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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