Please give me your advice on where to buy cheese from France
Mar 16th, 2005, 05:58 PM
#21
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On this same topic, I never or rarely buy cheeses here at home..so I don't know the names of many other than Edam,etc.
Can you cheese people tell me the names of some to try when we get to France. I know I will be struck dumb when I see a platter of cheeses and have to choose.
Thanks..
Can you cheese people tell me the names of some to try when we get to France. I know I will be struck dumb when I see a platter of cheeses and have to choose.
Thanks..
Mar 16th, 2005, 06:04 PM
#23
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In Boston Fromaggio is great as is the Wellesley cheese shop. Both have unpasturized cheeses from France and the USA. Vt makes a lot of fabulous cheeses and not all are pasturized. When I am in Vt I go to the coop in Brattleboro.
Mar 16th, 2005, 06:43 PM
#24
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loisco: Learn as you go. Cheeses in France are very, very regional. You won't be offered a Brie in the Dordogne, and you'll never find a cabécou in Provence. Wherever you are you will be given local choices - sample and decide what appeals to you. When eating a cheese course at the end of a meal, you'll typically be given a choice of three or four cheeses. Ask the server for suggestions. Generally speaking, you eat the mildest first and end with the strongest, but there's no set strategy.
Mar 16th, 2005, 06:53 PM
#25
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<<Cheeses in France are very, very regional. You won't be offered a Brie in the Dordogne, and you'll never find a cabécou in Provence. Wherever you are you will be given local choices - sample and decide what appeals to you.>>
Well, I think that in Paris, you might be offered a Tomme (Savoie) or a Pont l'Eveque (Normandy). And I think you might even be offered cheeses from other countries.
Well, I think that in Paris, you might be offered a Tomme (Savoie) or a Pont l'Eveque (Normandy). And I think you might even be offered cheeses from other countries.
Mar 16th, 2005, 06:57 PM
#26
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You're right, Rex. In Paris, the restaurant cheese selection might include cheeses from several regions. I don't think loisco and co. are spending much time in Paris, though. I think the focus of their 7-week trip is the "provinces."
Mar 16th, 2005, 08:01 PM
#27
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At Allard a few weeks ago, the tray ..which was placed on the table and left there had 8 different cheeses to choose from..
Not quite like the cart at Domaine de le haut de Loire that had about 30!
And not a "foreigner" among them!
Not quite like the cart at Domaine de le haut de Loire that had about 30!
And not a "foreigner" among them!
Mar 17th, 2005, 02:29 AM
#28
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Thanks for correcting me re raw milk cheeses in the US.
Will someone please send me a CARE package?
>Here in the Shenandoah Valley, a gourmet cheese would be cheddar cut into cubes at Walmart during the holidays.>
We haven't got a WalMart with a grocery yet. We can get "hoop" cheese cut into cubes - or buy some Cracker Barrel and cube it ourselves.
Will someone please send me a CARE package?
>Here in the Shenandoah Valley, a gourmet cheese would be cheddar cut into cubes at Walmart during the holidays.>
We haven't got a WalMart with a grocery yet. We can get "hoop" cheese cut into cubes - or buy some Cracker Barrel and cube it ourselves.
Mar 17th, 2005, 04:52 AM
#29
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"Cheeses in France are very, very regional. You won't be offered a Brie in the Dordogne, and you'll never find a cabécou in Provence."
True only for small restaurants and cheesemongers, especially those who sell their artisanal production, but most places will offer quite a wide interregional choice. Some cheeses will be available only on given seasons, though (Tête de Moine, Vacherin, ...).
"Wherever you are you will be given local choices - sample and decide what appeals to you. "
Best advice you can give/receive !
Mar 17th, 2005, 04:57 AM
#30
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In most markets, cheesemongers will offer slices of their cheeses for you to taste, and explain what they are made of and how, how to choose them (they will ask whether you want to eat it right away or keep them for a few days later).
