Blue at 11:00

No, this isn't going to be about late night dirty movies (I hope you're not too disappointed!) "Blue at eleven o'clock" was the initial instruction given to those of us attending a French cheese tasting a couple of weeks ago. Before trying each cheese a cheesemaker spoke about it, explaining where it came from, how it was made and various other details. On our plate were six cheeses and "blue at eleven" was to make sure we tasted in the correct order.

This was the first formal cheese tasting I ever attended and rather than give you a blow by blow or rather bite by bite account, I have compiled some of what I learned into a mini quiz for your entertainment and edification. Answers are in the first comment.

1. "Cheese is the heart beat of France"
A. Mais oui!
B. Non, c'est la folie

2. Ossau-Iraty is:
A. A marriage of two cheeses Ossau and Iraty
B. Named after a famous Basque statesman

3. The best milk for Camembert comes from:
A. Summer
B. Spring or Fall

4. There are 700 producers of Camembert
A. True
B. False

5. Pont l´Evêque is similar to Camembert, but comes in a square box
A. True
B. False

6. "double creme" cheese is:
A. 70% fat
B. 60% fat

7. The blue in Roquefort comes from:
A. An injection into the cheese
B. Loaves of bread

8. Bleu d'Auvergne is older than Roquefort:
A. Non, non, non!
B. Depends on who you talk to
C. Maybe, but who cares? It's so darn good.

FOOD & DRINK + CHEESE + FRANCE

Tasty Events

Delicious reception
March 15, 2009 2 - 6 pm
Studio
1815 Polk St
San Francisco

Studio gallery on Polk St annual show Delicious features art work on the theme of food from 90 local artists. This is always a playful, fun show with paintings, prints, sculpture, drawings, photography and even jewelry. The opening reception is this Sunday March 15th, from 2 - 6 pm and the show runs through April 12th. There are plenty of affordable pieces, like this charming woodprint by Ayu Tomikawa called Nibela reaches for a cake.





White on Rice 5:30 reception, 6:45 film
March 17, 2009
Sundance Kabuki
1881 Post St
San Francisco

The Asian American Film Festival is showing the Japanese film, White on Rice. If the trailer is any indication, it promises to be a quirky, humorous slice of life. Tickets are $11 and there is a free pre-screening reception hosted by lyemon Cha where you can meet the director and cast and enjoy appetizers and of course, green tea. Reception is at 5:30 at the Bar Bistro and the screening is a t 6:45 at the Sundance Kabuki Theater





San Francisco Chocolate Salon
March 21, 2009 10 - 6 pm
Fort Mason
Marina Blvd
San Francisco

Chocolate! This year I am a judge at the San Francisco Chocolate Salon. Come to Fort Mason on March 21st and try chocolate and beverages from over 50 chocolatiers, confectioners, and other producers. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door.

La Fête du Fromage - Round Up # 2

The second Fête du Fromage International Cheese Tasting Event was another great success. Thanks to all of you who joined in my little world-wide cheese tasting party!


Judith from A Shortcut to Mushrooms went all out this month, tasting not just one, but two amazing looking, fruit infused cheeses, a White Stilton with Blueberries and a Wensleydale with Cranberries. She thought they were both lovely, but preferred the sweet, mild flavor and smooth texture of the Stilton over the sharper, crumblier Wensleydale.

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A recipe for Buttery Cheese Crackers made from Brânză de Burduf, a Romanian cheese that Lore at Culinarty describes as tangy, soft and slightly grainy, is her entry this month. Savory, buttery cheese crackers made from soft, salty cheese...sounds absolutely perfect!

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Danielle at Savor Culture offers us Charmoix, a raw cow's milk cheese produced at the Coopératif Fermière de Mean in Belgium. She describes it as a "quiet cheese, with a mild flavor that expresses lemon zest, salted butter, and chalky stone." Danielle recommends tasting the Charmoix with slices of ripe Bartlett pear and peasant bread, with a glass of lambic beer or sparkling wine.

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The King of Italian cheeses, Parmegiano Reggiano, is Nathalie of Spaced Out Ramblings' cheese selection this month. This cheese has many, many impostors, therefore she advises to look for the words Parmegiano Reggiano burned into its crust as the sign of authenticity. Natalie tasted chunks of Parmegiano with some pear and sprinkled with a few drops of aged Balsamic Vinegar. I'm swooning over the thought of this combination!

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Camille at Croque-Camille cooks up a unique twist on the classic French dish, Tartiflette, with some Doré de l’Abbaye cheese, sautéed winter squash, bacon, leeks and little buckwheat pasta squares. The resulting dish looks amazing! I've invited myself to dinner the next time I'm in Paris.
Oh yeah...the cheese....she describes it as having a mild, stinky-cheese flavor and great for melting.

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The final cheese is a creamy, sexy Burrata, tasted by Lauren at I'll Eat You. This fresh Italian cheese is made when "fresh mozzarella is stretched over a mixture of mozzarella curd and cream, so that when it is cut open, a luxurious, creamy, oozy center is revealed." Lauren describes the flavor as fresh and clean. I'm anxious to try Burrata. It looks wonderful!

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My addition to the event is Brie de Melun which I tasted last August. This rich, strong, French cheese from northern France is absolutely fantastic! It has a gorgeous combination of flavors that include mushroom, hazelnuts, salty and fruity.

