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Excerpts On Cheese (continued)
What To Put On A Cheese Plate
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A sampling of
Camembert cheese labels |
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I hastened to ask my burning question: what to include on a cheese plate for special occasions? Here's Philippe's suggestion (quantities depend on the number of people and their appetite):
- two or three kinds of goat cheese — one creamy, one slightly nutty, one with more taste and character but not too strong;
- a Camembert, Coulommiers, Brie, or Fougerus;
- a Reblochon;
- a Pont l'Évêque, a Livarot, or a Pavé d'Auge;
- a blue cow cheese, such as Fourme, Gex, or Termignon (which is only made in the French Alps and which is a natural bleu as opposed to one made by the addition of penicillin), or
- a blue sheep cheese, Roquefort;
- a Brillat-Savarin, St. Marcellin, or St. Félicien;
- and one can add a Beaufort, Gruyère or Comté for those who don't really like cheese.
He recommends starting with the softer-tasting cheese, eating the blue or Roquefort in the middle, and ending with the goat cheeses.
What Cheese — What Wine?
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An air of festivity is
appropriate when
sampling French cheeses! |
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I showed Alléosse an article in a well-known women's magazine in which a top wine steward had set down his ideas for which wines to drink with which cheeses. After looking at the wine steward's list, I figured I'd have to take a pen and pencil to the table with me as I would never remember what wine went with what cheese. But to my great relief, Alléosse responded to the article with a common-sense answer:
"With a cheese plate, we need to remain festive and open-minded and convivial. Invite your friends and have each one bring a bottle. Try different combinations and be ready for surprises, both good and bad. Go to the regions where the cheese is made and see how the people eat them there and what they drink, and observe how they eat with gusto and pleasure. The main thing with cheese is not to follow a rule book but to passer un bon moment."
Fromagerie Alléosse
13, rue Poncelet, 75017 Paris
Phone: 01-46-22-50-45
Métro: Ternes
© 2004 Harriet Welty Rochefort — All Rights Reserved. Reproduced here with the author's permission.
The author of French Toast and French Fried, Harriet Welty Rochefort passionately admires and savors French cheese. Combining her interest in cultural differences and her love for fromage, in January 2004 she launched a series of talks on Franco-American cultural differences, coupled with a cheese and wine tasting. For information on dates and to reserve, check "Events" on her website, www.understandfrance.org.
Images: Harriet Welty-Rochefort in front of a cheese and wine shop in Paris, ©2004 Elisa Kitson (photographer). Mont d'Or (Vacherin) cheese in spruce wood container, from Syndicat Interprofessionnel de Défense du Mont d'Or (Besançon). A fromager tends to wheels of cheese in Beaufort (Savoie), © F. de La Mure / M.A.E., from the Ministère des Affaires Etrangères. Sampling of Camembert cheese labels, from (source unknown). Cheese platter and champagne, from Le Monde des Fromages. All Rights Reserved.
| French Cheese Links |
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Accent on Cheese — The Internet Cheese Magazine
Anco Fine Cheese in Fairfield, New Jersey, provides a useful online resource — including cheese descriptions, FAQs, recipes, and serving suggestions.
Aging Gratefully in Paris
Authors Nicole Meyer and Amanda Smith (Paris In A Basket) explore the cheese shops, open-air food markets, and wine bars of Paris — in search of fragrant, full-flavored cheeses.
Artisanal Cheese Center
Located in Manhattan, New York, Chef-Proprietor Terrance Brennan's Artisanal Group offers classes on cheese, internships, and a broad selection of cheeses and gifts. Philippe Alléosse serves as the affineur (Cheese Aging Consultant).
Cheese & Gourmet Foods Boutique
Explore our hand-selected gourmet foods from France & around the world: the finest cheeses, patés, jams, oils, mustards, and other delicacies, fit for the best restaurants yet affordable for the home.
Caprice des Dieux and Cœur de Lion
Produced by La Compagnie des Fromages, a division of Groupe Bongrain S.A. — the third largest cheese producer in the world (second largest in France), these quality brands are usually sold in French supermarkets, rather than in cheese shops.