On a Sunday morning, go to my cheesemonger in Douvaine (Haute-Savoie, not far from Geneva) on an empty stomach at your peril ! ;-)
On a Sunday morning, go to my cheesemonger in Douvaine (Haute-Savoie, not far from Geneva) on an empty stomach at your peril ! ;-)
Mar 17th, 2005, 04:30 PM
#31
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loisco, don't sweat the cheese course if you want it in a restaurant.
In French meals, the cheese course, if ordered, appears before dessert and sometimes is enjoyed instead of dessert while the last of the wine is being consumed. Your waiter can make suggestions. If nothing else, choose some that have rinds, colors, or textures that look different from each other. If he mentions a chevre (goat) cheese, start with that. If he mentions a blue cheese, end with that one because some like Roquefort have very strong flavors. As you select or agree to each cheese, the waiter will slice a small wedge and put it on your plate. (This is where you learn that the French never “slice the nose off” of a wedge of cheese, that is, they don’t cut off the point of the wedge, they make a slice that is parallel with the sides of the wedge, leaving the pointy shape intact.)
If the cheese you are served has a rind, you can eat it, or you can cut it away with a knife and fork, it’s your choice. Cheeses are often offered with fruits like apples, pears, or grapes. You can cut the larger fruits with a knife and fork.
After the cheese course, you can skip dessert and order a brandy, liqueur, or just coffee, or you can ask to see the dessert menu.
In French meals, the cheese course, if ordered, appears before dessert and sometimes is enjoyed instead of dessert while the last of the wine is being consumed. Your waiter can make suggestions. If nothing else, choose some that have rinds, colors, or textures that look different from each other. If he mentions a chevre (goat) cheese, start with that. If he mentions a blue cheese, end with that one because some like Roquefort have very strong flavors. As you select or agree to each cheese, the waiter will slice a small wedge and put it on your plate. (This is where you learn that the French never “slice the nose off” of a wedge of cheese, that is, they don’t cut off the point of the wedge, they make a slice that is parallel with the sides of the wedge, leaving the pointy shape intact.)
If the cheese you are served has a rind, you can eat it, or you can cut it away with a knife and fork, it’s your choice. Cheeses are often offered with fruits like apples, pears, or grapes. You can cut the larger fruits with a knife and fork.
After the cheese course, you can skip dessert and order a brandy, liqueur, or just coffee, or you can ask to see the dessert menu.
Mar 18th, 2005, 01:08 PM
#32
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Here in Ottawa I usually buy my French cheeses at my local Costco, but I'm not sure if Costcos in the U.S. would carry any.
It normally has a couple of dozen varieties, and you can always get the common ones such as Brie, Camembert, Roquefort, Port Salut, Epoisses, Coulommiers, Bleu de Bresse, Reblochon etc. The others vary from time to time.
Today, there were about a dozen raw milk French cheeses there, and I picked up a Brie de Meaux lait cru and a Langres de Champagne (infused with a marc de Champagne!).
If I'm looking for anything off the beaten track, I can usually get it at one of the cheese shops at the market.
It normally has a couple of dozen varieties, and you can always get the common ones such as Brie, Camembert, Roquefort, Port Salut, Epoisses, Coulommiers, Bleu de Bresse, Reblochon etc. The others vary from time to time.
Today, there were about a dozen raw milk French cheeses there, and I picked up a Brie de Meaux lait cru and a Langres de Champagne (infused with a marc de Champagne!).
If I'm looking for anything off the beaten track, I can usually get it at one of the cheese shops at the market.
Mar 20th, 2005, 05:12 PM
#37
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I second the recommendation for www.fromages.com. You will be buying french cheese from France which is mailed overnight via FedEx (the company is located in Tours). The next best thing to being there, IMO.
Diane
Diane
Jul 17th, 2005, 08:01 AM
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try to find ANDROUET on Google.
it's supposed to be the best cheese seller on the market , (but at home , on most markets , we'll have the right stuff!) , I think they can even ship the cheese you'll buy online !
it's supposed to be the best cheese seller on the market , (but at home , on most markets , we'll have the right stuff!) , I think they can even ship the cheese you'll buy online !
