, which she later learned represented a crown, not a doughnut! Camille describes this cheese as "smooth and buttery" on the inside and "sharp" and "zippy" on the outside. I concur.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New to la Fête du Fromage is Susan of Savoring Time in the Kitchen. She tasted a wedge of Pleasant Ridge Reserve from Wisconsin which she describes as a "combination of an aged white cheddar and a fine French Gruyère." Sounds wonderful! And don't those spicy chili crackers look delicious?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shira of Petit Pois started the new year off in the right direction with a resolution to taste more cheese. I love that! Almost immediately however, she found herself being lured back to one of her favorite French cheeses, Fourme d'Ambert. Its flavor, "round and nutty...neither insipid nor one-dimensional" and its reasonable price were too enticing to pass up.
"Resolution be damned," she says. And I agree. She plans on trying some new cheeses this year, but Fourme d'Ambert will always be on her short list!
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My entry of this month's Fête is Etorki, an unassuming ewe's milk cheese from the Basque region of southwest France. It is velvety and rich with hazelnut and caramel-like flavors that are a true delight!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's a wrap! Thanks for making January's round up a great one!
The next Fête du Fromage International Cheese Tasting will take place in March as I'll be in New Orleans joining in the Mardi Gras festivities in February.
Please have your entries to me by March 13. The entire round-up will be posted on March 15.
There is an amazing world of cheese out there to discover and there are many small farmers and artisan cheese makers who appreciate our support. I look forward to reading about your tastings in March!
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
October 15, 2008
Photo du Jour - Camembert de Normandie
Beautiful boxes of unpasteurized Camembert de Normadie in the window of Chez Virginie in Paris. Pin It
June 3, 2008
La Fête du Fromage - le Cameau
The sweet, yeasty aroma of this week's exceptional cheese seduced me immediately!
Le Cameau is a raw milk Camembert that has been left to mature in an alcoholic apple and Calvados mélange from Normandy called Pommeau, then covered in crushed walnuts before being wrapped up and left to tempt the unsuspecting consumer with it's alluring look and fragrance.
It's creator, Carole Brihier, has created a société with her husband to continue the work of her Artisan Fromager Affineur father, André Faccetti.
La Société Fromages Service in Campigneulles-les-Grandes, in the Pas-de-Calais département, offers an array of unpasteurized Camembert and Brie cheeses that have been aged in either Cognac, Cointreau, Hard Cider, Pommeau, Calvados or Kirsch.
at room temperature - oozing all over the plate
the wet, sticky underside
The flavor was sweet, yeasty and fruity, with noticeable hints of apple from the Pommeau. It had a nice tang and tickled your tongue. The texture was smooth and supple and I thought the walnuts added a nice character.
I took some notes while I was tasting le Cameau for the first time and when I read them over, there was one word in capital letters; TANTALIZING.
That pretty much sums it up.
I couldn't recommend le Cameau more highly!
Hard cider would pair well with this cheese, but we drank a glass of local white, which worked just fine. Pin It
Le Cameau is a raw milk Camembert that has been left to mature in an alcoholic apple and Calvados mélange from Normandy called Pommeau, then covered in crushed walnuts before being wrapped up and left to tempt the unsuspecting consumer with it's alluring look and fragrance.
It's creator, Carole Brihier, has created a société with her husband to continue the work of her Artisan Fromager Affineur father, André Faccetti.
La Société Fromages Service in Campigneulles-les-Grandes, in the Pas-de-Calais département, offers an array of unpasteurized Camembert and Brie cheeses that have been aged in either Cognac, Cointreau, Hard Cider, Pommeau, Calvados or Kirsch.
at room temperature - oozing all over the plate
the wet, sticky undersideThe flavor was sweet, yeasty and fruity, with noticeable hints of apple from the Pommeau. It had a nice tang and tickled your tongue. The texture was smooth and supple and I thought the walnuts added a nice character.
I took some notes while I was tasting le Cameau for the first time and when I read them over, there was one word in capital letters; TANTALIZING.
That pretty much sums it up.
I couldn't recommend le Cameau more highly!
