Our 5th Cle France Cheese course, pass the port!

This is the 5th and last instalment in our series on French cheese. We hoped you have learned a few facts you may not have known before and, most of all, I hope you will take the time to seek out some of these cheeses and experience them for yourself. You should be able to find them in specialty stores around your area.

Go back in time on the blog pages and check out the first and second instalments if you’re just joining us.

Image by jenny downing on Flickr

Let’s turn the cheese tray to sink our teeth into two more cheeses, one of which you may already be eating.

Boursin :

Boursin is the newest member in the family of cheeses we’ve discovered so far. Created by François Boursin in 1963 in the Normandy region of France, Boursin has become one of the most popular French cheeses across the world. Go into any grocery store in the United States and you are likely to find some variation of Boursin. And that is one of the virtues of Boursin. It comes in many different flavors that appeal to a wide audience.

Made with cow’s milk, Boursin is unique in that it contains herbs, de l’ail, du persil et du poivre (garlic, parsley and pepper). It may also contains shallots, chives and even red chilli pepper depending on the variety. As a testament to its versatility, besides its usual pairing with bread, Boursin can be added to dishes made with meat, soup, légumes et fruits de mer (vegetables and seafood).

Unlike many other French cheeses, Boursin isn’t strong and has a very creamy texture that makes it easy to spread on bread or crackers. Boursin’s mild flavour explains its popularity among American audiences who may be averse to the much stronger French cheeses. Boursin has even earned its very own website where you can learn about the different varieties and try recipes containing the cheese.

The original slogan 'Du pain, du vin, et du Boursin' (Bread, wine and Boursin) really says it all.

Pont-l’Évêque :

Hailing from Normandy, just like Boursin, Pont-l’Évêque was created dans une abbaye (in an abbey) in Normandie somewhere around the 12th or 13th century. Originally named d’Angelot, the cheese took on the name of the village of Pont l’Évêque where it was produced around the 16th or 17th century.

A rich and creamy cheese made from either pasteurised or unpasteurised cow’s milk, Pont-l’Évêque has a light orange rind and is always shaped into un carré (a square). A full-bodied red wine can be paired with Pont-l’Évêque and the cheese is often melted to create a delicious, albeit rich, fondue.

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

Our 4th Cle France Cheese course, Yum!

We hope you’ve been enjoying our little excursion through the world of French cheese. If you dislike the taste of cheese or have never tried a sampling of French cheeses, a basic knowledge of some of the most famous varieties may prove useful someday if you decide to visit France for the first time. Should you find yourself devant un plateau de fromage (before a cheese tray), gazing in wonder at the different shapes and colours laid out in front of you, I hope you remember a few details from these posts.

Go back in time on the blog pages and check out the first and second instalments if you’re just joining us.

Image by jmvnoos on Flickr

You might not wish to become a cheese expert, but you will no doubt begin to cultivate une appréciation pour l’histoire et la tradition (an appreciation for the history and tradition) of centuries of French cheese. After all, who can call themselves a Francophile without at least acknowledging France’s mastery of all things fromage?

On that note, let us continue our foray into the cheese universe by exploring two of my favourites.

Cantal :

Un fromage ancien (an ancient cheese) whose origins stretch back nearly two millennia, Cantal comes from the Auvergne region in central France, more precisely from the Cantal department, home to a beautiful range of montagnes vertes (green mountains) called the Cantal Mountains. The volcanoes in the area are surrounded by de la terre fertile (fertile land) with pastures perfect for grazing.

A heavy and dense cheese, Cantal is made from cow’s milk and shaped into cylinders with a light brown rind. Cantal has un gout distinct (a distinct flavour) reminiscent of nuts. Paired with fruit or melted into soups or fondue, Cantal is sure to entice even the most incredulous cheese critic.

Reblochon :

Reblochon may not have the rich history or cachet of Cantal, but it has a fascinating history nonetheless. Reblochon est un fromage très crémeux (is a very creamy cheese) from the Savoie region, similar to Brie in consistency. Du lait cru de vache (raw cow’s milk) produces Reblochon and in fact the name Reblochon comes from the verb reblocher, a technique used by farmers in centuries past whereby a cow was not fully milked so as to withhold the full supply of milk to be paid as tax to landowners. The remaining milk produced by the second milking was richer and used to produce cheese.

Reblochon must be turned every two days and washed with whey. You will notice un arome d’herbes (an herbal aroma) that is quite pleasing. Because of its soft consistency, Reblochon is excellent when spread on a baguette and paired with a bold red wine or even a light white wine from the Savoie region.

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

Our 3rd Cle France Cheese course, burp!

Our third instalment in this series on French cheese will introduce you to two varieties you may have heard of but never tried. Go back in time on the blog pages and check out the first and second instalments if you’re just joining us.

Image by Sonja Pieper on Flickr

Tomme :

A round, firm cheese, Tomme is made from skim milk and therefore has a lower fat content than other cheeses like Camembert or Brie, mainly from Normandy. The rind is une couleur grise (a gray color). Du lait de vache ou de brebis (cow’s or ewe’s milk) is needed to produce Tomme but there have been instances of goat’s milk producing a delicious Tomme in the Basque country, a region in the western Pyrénées, une chaîne montagneuse qui sépare la France de l’Espagne (a chain of mountains separating France from Spain).

Unlike some cheeses, Tomme is not produced solely in one region. There exist a variety of Tommes, each with their own flavour and method of production. The most famous Tomme comes from the Savoie region in the Alps and is aptly named Tomme de Savoie.  There is Tomme de Lozère, Tomme Corse, Tomme de Belloc and many more.

