Fromage
Episode 21: I took notes so you didn’t have to….Today we are talking all about French Cheese with the INCREDIBLE Jennifer Greco from @chezlouloufrance.
You may or may not know this about me but I am a MASSIVE Sex and the City fan. I have been since the beginning. I am old enough to have watched it as the series was unfolding live and pretty much legally able to drink cosmo’s with the gals! So every time I hear the word “Fromage” I think of the Sex and the City episode with Charlotte and Harry when they go out for a romantic dinner in season 6 and get food poisoning and all I can think of is Harry saying, “The F*%&ING FROMAGE!!!”
So you like cheese….or maybe you can’t live without cheese! Like if given the choice between giving up cheese and say anything else you will always choose anything else over cheese! Well my friends than this episode is for you! Jennifer Greco is truly living out her passion about french cheese every day of her life. She’s a teacher, check out her classes here, a writer, tour guide and honestly just an amazing human and someone I am very grateful to now call my friend! She whisked me away to Paris for this episode and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
You had a lot of amazing cheese questions so let’s dive into some of the answers!!!
Cheese 101:
There is a cheese 101 book out there by Steven Jenkins that if you are interested in deep diving more into the world of cheese Jennifer thinks is is a good place to start!
Don’t store your cheese in plastic. Cheese is a living, breathing thing you are consuming and needs to be stored properly in cheese paper like this. It’s inexpensive and totally worth the small investment for better cheese.
When it comes to mold on cheese there is a few rules, and again we are not doctors or food scientist so please use your own judgement. Pink or Black mold is a hard no, throw that out. Blue/Grey, Orange or Reddish mold on cheese…should be ok. If the cheese is a soft cheese then you should probably toss the cheese if it has any kind of mold on it to be on the safe side or talk to the cheese monger and ask them. If you get a little mold on a super hard cheese you can most likely cut it off if it’s not pink or black. But again use your own judgment and when it doubt, THROW IT OUT!
In France you won’t find people putting a ton of extra things on their cheese boards. The star of the show here people is cheese and so the french keep it simple with just the cheese, maybe some great baguette and that’s about it. Once and awhile you might see some dried fruits, a few nuts, maybe some fresh figs or apples (when they are in season), a little honey or maple syrup with certain blues or goat cheeses but honestly simple is best with the french and cheese.
Cheese in France is usually it’s own separate course and served at the end of the meal. Cheese is not usually done during their apéritif. If you are enjoying a happy hour style cocktail in the early evening then you would most likely have olives and potato chips but again you do you. If you love cheese, eat it whenever you want! We won’t judge you at all!
If you are serving cheese at say a cocktail recipe or happy hour with friends and the cheese is the main star Jennifer recommends about 2 oz per person for planning purposes.
Jennifer made a great point about why the French come across as being slightly thinner than those here in the US. Yes their food is richer, yes they use more butter, things with a higher milk fat than we do here in the states but because of that they more often than not eat much less of these richer foods. They find their food to be more satisfying and there for need less of it.
If you’re visiting Paris or France:
First book a tour with Jennifer, louloufrance@gmail.com
Or check out Flat Tire Tours in Paris
Jennifer loves Monumenta in Paris which has contemporary art exhibits
Don’t miss out on strolling through some of the most beautiful cemeteries in the world.
And of course do a night boat tour, yes it’s touristy but it’s also beautiful and you are a tourist. Blend in at other times of the day and enjoy being a tourist for an hour.
Also if you can get out of the city, go to Normandy and Cognac. Jennifer says both are just beautiful!
For French cooking there are many classics to make like Coq au Vin (Red Wine Braised Chicken), Boeuf Bourguignon (Red Wine Braised Beef), Croque Madame, Madelines or a fruit or savory galette. All of those are great but I thought why not try something a little different. Below are a few recipes that may get you started on your French cooking adventure or at least inspire you to try something to step outside your culinary comfort zone.
Savory Dutch Baby (this may not be French but my god do I love it!)
Choux Pastry (which you can stuff with sweet or savory things!)
Pear (or insert a different kind of harder fruit) and Red Wine Caramel Tarte Tatine
Now go forth and cook some amazing food!!
Beth Fuller is a Boston based Food, Product and Lifestyle Photographer. One of the best ways to support the podcast and Beth is to write a review wherever you listen, like the podcast on your favorite platform and please keep Beth in mind for any photography projects as a gal has got to pay her bills!
If you have a question and want it to be featured on the podcast please email either the question or a voice memo to letsgoonafoodadventure@gmail.com. Are you on instagram? Tag me in your food adventures, @letsgoonafoodadventure. Do you want to work together with food and product photography, drop me a line here!
xoxo
Beth