Hard cider would pair well with this cheese, but we drank a glass of local white, which worked just fine. Pin It
May 6, 2008
La Fête du Fromage - Camembert Brebis
"A camembert not made out of raw milk is like making love without sex."
Hear! Hear!
I read this line in an article about Camembert just this morning!
While this week's cheese is not an AOC Camembert from Normandy, it is a Camembert fermier, more specifically, a Camembert Brebis from the Corbières.
This is the third cheese I've tasted from the dynamic duo, Chantal and Jean-Gabriel Donnet, the owners of the sole sheep farm in the Corbières. In January we tasted their luscious Brebis des Corbières and in early April we tasted their elegant Tomette des Corbières.
Mme. Donnet was at the market in Carcassonne last week, so I had the honor of meeting and chatting with the friendly Fromagère, in addition to tasting several more of her cheeses.
She was very kind, patient with my questions, and when I told her about my Fête du Fromage project, she seemed pleased that she'd been included.
Mme. Chantal Donnet slicing a piece of Tomme de Brebis for me to taste
Now, on to the cheese....
Another sublime discovery! The unpasteurized Camembert Brebis had a well balanced, earthy and mushroomy, mildly strong flavor that was both tangy and slightly salty. The aroma was sweet, grassy and soft and the texture was pure Camembert-creamy.
It was the best Camembert we've tasted in a long time. (and after the recently tasted, locally made Camembert Fermier, I never expected to find myself saying that)
Local, Minervois red wine was a perfect match as would wine from the Corbières.
The article also states that a recent census discovered that there are more than 1000 cheeses being produced in France. If that is true, I've got my work cut out for me! Pin It
Hear! Hear!
I read this line in an article about Camembert just this morning!
While this week's cheese is not an AOC Camembert from Normandy, it is a Camembert fermier, more specifically, a Camembert Brebis from the Corbières.
This is the third cheese I've tasted from the dynamic duo, Chantal and Jean-Gabriel Donnet, the owners of the sole sheep farm in the Corbières. In January we tasted their luscious Brebis des Corbières and in early April we tasted their elegant Tomette des Corbières.
Mme. Donnet was at the market in Carcassonne last week, so I had the honor of meeting and chatting with the friendly Fromagère, in addition to tasting several more of her cheeses.
She was very kind, patient with my questions, and when I told her about my Fête du Fromage project, she seemed pleased that she'd been included.
Mme. Chantal Donnet slicing a piece of Tomme de Brebis for me to tasteNow, on to the cheese....
Another sublime discovery! The unpasteurized Camembert Brebis had a well balanced, earthy and mushroomy, mildly strong flavor that was both tangy and slightly salty. The aroma was sweet, grassy and soft and the texture was pure Camembert-creamy.
It was the best Camembert we've tasted in a long time. (and after the recently tasted, locally made Camembert Fermier, I never expected to find myself saying that)
Local, Minervois red wine was a perfect match as would wine from the Corbières.
The article also states that a recent census discovered that there are more than 1000 cheeses being produced in France. If that is true, I've got my work cut out for me! Pin It
March 25, 2008
Camembert Férmier
Camembert Férmier
In all its fragrant glory.
This is not your typical, wrapped up, perfectly round Camembert from a box.
This is a pure, lush, stinky Camembert made from the raw milk of six dairy cows that are kept by the Coopérative Cravirola, a small farm near Minerve . A young woman from the Coopértaive arrives each Tuesday at the Olonzac market with a glass case heaving with their luscious fermier cheeses.
I'm trying to slowly work my way through their selection, having already tasted their sublime Tomme de Maquis and the forgettable la Maquisarde.
The flavors of mushroom and hazelnuts were expertly balanced with hints of clean, green grass and wild thyme from the garrigue. It was gooey and velvety and melted in my mouth. As I savored each and every bite, I was really impressed by its depth and complexity.
The Camembert Férmier is a truly exceptional cheese!
We found the best wine match to be with wine produced here in the Minervois. We tasted it with an AOC red from the local wine co-op, les Trois Blasons, and with a white Muscat Sec from Domaine de Blayac.
It may well be the perfect cheese.
