Cheese, or fromage en Français,  is one of my favorite things to eat.  The smellier, runnier, bleu-er, sharper, the better.  And no better place to be a cheese lover than in France.  They are connoisseurs of this wonderful dairy process–likened to being a fine crafter of wines or a gourmet chef.  Creating unique flavors and textures is an art form and similar to wine, the country is divided into appellations or regions devoted to certain types of cheese. Terroir, the difficult to translate word the French use to describe climate, vegetation, the quality and mineral content of a region’s soil that gives wine its distinct personality, works the same way for cheese.

This is, Max McCalman who is “one of the world’s foremost experts on cheese”.  After spending some time on his website I am convinced this is so.  He educates and  advises on putting together theme cheese platters and what wines to pair them with.   My favorite was the Mediterranean Plate which combined some fabulous goat’s milk cheeses and a Rosé.  He tells you specifically what you should look and ask for when buying cheese and what would be a good alternative if you can’t find something in particular.  His selections are going to be a bit difficult for some of us to find as they are regional to other countries or artisanal cheeses made in the U.S.  Below you’ll find some places to go online that cater to this fine craft.   

While living in France, one of our favorite meals was salade chevre chaud.  It consists of a bowl of field greens tossed in a simple vinegrette topped with goat cheese medallions that have been breaded and lightly fried.  Almost any café you go to in Paris will have its own version of this–some better than others.  I missed it so much on my return that I have created my own version for my family.  I’ll share so you can try it at home.

For the vinegrette:  Combine 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar with half a teaspoon salt and let it dissolve.  Add about 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard and 3 tablespoons olive oil Blend and you have a beautifully simple dressing.  

For the salad:  Use field greens, arugula or baby spinach–whatever you like best.  Take a 3 ounce log of goat cheese and cut into about half inch thick slices.  Dip them in egg white and coat in bread crumbs.  I use Italian because they add a little extra something–don’t they always!  Oops, off topic.  Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and same amount of butter over medium heat.  Fry the breaded cheese for about 1 minute per side.  It cooks fast and you don’t want a runny mess so stay with it.  Serve with a baguette, a glass of your favorite wine and your mouth will be dancing! 

OK.  Today’s topic is going to take you all over the place on the world wide web.  Enjoy the trip!

•  Cheeses of France  Max’s website
•  Cheese-France
•  French Cheese.co.uk:  Really nice site with all sorts of info
•  Fromages
•  Fromagerie-Jaquin.fr
•  Pastoral Artisan Cheese
•  Artisanal Cheese:  Have received fabulous gifts of cheese  from here 
•  Dutch by Design:  Funky website where you will find the  wineglass vinegar and oil cruets

Post from: The Paris Traveler