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chia, Kate and French Tart would like to invite you to our new weekly topic, The French Cheese of the Week Club! We will be featuring a French cheese every week or so, and invite you to stop by for a "virtual degustation"!!
We will be discussing and sharing serving suggetsions, as well as asking for recipe ideas. We will be telling you all about our featured cheese, how to store and use it..........it will be a veritable Cheese Fest!!
Starting in April and ending ONLY when we have tasted all 400+ cheeses!!
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French Cheese
How many French cheeses are there?
There are about 400 different types of French cheeses. The exact number varies depending on how one counts them (e.g. all types of cheese, or only those that meet the AOC standard).
However, one also needs to consider that much of the cheese in France is made by small independents or co-operatives. For a single type of cheese, there may be several hundred different producers. The cheese from these different producers will be somewhat different due to variations in the milk, yeast, and production approach used. Some producers will take milk from only a single farm, while others will use milk from several selected farms. Individual cheese makers may have different quality standards (for example, some will insist that the milk is 100% bio). Some will produce cheese in a highly controlled and technically advanced environment, while others will use more traditional means. All these differences can result in a given type of cheese having many different versions in terms of texture, taste, quality and price.
Furthermore, cheeses can be aged for different periods of time, changing the taste, texture and aroma. Each producer may provide mild (young), medium and strong (well-aged) versions of their cheese. This is of course relative; young Roquefort will have a stronger taste and smell than an old Compté.
Consequently, if one considers the differences resulting from individual producers and aging, it is more accurate to say that there are many thousands of types of cheese in France.
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Buying and storing French cheese
Cheese purchased in a supermarket is normally from a large commercial producer. The quality is generally average, with the more up-market stores tending to have better quality than the discount stores. Cheese in specialist stores and gourmet stores is typically of better quality than supermarkets, but correspondingly more expensive. In marketplaces, the quality can range from the very best to very poor; price is a fairly good indicator. One can also buy cheese direct from the smaller producers and co-operatives, many of whom will allow you to taste before buying (in much the same way as the smaller wine houses encourage wine tasting); quality and price both vary but one can often get an excellent cheese at a reasonable price.
Cheese should be stored in a cool, dry location (e.g. the fridge). It can also be stored in a wine cellar (provided it is not too humid), but this should be done only in small quantities and with mild-smelling cheese; otherwise the smell of the cheese will eventually affect the wine. Pieces of cheese should be wrapped in paper rather than plastic, as the paper allows it to breath.
If the cheese is stored in a fridge, consider taking it out an hour before serving. This will allow it to warm slightly, so the natural aromas and taste can be better appreciated.
NOTES:
Like wine, French cheese is protected by AOC laws (
appellation d'origine contrôllée) which only allow certain limited quantities of a particular cheese to be produced in order to prevent mass production ruining the subtle variations in regional French cheeses.
In good, traditional restaurants, there will be a plateau de fromage (cheeseboard) with a comprehensive range of cheeses, particularly local ones, kept at optimum temperature and ready to be served with bread (no butter). Trying the local cheeses rather than sticking to the ever-present Brie, Camembert and chèvre will broaden your knowledge and really open your eyes to what France has on offer.
Fromage de chèvre (goat's cheese) comes in a number of forms but is usually creamy and sweet at first, growing more salty and harder with age. Cabécou-de-Rocamadour from the Pyrenees is good served warm with salad; Crottin-de-Chavignol is a classic from Burgundy and gets quite salty after a couple of weeks; for a milder version try the Loire's Ste-Maure-de-Touraine.
Fromage à pate persillée (blue cheese) - Roquefort is the most famous and made from ewe's milk; Bresse-Bleu and Fourme d'Ambert (very mild) are both made from cow's milk in the Rhone-Alps.
Fromage à pate molle (soft cheese) includes the popular Camembert from Normandy, and Brie de Meaux, both made from cow's milk.
Fromage à pate demi-dure (semi-hard cheese), uncooked and pressed, includes Cantal, which tastes a bit like Cheddar and is made from cow's milk in the Auvergne, and the delicious Tomme de Savoie.
Cheese should be served at room temperature so that the flavour is able to develop. If you are cutting a round cheese, like a Camembert, cut it into wedges like a pie. A wedge shape (eg, Brie) should be cut tip to rind, remembering never to cut off the tip. With blue cheeses, don't steal all the best bits - take your share of the rind too! As for wine, regional wines often go well with cheese from that region, so ask for tips from the locals.
FIRST WEEK IN APRIL CHEESE:
St Maure - Loire Valley
Chevre - Goat's Cheese
SECOND WEEK IN APRIL:
Fourme d'Ambert AOC - Auvergne
General information:
Origin: Auvergne
Cheese group: Blue cheeses
Milk type: Cow's milk
Strength: Mild
Taste: Mushroom and nutty overtones
Fat content: 50%
Season: Summer, autumn, winter
THIRD WEEK IN APRIL:
Ossau-Iraty AOC -Pyrénées
General information:
Origin: Middle-Pyrénées
Cheese group: Pressed, uncooked cheeses
Milk type: Ewe's milk
Strength: Medium
Taste: Nutty, aromatic, vegetable-like
Fat content: 50%
Season: Spring's end, summer, autumn
FOURTH WEEK IN APRIL:
Petit Chaumes (Le) - Dordorgne
General information:
Origin: Aquitaine
Cheese group: Soft, washed-rind cheeses
Milk type: Cow's milk
Strength: Mild
Taste: Fairly bland but creamy finish
Fat content: 50%
French Tart
Rita~
Need to chat to chia and Kate! 
Chef Shadows
AKillian24
