French Cuisine

» Mike Gerrard - French Cheese

Hey, you forgot the quote from General de Gaulle. Didn't you know it was compulsory in everything ever written about French cheese to quote General de Gaulle?

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» terrymarsh - French Cheese

In response to French Cheese posted by mgerrard:

No, I didn't forget that de Gaulle found it impossible to govern a country that produced 365 cheeses. But I discovered that the UK actually produces more cheeses than France, and quality cheese, too. So, felt that de Gaulle must have just been having a bad day and looking for someone or something to blame. I did, however, write to Tony Blair, and pointed out the nore about UK cheeses, just in case some future French President complained in future.

-- posted by terrymarsh

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» Mike Gerrard - French Cheese

In response to French Cheese posted by terrymarsh:

Have you found that an AOC is a guarantee of quality, or consistency of taste, or what? I've always been curious about that designation.

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» Larry Ervin - French Cheese

In response to French Cheese posted by mgerrard:

The AOC designation protects the makers of a given cheese (or wine) from someone else using their name to sell product. The designation specifies a geographic area, occasionally one or more specific dairies, whether the cheese is made from cow's milk, sheep, goat or a mixture, sometimes the specific methods, and usually the length of aging. Does that guarantee quality or consistency? I think I could give you a definite maybe sometimes. Cheese-making is an art. It is more than the sum of ingredients. The flavor of milk varies by season and even the time of day, evening vs. morning milking. It is certainly to the dairy'e benefit to maintain consistent quality and I suspect most pay close attention to that. Your best bet is to get chummy with your cheese-monger and ask them about specific cheeses. Then taste before you buy.
If you like blue-veined cheese, you might check out Bleu d'Auvergne. I describe it in my recent article on "Blue Cheese Potatoes Au Gratin." I discuss three other blue cheeses in my piece on alternatives to Roquefort and Gorgonzola. Cabrales from Spain, while superbly complex at its best, is notoriously variable by season and dairy.

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