Such cheeses are featured in many traditional family favourites such as gratins, tarts, pizzas, fondues, sauces but they also inspire gourmet and challenging recipes.
Here we share details of cheeses that will bring a sense of Alpine celebration or warming comfort to your winter dining experiences.
If you're looking for the perfect meal to share with friends “raclette” is for you! Whilst the Raclette cheese is perfectly good to eat cold, it truly reveals itself when it is melted.
Raclette is created by heating the cheese either in front of a fire or using a specially created machine. As the top layer melts it is scraped onto potatoes, gherkins and cured meats. Matured for at least two months, most Raclette cheese is made in the Alps and Franche-Comté. The paste varies from white to light yellow, while the rind is a uniform golden yellow.
Savoyard fondue is also a perfect cold-weather dish. It is a popular and regional dish made from a range of cheeses such as Emmental, Comté PDO, Beaufort PDO or Abondance PDO, garlic and Savoy white wine. It is usually eaten with small pieces of stale bread. Using a fondue fork you dip the bread into the melted cheese to taste it, taking care not to drop the bread!
Mont d'Or, also called Vacherin du Haut-Doubs PDO, is one of the few cheeses that you can eat with a spoon due to its very creamy texture. Production is limited from mid-summer until early spring due to the Montbéliarde and Simmental cattle only producing enough milk during the warmer months.
Presented in its spruce box, its rind is wrinkled like the mountains where it was produced. It has a marked woody aroma but whilst its smell is intense, it has a delicate flavour with fresh, creamy notes and a pleasant smoothness. Its creamy, melt-in-the-mouth paste can be enjoyed at room temperature on bread or as a hot dish in the oven. Literally translated as golden mountain, this cheese is held in high esteem.
Reblochon PDO, is produced in a region that covers a large part of Haute Savoie and the Val d'Arly in Savoie. This well-rounded creamy cheese is exclusively made with locally-produced whole raw cow's milk.
The history of Reblochon began more than five centuries ago when the farmers of the Aravis mountains were subject to a milk tax to be paid to the local lords. The farmers would wait until the tax collectors left before milking their cows a second time, as the second milking is always creamier. Thus Reblochon was created, the term being derived from the word “reblocher” which means “to milk again” in Savoie dialect.
Along with Mont d'Or, Reblochon is also commonly used in a Tartiflette - a comforting, creamy and warming dish of potatoes, cream, cheese, bacon and onions. When made with the latter cheese, the dish is also known as “Reblochonade”. Reblochon has a creamy texture and a mild, fragrant taste that you can easily combine with fruit, vegetables and spices as a starter or main course. It can also be enjoyed on its own, simply with a slice of bread!
Highly prized for its distinctive fruity taste and creaminess, Beaufort PDO is a great cheese to use in cooking as it melts beautifully. This famous pressed cooked cheese from Savoy is easily recognised by its concave heel. Highly appreciated for its fruity aroma and creamy texture, Beaufort is a cheese with a distinctive taste, without being strong.
For a delicious meal that will impress your guests (and use up those Halloween pumpkins) try this Squash stuffed with creamy squid ink risotto with Beaufort and hazelnuts.
That's Food and Drink would like to thank CNIEL, (Centre National Interprofessionnel de l'Economie Laitière) the French Dairy Interbranch Organization) for their invaluable assistance in preparing this blogpost.
Incidentally, we feel the above cheesy treats will make perfect Christmas time dining experiences!