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Thus wraps up October's Fête du Fromage.
I look forward to seeing what will be tasted in November!


The 15th of every month will be the official day for La Fête du Fromage. Please have your entries to me by the end of the 13th.

Tell us why you chose this particular cheese. Tell us how it tasted. Tell us about its texture and aroma. Did you eat it on its own? Or with something? Did you drink anything special with your chosen cheese? Would you recommend it or not? Is there something unusual or interesting about it?

• Photos are wonderful, but not necessary
• Entries must contain the words La Fête du Fromage and contain a link to Chez Loulou
• Posts should be written specifically for La Fête du Fromage and not entered in any other food blog event
• Please send the link to your post to louloufrance (at) gmail (dot) com with the words Fête du Fromage in the subject line

Salt Cellar

Reading the autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini in college made me want to live in Florence. It brought the renaissance period to life. Filled with art, crime and intrigue it was gossipy and a great read. The cover featured a photo of one of Cellini's few surviving masterpieces, a gold salt cellar. According to Cellini, the figures that decorate it represent earth and water, although other sources claim they depict Neptune and Amphitrite, additional reclining figures, representing winds and the times of day, are carved into the base. At the time I'd never even heard of a salt cellar. But just like Cellini's writing, it is an over-the-top work of art.



Lately as I've spent more and more time in places like Sur La Table, it dawned on me that I really really needed a salt cellar.



You can't underestimate the importance of salt. Salt makes all the difference in cooking a great meal. Having salt at your fingertips is key so that you can season your food as you cook it. Just seasoning at the table doesn't do the job. In fact, adding salt at the table is most often considered an insult to the chef. If food is properly seasoned while cooking, it shouldn't need any additional salt. For example, pasta. If you don't season the water with salt, your pasta will taste slightly dull. No amount of salt at the table will fix it.



My sister sent me a beautiful white salt cellar for my birthday. I have no idea where she got it. It's not like the Cellini salt cellar, it's a white ceramic one made to sit near your stove and its main feature is accessibility, in fact it's not ornamental in the least. And that Cellini salt cellar? Turns out it was stolen last year from a Viennese art museum. The reward is 70,000 euros. And the value of the piece? Would you believe 58 million dollars? No salt included.

Great Green Gaspacho

Cooking is off to a good start this fall -- thank you for asking!

I haven't gotten back to blogging that much yet, but I have been doing a lot of cooking. I have also been going the extra kilometer to get colorful, fresh ingredients into my kitchen...and that is at least half the battle.

Today I brought starters back to our Saturday afternoon lunch table. They had been absent for many a year...which is a pity. They are my favorite meal course, and I think we don't get enough of them in this household.

Enough introduction. This afternoon, I tried out "Gaspacho Vert" from the August 2007 issue of Elle à Table. This recipe is so simple it's almost ridiculous: two avocadoes, two cucumbers, two limes, a bit of garlic...and blend it all up.

I added a tiny bit of cream because I think it takes the acidity out of this type of soup, and served it just barely cold...a few sprigs of parsley on the top...delicious.

A Little Sunday Reading (and Viewing)

The conversation continues.

Celebrating farmer's markets, gardens and the delights of spring.

A tasty tongue twister.

Wine Tales. From here in the Languedoc and farther afield.

I'm afraid I'm in Twouble too.

An invitation to savor a divine Tuscan Kitchen.

Perfect Paris - Day 3

A good night's sleep helped to revive my aching feet.
Surprisingly only one blister had appeared on my left heel, and this was the first trip I've taken in ages when my lower back wasn't in agony from miles of walking.

Besides, little aches and pains weren't going to stop me from enjoying another gorgeous day.

After a quiet morning of coffee, pain au noix and checking email, I bandaged up my feet, put on my most comfortable shoes and we finally left the apartment.
We agreed that a picnic in the Square des Batignolles with Döner kebabs from my friend's favorite place in the quirky, vibrant Batignolles neighborhood would be an excellent way to kick off the afternoon.

We soaked up some sun in the park and hopped on a bus for a leisurely trip across town to check out the cheese shops on the rue Mouffetard, then on to the Butte aux Cailles neighborhood in the 13th to see Aimée's little jewel of a tea house, l'Oisive Thé, and to meet another blogger, Samantha, for tea.
It was great to connect with these two women and hear about their lives in Paris. (Aimée's delicious, moist, chocolaty, chocolate chips cookies were another reason to stay and hang out)


I spent the late afternoon on my own, window shopping in the Marais, passing some time in a café watching the world go by, and walking past Notre Dame with its dazzling new facade on the Île de la Cité to my destination; a tiny bookshop on a tiny street in the 5th to attend Heather Stimmler-Hall's launch party for her new book, Naughty Paris, a book that every woman living in Paris should own.
There was one familiar face in the crowd, who were all happily drinking wine and enjoying some nibbles outside on the cobblestone street, and a couple of familiar voices; Katia and Kyliemac!

By the time I left the party, I was absolutely exhausted.
My trip home on the very, very busy Metro took two changes and almost an hour of being packed in like a sardine. Not used to this crowded city life, I tell you!

Finally crashing on the couch and taking off my shoes was pure heaven.

Saint Séverin church