The Cheese Whiz
Arthur Lubow discusses the cheese cart at a famous Paris restaurant, Taillevent, whose proprietor — Jean-Claude Vrinat — buys his cheeses from just three affineurs: Philippe Alléosse, Alain Dubois, and Philippe Langlet.
Directory of Cheese Shops in Paris
Our list of more than 120 cheese shops in Paris, including addresses, phone numbers, nearest métro station, and (where available) name of proprietor, e-mail address, web site, and store description.
Google News — French Cheese
Read the latest news articles about French cheese in the international press. You can even sign up for a daily News Alert by e-mail.
History & Manufacture of Camembert
The web site of La Fromagerie Réaux in Lessay documents the painstaking 15-day process of manufacturing this delicious cheese, from collecting the milk to final packaging in a peeled poplar box.
Legend of Marie Harel / War of the Cheeses
The story is told that camembert cheese was invented in the 18th century by Marie Harel. (Actually, it's origins in Normandy predate her process by hundreds of years.) Follow a fascinating history of her statue in the town of Vimoutiers. (in French only)
La Maison du Lait
A comprehensive resource offering detailed information on all French dairy products. (in French only)
Le Monde des Fromages
This Flash-intensive but sparse web site provides news, serving suggestions, and a dictionary of cheese terms. (in French only)
Pré-Catalan
Author Patricia Wells (Food Lover's Guide to Paris) reviews this august, romantic restaurant in the Bois de Boulogne — whose cheese assortment is provided by her "favorite Paris cheese merchant, Philippe Alléosse."
Le Tyrosémiophile
Some people have a passion for collecting old cheese labels, a hobby known as la tyrosémiophilie (from the Greek tyros, cheese). Camembert labels are perhaps the most popular collectible. Eric Delpierre has amassed an astonishing collection, displaying hundreds of beautiful designs. (in French)
Tyrosémiophilie
Jean Martin, who is a member of the Club Tyrosémiophile de France, offers an impressive gallery of cheese labels from Australia, Austria, Croatia, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Holland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the U.K. (in French)
Tomásÿ Kocábek, a biologist in the Czech Republic, has been collecting cheese labels since the age of 12; view his site here. Ralph Elzholz of Germany, a collector for 10+ years, displays his gallery here.
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| Recommended Books |
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French Toast
by Harriet Welty Rochefort
Peter Mayle may have spent a year in Provence, but Harriet Welty Rochefort writes from the wise perspective of one who has spent more than twenty years living among the French. She makes sense of their ever-so-French thoughts on food, money, sex, love, marriage, manners, schools, style, and much more. |
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Entre Nous:
A Woman's Guide To Finding Her Inner French Girl
by Debra Ollivier
Ever wonder what gives French women that je ne sais quoi? How can American gals tap into their inner Frenchness? Provocative and practical, lively and intelligent, Entre Nous unlocks the mystery of the French woman and the secrets of her self-confidence. |
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Edible France
A Traveler's Guide
by Glynn Christian, Jenni Muir (Editor)
Christian, the former food reporter and chef of BBC TV's Breakfast Time, offers a region-by-region guide to the food, wine, shops, markets and local specialties of France. Essential for the epicure visiting France, whether for a holiday or an extended stay. |
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French Cheeses
The Visual Guide to More Than 350 Cheeses from Every Region of France
by Joel Robuchon et al
Designed for both amateur enthusiasts and serious gourmets, this magnificently illustrated guide from DK Publishing is a definitive reference, yet easy to use — enabling readers to appreciate the flavors and the process of cheesemaking. |
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Great Eats Paris
by Sandra A. Gustafson
Sandra Gustafson knows a great deal when she sees one. An intrepid traveler, she is the author of a dozen popular travel guides. Lively, detailed, and personal reviews combine to create the perfect companion for anyone in search of the out-of-the-way, unusual, fun, and true flavor of Paris. |
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| Nominate A Site — Submit An Article! |
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French Cheeses & Recipes
Do you know of a great French cheese or recipe web page we should list here? If so, please submit it!
Are you an author, educator, student or traveler who would like to write an article for the enjoyment of our francophile community? Please download our author's guidelines (48K PDF). Thank you! |
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Excerpts On Cheese
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