My Collected Posts for Growers and Grocers
As you may know if you read my sidebar, I contribute to a professional blogging venture called The Well Fed Network. It's a group of 9 blogs, each with different writers.
I write for Growers and Grocers , which is all about food policy, agriculture, where food comes from and what's in it, and how companies present it to us. On the lighter side, we also write about farmers markets, fresh produce, local food producers and cheese! So there is plenty of interesting reading on "GnG." I also occasionally contribute a piece about the French wine market for Wine Sediments.
I am currently writing a weekly column for them entitled "The Sunday News," where I sum up the week's important food production and marketing stories.
Here is a list of my collected posts for "GnG" which I will update regularly:
THE SUNDAY NEWS
Welcome to the Sunday News July 23, 2006
The Sunday News July 30, 2006
OTHER POSTS
France Grants Two New Food AOCs June 29, 2006
Another Cheese Myth Falls June 13, 2006
Madison Entrepreneur to Create Virtual Farmer's Market June 12, 2006
Boston Farmers Market Opens New Season June 5 2006
Is your food carbon neutral? June 2, 2006
Quebec’s Université Laval to Welcome Controversial Supermarket May 26, 2006
Making Convenience Food More Convenient May 20, 2006
Organic Meat in Britain: Is it the Real Thing ? May 17, 2006
Opponents fight mega-mall project in Toulouse, France May 14, 2006
Knock knock. Who’s there? Nestlé! May 8, 2006
Whole Grain Stamp Improved April 24, 2006
British chains pushed to buy local organic food April 21, 2006
French Cheese Threatened by Changing Habits April 13, 2006
Fat and unhealthy? Do top food companies care? April 6, 2006
France recognizes five new food AOCs April 4, 2006
The return of the neighborhood grocery store? April 1, 2006
Vacherin Fribourgeois granted Swiss A.O.C. March 24, 2006
Stanford Magazine Explores Aquaculture March 24, 2006
French Farmers Look Beyond Food Production March 23, 2006
Drink for Thought March 15, 2006
Organic Food Markets in France March 14, 2006
French Book Debunks "Light" and "Enriched" Foods March 14, 2006
I've Waited For This Cheese
Several years ago we went out with Jean-Pierre and Agnès to a lovely little place near Béziers for dinner. After our main course a gorgeous and very heavily laden cheese cart was rolled over to our table and since we didn't know many cheeses at the time and chose most of them based on looks, I asked for a piece of a very interesting looking, bright orange, conical shaped one but was promptly told "non, madame, il est trop fort, choisissez un autre."*
I insisted that I liked strong cheese, but to no avail. I looked and Jean-Pierre and Agnès for help but they too shook their heads and said, "no, choose another."
So I did.
Reluctantly.
We were just getting to know Jean-Pierre and Agnès so I didn't want to cause a scene by fighting with the server and grabbing my own piece off the cart or anything.
But let me tell you, that vividly colored cheese and being denied the right to taste it left an impression. I've looked for that cheese ever since, not knowing it's name didn't help me much, but I figured I would recognize it when I came across it.
We ate dinner at their house last night and Jean-Pierre presented me with "the denied cheese." Recently the four of us had laughed about that dinner and that cheese and he went out and found some for me!
It is called Boulette d'Avesnes. With it we tasted a nice little Brillat Savarin.
Boulette d'Avesnes is smelly, pungent, fiery and very unique. It is made from Maroilles curd which is flavored with tarragon, cloves, parsley and pepper, then it's rind is washed in beer. I found it acrid and pretty awful, actually. The little cones are shaped by hand then sprinkled with annatto or paprika, giving it the bright orange appearance. This cheese is not for the faint of heart!
If you dare to taste it, pair with a full-bodied red such as Côte de Nuits, Côtes du Rhône or a Chateauneuf du Pape.
Brillat Savarin was named for the famous 18th Century French gourmand, Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, in 1930 by it's creator, Henri Androuët, a well known Parisian cheese seller. It is a triple cream, 75% fat, over the top, cow's milk cheese from Normandy. It was lush, super creamy and sweet and was a perfect contrast to the robust little Boulette. Pair with a Saint Emilion.
*No, ma'am, it is too strong, choose another.
