30
FOOD
Golden moments
European cheeses that make perfect winter
warming treats.
Winter is the perfect
time to cook with
cheese and European
cheeses are essential
ingredients in the kitchen due to
their diversity of texture and flavour.
Such cheeses are featured in many
traditional family favourites such
as gratins, tarts, pizzas, fondues,
sauces but they also inspire more
challenging gourmet recipes.
Raclette cheese is perfectly good
to eat cold, however it truly reveals
itself when melted, 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 FrancheComté.
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 as well as 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!
A fruity aroma
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
try this Squash stuffed with creamy
squid ink risotto with Beaufort and
hazelnuts (pictured). For the full
recipe, click HERE.
To milk again
Reblochhon 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.
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. Presented in a spruce box,
its rind is wrinkled - looking like the
mountains where it was produced.
It has a marked woody aroma
but although the smell is notably
intense, it has a delicate flavour with
fresh, creamy notes and a pleasant
smoothness. Its creamy and meltin-the-mouth and 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. You
will have to wait a little for this one,
production is limited from midsummer until
early spring due to the
Montbéliarde and Simmental cattle
only producing enough milk during
the warmer months.
French-style bake
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 (a French-style
cheesy potato bake). For a recipe
by the Hairy Bikers for the BBC,
click HERE.