Back and forth, hither and yon – whether on my habitual trajectory between Touraine and Paris or further afield… destinations, encounters, events and observations I can’t resist sharing.

Best cheese plate assortment – Rodolphe Le Meunier

May 17, 2011

I asked Rodolphe to suggest four varieties to create a cheese plate for a dinner party. French cheese is classed into five main families, so I was limiting him somewhat. He might have preferred I said five, so he could pick one from each family.

Rodolphe begins by saying “At that time,” meaning “at this time of year (i.e. spring),” and goes on to propose several options for each of the first three selections.

Suggestions by family :

Chèvre/Goat – Couronne de Touraine or Pouligny.

Croûte Fleurie/Soft Ripened – Saint-Félicien, Saint-Marcelin or Brie de Meaux.

Pâte Pressée cuite ou non cuite/Cooked or Uncooked Pressed – Comté (cooked), Salers (uncooked), or Saint-Nectaire (uncooked).

Bleu/Blue or Croûte Lavée/Washed – For the fourth recommendation, he suggests including either a blue such as the Roquefort he has on the plate in front of him, or a washed (pronounced wa-shed in the film).  Munster, Livarot, Maroilles and Epoisses are from the washed (croûte lavée) cheese family.  They tend to be golden or orange in color and have a pungent aroma, although the taste is not as strong as the aroma suggests.

His specific recommendations for another time of the year would be different but he would still select one cheese from each family.

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