Tomme is a rather versatile cheese that can be paired with either red or white wines. It can also be eaten alongside fruit or charcuterie (jambon, saucisses, pâté, etc—ham, sausages, pâté, etc.).

Munster :

Munster originated in the Vosges, a mountainous region in the northeastern part of France near Germany. It was created by des moines Bénédictins (Benedictine monks) in the 12th century as a way to supplement their diet since they were not allowed to eat de la viande (meat). It has remained a specialty of the Vosges since then and has become one of the more popular French cheeses around the world. However, Munster is not to be confused with the American cheese Muenster, so if you are looking to try authentic French Munster, make sure you pay attention to the spelling on the label.

Munster is made from unpasteurised cow’s milk and must be turned and hand-washed every two days to give the cheese its characteristic strong flavour. The rind has a light orange colour and remains moist because of the frequent washing. If you’ve never tried Munster, you might think something is wrong with le fromage mouillé que vous venez d’acheter (the wet cheese you just purchased), but this is normal.

In the Alsace Lorraine region, Munster is typically eaten avec des pommes de terre et des onions (with potatoes and onions) in traditional German fashion. Because of its Franco-German heritage, a hearty German beer or a French wine from Alsace such as Gewürztraminer provide a wonderful pairing when savouring a good Munster.

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

More musing on the delights of French cheese!

Last week we learned about two of the most famous French cheeses: Camembert and Roquefort. Today, we will look at two more cheeses that have earned a following by cheese connoisseurs à travers le monde (around the world).

Image by Jennifer on Flickr

Brie :

Brie is perhaps le fromage Français le plus connu (the most well known French cheese) in the United States. Along with Camembert, Brie can be purchased in most supermarchés (supermarkets) around the country. Many people may confuse Brie with Camembert because it looks similar. However, both cheeses have distinct flavours that set them apart.

Like Roquefort, Brie has been around for centuries and even gained the approval of le Roi Charlemagne (King Charlemagne) in the late 8th century.  And it was one of Louis XVI’s favourite cheeses, lending credence to its royal title “Le Roi des Fromages” (The King of Cheeses), a moniker later earned during un concours (a contest) put on by Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, le Premier Ministre de France au début du 19ème siècle (France’s Prime Minister at the beginning of the 19th century).

The most famous Brie comes from the town of Meaux in the Seine-et-Marne region near Paris. Like Camembert, Brie has a kind of yellowish colour, is very creamy and should be consumed with bread. It works wonderfully as a dessert cheese accompanied by fruit and paired with Champagne.

Chèvre :

Chèvre is another popular and widely consumed cheese. The word chèvre means goat in French and, as you might have already guessed, this cheese is made entirely of lait de chèvre (goat’s milk). Surprisingly the Pays de la Loire and Normandy as well as the more obvious Limousin are good regions for cheese is made entirely of lait de chèvre.

Goat cheese is characterised by its stark white appearance that turns jaune (yellow) as it ages. If you wait too long, it begins to take on a flavour similar to savon (soap) along with une odeur puante (a smelly odour) that can be rather unpleasant. Chèvre is an acquired taste and it can be a little fort (strong) when you first try it, but give it a little time and you’ll begin to appreciate its more pungent flavour and aroma.

Unlike Brie, Camembert or even Roquefort, Chèvre comes in different formes (shapes) that you might not expect. Pyramids, cylinders and little even little cubes will make you double-check the label to make sure you’re buying chèvre. Chèvre is one of the few cheeses equally at home on your salad, your pizza or in your omelette. Un verre de vin rouge ou blanc avec un morceau de pain et un peu de Chèvre, et peut-etre quelques olives (a glass of red or white wine with a piece of bread and a little Chèvre, and maybe a few olives) makes for an excellent little repas (meal).

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.

Today Cle France are thinking about French Cheese!

Is there anything more stereotypically French than le fromage (cheese)? Maybe a beret, maybe a baguette, but cheese definitely ranks near the top. There are literally hundreds of different variétés de fromage (varieties of cheese) and it would take many years to really get to know them all and to be able to discern the subtle differences between them. Let’s enjoy une dégustation virtuelle (a virtual tasting) and explore two of the more popular cheeses that have become world famous.

From Normandy to Nice and from Mayenne to Marseilles you cannot escape from the vast array of cheese on offer, so just enjoy!

Image by Gunnar Magnusson on Flickr

Camembert :

Perhaps the most famous of French cheeses, Camembert is named after the village of Camembert in Normandy, France. Made with du lait de vache (cow’s milk), it was introduced to le palais Français (the French palate) in the late 18th century. Mme Marie Harel is famous for creating the cheese and it gained further renown when Napoleon became one its most ardent admirers (and consumers).

Camembert is très crémeux (very creamy) and meant to be consumed at room temperature. It contains 45% matière grasse (fat) and so is to be eaten in small quantities and always with du pain (bread). Pairing Camembert with du vin rouge (red wine) and des noix et des fruits (nuts and fruit) will only serve to enhance its flavour, and thus your enjoyment.

Roquefort :

The origins of Roquefort are not clear but it definitely dates back plusieurs siècles (several centuries) and was supposedly one of the favourite cheeses of le Roi Charlemagne (King Charlemagne) in the late 8th century.

Roquefort is made of lait de brebis (ewe’s milk) and is characterised by une couleur blue (a blue colour) that comes from a mold called Penicillium roqueforti. Ne vous inquiétez pas (Do not worry)! The mould is perfectly safe to eat and gives Roquefort son gout unique (its unique flavour). The fat content of this cheese is 52%, so again, proceed with caution. Roquefort is best served with des noix et des figues (nuts and figs) along with a glass of fortified wine such as Port or with a good Muscat.

Blog submitted by: Alex at The French Property Network - Cle France.