I insisted that I liked strong cheese, but to no avail. I looked and Jean-Pierre and Agnès for help but they too shook their heads and said, "no, choose another."
So I did.
Reluctantly.
We were just getting to know Jean-Pierre and Agnès so I didn't want to cause a scene by fighting with the server and grabbing my own piece off the cart or anything.
But let me tell you, that vividly colored cheese and being denied the right to taste it left an impression. I've looked for that cheese ever since, not knowing it's name didn't help me much, but I figured I would recognize it when I came across it.
We ate dinner at their house last night and Jean-Pierre presented me with "the denied cheese." Recently the four of us had laughed about that dinner and that cheese and he went out and found some for me!
It is called Boulette d'Avesnes. With it we tasted a nice little Brillat Savarin.
Boulette d'Avesnes is smelly, pungent, fiery and very unique. It is made from Maroilles curd which is flavored with tarragon, cloves, parsley and pepper, then it's rind is washed in beer. I found it acrid and pretty awful, actually. The little cones are shaped by hand then sprinkled with annatto or paprika, giving it the bright orange appearance. This cheese is not for the faint of heart!
If you dare to taste it, pair with a full-bodied red such as Côte de Nuits, Côtes du Rhône or a Chateauneuf du Pape.
Brillat Savarin was named for the famous 18th Century French gourmand, Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, in 1930 by it's creator, Henri Androuët, a well known Parisian cheese seller. It is a triple cream, 75% fat, over the top, cow's milk cheese from Normandy. It was lush, super creamy and sweet and was a perfect contrast to the robust little Boulette. Pair with a Saint Emilion.
- Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.
*No, ma'am, it is too strong, choose another.
La Fête du Fromage - A Filetta
All of the Corsican cheeses I've tasted have been real characters.
Brocciu was soft and seductive, smelly U Bel Fiuritu almost ran us out of the kitchen and I fell head over heels for herby, prickly Brin d'Amour.
A Filetta is another Corsican cheese with personality to spare.
I love the way its edible, slightly crunchy, salty rind embraces a soft and supple pâte that tastes of earth, mushrooms and herbs. Though decorated with a fern leaf (a Filetta means "the fern" in the Corsican language), I didn't detect any fern or leaf-like flavor. It is a dense, meaty, substantial cheese, but the flavor isn't as strong as I thought it would be. This was a young cheese so the flavor was very mild.
I've heard of much older, much stronger versions!
. Affinage takes 4-6 weeks and there is also a goat's milk version produced from January until late July. A glass of Minervois red paired nicely with the earthy quality of this cheese. A glass of Muscat sec would also be good.
Encore le Jardin
Yes, I took some more pictures of the garden. And of the dogs.
Voilà!
the herbs are doing really well
siesta spot
les figues
how he spends 85% of his day
handsome boy
Celine's Birthday Menu
We treated Celine to some "house specials" for her birthday! We started with a salad: wild rocula, flakes of parmesan Regiano cheese, and roasted nut pines, with a hazelnut, red wine vinegar , sea salt, and pepper dressing. I served this salad in a bohemia crystal bowl.
The main course was four smeared large French scallops per person. I coated them with sesame seeds, smeared them in some butter two minutes on each side. On another pan, I had prepared a julienne of leeks and thin carrot slices in butter, and had added soy sauce and turmeric. I put the leeks and carrots as a bedding for the scallops. Delicious!
The main course was four smeared large French scallops per person. I coated them with sesame seeds, smeared them in some butter two minutes on each side. On another pan, I had prepared a julienne of leeks and thin carrot slices in butter, and had added soy sauce and turmeric. I put the leeks and carrots as a bedding for the scallops. Delicious!
I also prepared steamed rice as a garnish (ah, we lived in Asia, and I simply love plain PURI basmati rice), which I served in side bowls.
As for dessert, a chocolate fondant.
All wrapped up in Champagne!
La Fête du Fromage - Vieux-Boulogne
La factrice* screeched to a halt in front of the house the other day and presented me with a small, white paper wrapped box that she was holding at arm's length.
"C'est du fromage, oui?" she asked.
I saw Jean-Pierre and Agnès's return address on the box, shrugged and responded, "Je ne sais pas."
