La Fête du Fromage - Tome des Bauges

Simply put, Tome des Bauges is one luscious cheese!

Its flavor is well-balanced, unassuming and full of mushrooms, salt butter, mild yeast and soft grasses and its texture is creamy and smooth.  I served it with slices of baguette and juicy pears, which matched the flavors perfectly.  It was a tasting that I would happily repeat!


Tome des Bauges is an AOC granted, unpasteurized cow's milk cheese that is produced in the heart of the mountainous Savoie region.  To comply with AOC standards, only the milk of the Abondance, Montbéliarde (the breed responsible for my beloved Comté) and/or Tarentaise cows can be used to make this special cheese.

It is often referred to as a "summer cheese" as its flavor is at its peak between the months of April and September, though it can also be enjoyed in the winter, from December to March.  My advice - try some Tome des Bauges next month and again in April and compare the two.  I doubt you'll be disappointed with either one!

Wines that pair well with this Tome are either a light, white Apremont or a smooth Hermitage.

Some photos showing Tome being produced.

Moving to the Languedoc-Roussillon

AARP Magazine recently compiled a list of their top ten Best Places to Retire Abroad and lo and behold, number four just happens to be our home in the south of France, the gorgeous Languedoc-Roussillon.

It seems that many seeking "la vie en rose" (or la vie en rosé as I like to call it) have read the article, done a Google search or two and landed here at Chez Loulou.
Thus, the question-filled emails are piling up in my inbox.

To help anyone who is new to this site and looking for information about moving to the Languedoc-Roussillon, please have a look at the posts I've written about moving to France and the cost of living in France. 

Once you've read through all of the information I've provided I would be happy to answer any questions you have. 
Just email me at louloufrance@gmail.com

Candlemas and Crepes!

Sorry my friends, I missed La Chandeleur!
I forgot to share with you this French tradition last Tuesday February 2. Candlemas is a catholic holiday. In France, crepes are served on this day. The tradition is to toss the crepe in the air (see picture below) with your left hand while holiding a gold coin in your right hand to have wealth throughout the year.All this is history and legend, but crepes remain!
Crepes originated in Brittany, where savory and salty crepes are served at Creperies with a bowl of cider. May I invite you to prepare your own? Flmabees, like you see below, or simply with sugar, enjoy!
Easy recipe for crepes.
2 cups flour
a pinch of salt
3 eggs
2 ½ cups milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Sift the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the eggs and beat well. The dough has to be very smooth.Add the milk little by little, beating hard till the mix is smooth. Once it's smooth, add more milk, and only once it's smooth to prevent having clusters of flour. Let rest 1 hour (this allows the flour to take full body)Heat the pan with a few drops of oil. You may need to add a bit of water if the dough has become too thick. Add one ladle of mix in the frying pan, turn with a circular movement quickly so that the batter fills the pan in a VERY thin layer. Cook one side, then toss in the air, cook the other side, remove. Cover with foil paper, to keep warm. Eat with sugar or jams, or flambe for crepes suzette!


Enjoy!

La Fête du Fromage - Camembert Brebis

"A camembert not made out of raw milk is like making love without sex."

Hear! Hear!
I read this line in an article about Camembert just this morning!

While this week's cheese is not an AOC Camembert from Normandy, it is a Camembert fermier, more specifically, a Camembert Brebis from the Corbières.
This is the third cheese I've tasted from the dynamic duo, Chantal and Jean-Gabriel Donnet, the owners of the sole sheep farm in the Corbières. In January we tasted their luscious Brebis des Corbières and in early April we tasted their elegant Tomette des Corbières.

Mme. Donnet was at the market in Carcassonne last week, so I had the honor of meeting and chatting with the friendly Fromagère, in addition to tasting several more of her cheeses.
She was very kind, patient with my questions, and when I told her about my Fête du Fromage project, she seemed pleased that she'd been included.


Mme. Chantal Donnet slicing a piece of Tomme de Brebis for me to taste



Now, on to the cheese....



Another sublime discovery! The unpasteurized Camembert Brebis had a well balanced, earthy and mushroomy, mildly strong flavor that was both tangy and slightly salty. The aroma was sweet, grassy and soft and the texture was pure Camembert-creamy.

It was the best Camembert we've tasted in a long time. (and after the recently tasted, locally made Camembert Fermier, I never expected to find myself saying that)

Local, Minervois red wine was a perfect match as would wine from the Corbières.


The article also states that a recent census discovered that there are more than 1000 cheeses being produced in France. If that is true, I've got my work cut out for me!

Photo du Jour - Noël

A frosty, sunny Christmas morning. Joyeux Noël!

Photo du Jour

Seeing this makes me wonder about the history of this stone wall.
Was it originally a small opening in the village's remparts* wall? Was it a window?


*a defensive wall or fortification

Fish for lunch? Sea bass, cod, red snapper, and salmon!

I have been in a "fish" mood lately! And I want to share with you four of my latest fish dishes.

As usual, the recipes are simple and easy.

This is a sea bass recipe. Here in France you can buy the whole fish and ask the fish mungler to remove the filets, which I did to prepare this Sea Bass with tapenade and dried tomatoes. I served it with a celery root puree and a reduction of balsamic vinegar a dear friend gave me for Christmas. The fish is simply cooked in a frying pan with a bit of olive oil. I served it skin up.

Here I tried a recipe for cod. I also cooked it in a frying pan with olive oil and served it on top of a potatoe puree. I boiled an artichoke, cut it in four alongside and fried it in olive oil. On a smaller frying pan, I fried a chopped garlic and added a mirepoix of red bell pepper and pits of bacon.This picture shows a red snapper filet cooked in the oven with a bit of oil , a bit of white dry wine, and a rosemary branch. In a small pan I made a reduction of white wine and fish broth and added capres. I poured the sauce on top before serving. Because it is spring, I added a colorful touch with a dried tomato.

I love the combination of sea food with bacon. I do scallops "wrapped" in bacon - it's true that bacon here is not as fat as in other places! I bought a salmon filet (about 2 lb) and placed it on a bed of leek leaves. I covered it with thin slices of bacon and baked it in a medium oven for 25 minutes. The result is stunning!