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July 3, 2007
La Fête du Fromage - Munster-Géromé and Camembert de Normandie
No obscure cheese this week. We're taking it easy.
Just a couple of pleasant, friendly cheeses that I'm sure everyone has heard of and possibly tasted at one time or another. (unlike the noxious Boulette d'Avesnes from a couple of weeks ago!)
Munster-Géromé and Camembert de Normandie
The Vosges mountains in eastern France are the home of the Vosgiennes cows, the sole providers of milk for Munster or Munster-Géromé as it is also called. In Alsace it was known as Munster and in Lorraine it was called Géromé, the names were joined in 1978 when the cheese was given it's AOC status.
The slightly sticky and distinctive looking orange-red rind and strong, earthy (read: barnyard) aroma make this one easily recognizable on a cheese cart. It's flavor is complex, rather mild and salty and melts nicely on the tongue, but prickles the nose as you nibble on it. If you have a very sensitive nose, the aroma could be a challenge!
Drink a Gewurtztraminer, Tokay or Pinot Noir alongside.
Camembert de Normandie hails from a village in Normandy of the same name where, as legend has it, the cheese was first created in the 18th Century by a woman named Marie Harel. The name Camembert, to many, is synonymous with French cheese.
The production is strictly controlled within a small area, as before it was granted its AOC in 1983, it was the most copied cheese in the world.
The rind of this cow's milk cheese is covered in a white mold which, as it darkens and ages, produces little, pale red flecks, all the while developing a nutty, earthy aroma. The interior is creamy and pale yellow colored and the flavor is slightly salty, mushroomy and sometimes fruity.
Camembert de Normandie has a great nickname - les pieds de dieu or "the feet of god."
Pour a glass of St. Emillon or Beaujolais to enjoy with this one.
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Just a couple of pleasant, friendly cheeses that I'm sure everyone has heard of and possibly tasted at one time or another. (unlike the noxious Boulette d'Avesnes from a couple of weeks ago!)
Munster-Géromé and Camembert de Normandie
The Vosges mountains in eastern France are the home of the Vosgiennes cows, the sole providers of milk for Munster or Munster-Géromé as it is also called. In Alsace it was known as Munster and in Lorraine it was called Géromé, the names were joined in 1978 when the cheese was given it's AOC status.
The slightly sticky and distinctive looking orange-red rind and strong, earthy (read: barnyard) aroma make this one easily recognizable on a cheese cart. It's flavor is complex, rather mild and salty and melts nicely on the tongue, but prickles the nose as you nibble on it. If you have a very sensitive nose, the aroma could be a challenge!
Drink a Gewurtztraminer, Tokay or Pinot Noir alongside.
Camembert de Normandie hails from a village in Normandy of the same name where, as legend has it, the cheese was first created in the 18th Century by a woman named Marie Harel. The name Camembert, to many, is synonymous with French cheese.
The production is strictly controlled within a small area, as before it was granted its AOC in 1983, it was the most copied cheese in the world.
The rind of this cow's milk cheese is covered in a white mold which, as it darkens and ages, produces little, pale red flecks, all the while developing a nutty, earthy aroma. The interior is creamy and pale yellow colored and the flavor is slightly salty, mushroomy and sometimes fruity.
Camembert de Normandie has a great nickname - les pieds de dieu or "the feet of god."
Pour a glass of St. Emillon or Beaujolais to enjoy with this one.
Pin It
July 1, 2007
Simplicity
Dinner tonight was simplicity at it's finest.
Camembert roasted in the oven with fresh thyme sprinkled on top and freshly sliced bread to scoop up the warm, oozing, melted cheese.
Salad made with chunks of watermelon, chunks of feta cheese and thinly sliced red onion with a couple of teaspoons of balsamic vinegar drizzled over.
Bliss. Pin It
Camembert roasted in the oven with fresh thyme sprinkled on top and freshly sliced bread to scoop up the warm, oozing, melted cheese.
Salad made with chunks of watermelon, chunks of feta cheese and thinly sliced red onion with a couple of teaspoons of balsamic vinegar drizzled over.
Bliss. Pin It
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