"My van stinks of cheese and the odor is coming from that box," she replied. I offered my sincere apologies and she wobbled off in her black stiletto boots, mumbling about the offensive smell.
I brought the box up to my nose and took a sniff. WOW! It did stink!
The box revealed a real treasure; Vieux-Boulogne from the famous Maître Fromager/Affineur, Philippe Olivier, in Boulogne-sur-Mer.
What a fantastic gift!
Jean-Pierre and Agnès left for Boulogne early last week to visit family before flying off to Thailand for a well deserved vacation. They went to Philippe Olivier to buy some cheese for their daughter who lives in Thailand, and decided to surprise us with some too.
These two have been incredibly supportive of our French food education over the last 8 years, introducing us to frog's legs, rabbit, Boulette d'Avesnes and Époisses.
I hope they didn't try to take Vieux-Boulogne on the airplane. Their fellow passengers would have suffered!
Vieux-Boulogne was voted the smelliest cheese in the world a few years ago. No wonder! I doubt that la factrice's olfactory receptors will easily forget its pungent odor.
However, this cheese's bark is much worse that its bite. While it isn't the mildest cheese I've ever tasted, its flavor definitely doesn't match the strength of its aroma.
Vieux-Boulogne, also called Sablé du Boulonnais, is produced in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The cheese is described as pré-salé, meaning "salted pasture," as the cows graze in pastureland near the sea outside of Boulogne-sur-Mer.
The salt flavor comes through, adding another layer to its substantial, mushroomy, rich flavor. The pale orange rind is continuously washed in beer during its affinage, but neither the smell nor flavor of beer is apparent.
This one pairs perfectly with Champagne. I wish I could buy another piece of this memorable cheese to add to the cheese platter I'm composing for Christmas dinner. Vieux-Boulogne is delicious!
Merci Jean-Pierre and Agnès!
*The mailwoman
"C'est du fromage, oui?" she asked.
I saw Jean-Pierre and Agnès's return address on the box, shrugged and responded, "Je ne sais pas."
"My van stinks of cheese and the odor is coming from that box," she replied. I offered my sincere apologies and she wobbled off in her black stiletto boots, mumbling about the offensive smell.
I brought the box up to my nose and took a sniff. WOW! It did stink!
The box revealed a real treasure; Vieux-Boulogne from the famous Maître Fromager/Affineur, Philippe Olivier, in Boulogne-sur-Mer.
What a fantastic gift!
Jean-Pierre and Agnès left for Boulogne early last week to visit family before flying off to Thailand for a well deserved vacation. They went to Philippe Olivier to buy some cheese for their daughter who lives in Thailand, and decided to surprise us with some too.
These two have been incredibly supportive of our French food education over the last 8 years, introducing us to frog's legs, rabbit, Boulette d'Avesnes and Époisses.
I hope they didn't try to take Vieux-Boulogne on the airplane. Their fellow passengers would have suffered!
Vieux-Boulogne was voted the smelliest cheese in the world a few years ago. No wonder! I doubt that la factrice's olfactory receptors will easily forget its pungent odor.
However, this cheese's bark is much worse that its bite. While it isn't the mildest cheese I've ever tasted, its flavor definitely doesn't match the strength of its aroma.
Vieux-Boulogne, also called Sablé du Boulonnais, is produced in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The cheese is described as pré-salé, meaning "salted pasture," as the cows graze in pastureland near the sea outside of Boulogne-sur-Mer.
The salt flavor comes through, adding another layer to its substantial, mushroomy, rich flavor. The pale orange rind is continuously washed in beer during its affinage, but neither the smell nor flavor of beer is apparent.
This one pairs perfectly with Champagne. I wish I could buy another piece of this memorable cheese to add to the cheese platter I'm composing for Christmas dinner. Vieux-Boulogne is delicious!
Merci Jean-Pierre and Agnès!
*The mailwoman
The Prettiest Orange Juice Ever
We have been enjoying the prettiest orange juice ever. It comes from oranges sanguines, and I'm sure one of my readers will be kind enough to remind me of how to say that in English. I place my bets on Mimi to leave this information in a comment, but then again I could be wrong...
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