Since moving to France, I vowed to make an earnest attempt to keep up with my husband's love of French cheeses and discover more of the country's over 600 different types... that means moving beyond my standards of Camembert, Comte and Emmental. There's always a blue cheese on the plate for my husband (his favorite), and maybe one day I'll get there but that's much further down in my training! I'm starting easy...
So first up, the popular Tomme de Savoie (from the Savoie valley in the French Alps) ... I was completely smitten by this mild semi-soft Alpine cheese with an ashy grey rind. It is smooth on the palette and has a nutty earthy flavor. It's also lower in fat than many others cheeses since it's made from skimmed cow's milk (obtained after the cream has been drained for butter or richer cheeses). Yum :)
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A favorite. My hubby loves all the strong stuff too...I've never gotten there. But our love of cheese, baguette & cornichons is still our idea of a 'spoil us rotten' evening. Throw in a clementine or two and I can almost believe I'm wintering in Paris!
ReplyDeleteI've yet to meet a cheese I haven't wanted to become best friends with :)
ReplyDeleteNow you are talking! Great cheeses around here and it is a wonderful tasting project you are embarking on - a great way to discover France's geography and incredible gastronomic heritage. Blue cheese is also my husband's favorite and we always have some around. Whenever we want to party with my family, we plan a "plateau fromage". Best ever ;-) Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteCreating a plateau fromage was always such a luxury (and expense!) in the US... it's wonderful to be able to do that here without much guilt - except on the waistline! ;)... and I recently read that the cholesterol intake from cheese is negated by the cholesterol reducing properties of red wine. Voila! zero guilt ;)
DeleteMy husband also loves bleu and I love brie. (Well, actually, I have a rather anything will do relationship with cheese!) I think in France, you speak of cheese like fine wine.
ReplyDeleteIt's true! Cheese factors in age, flavor notes, origin, etc. which can make it as complex as wine!... though the nice thing with both is that we can choose to simply eat/drink and enjoy ;)
DeleteI guess the love of husbands is the bleu -I am not really into that either. but the Tomme de Savoie is great -we live so close to that part of France that we buy it locally. And try the fromage from the Jura ....Vacherin with bread or potatoes , so good when the waether turns cold.
ReplyDeleteHa! What is it with men and bleu cheese?... thank you for the recommendation Karen, I'll add Vacherin to my winter cheese list :)
DeleteDelicious cheese!
ReplyDeleteI love to try different cheeses. I with you on the mild alpine cheese.. Have a happy day!
ReplyDeleteWe can discover different cheeses together. I'll be posting more new-to-me cheeses as I eat my way through the fromagerie ;) Enjoy the rest of your week!
DeleteThe camembert cheese in Normandy just melts in your mouth. I can almost taste it now! I'm not adventurous when it comes to food, but I think you're in the perfect place to branch out and try all kinds of cheeses. Yum!
ReplyDeleteYum - SAY CHEESE!
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oh how beautiful! i love your blog and your photography is amazing. it seems i am finding people that take such beautiful photos so much anymore and yours look so professional! my husband is a great blue cheese fan, but i really don't like it either, but there are so many other cheeses that i love. oh i would be tempted to show my husband this post to try to lure him to moving there (in my dreams) he's such a cheese head lol
ReplyDeleteAw thank you Sandy, I really appreciate your very kind comments! xx
DeleteOh how I miss the cheese from Europe!! I am thankful I can get a few here at specialty shops though. They are worth the splurge every now and then. I'm not a blue cheese fan either, its a taste I have not acquired yet.
ReplyDeleteThank you kindly for all your comments! :)
ReplyDeleteah, the cheeses of France - I would be in heaven! I love cheese. Co-incidentally I made a French cake on Monday containing goat cheese. yummy. Pics next week I hope! Have a lovely weekend ahead. I love coming to see your French blog.
ReplyDeleteThose cheeses look all so inviting, but the Tomme de Savoie rind is truly a work of art. I would love to see how it is created.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever been to the Emmental valley? It is so beautiful, you'll love the cheese even more!
Cheese is so hard to find and so expensive here. I think if I were in France, I would probably eat my weight in cheese. I'm not sure I'll ever really appreciate bleu cheese though... :)
ReplyDeleteDélicieux fromage, donne l'eau à la bouche
ReplyDeleteOh.Wow. That plate of cheese looks delightfully rustic and delicious. I see a glass of wine and some fruit with that!
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