Help needed with French cheeses

[Pampy Profile]

That's Laughing Cow in the UK. I've always thought it is a bit like Primula.

[mark111757 Profile]

Laughing cow here in the states too. I have seen on Facebook a recipe for that wrapped in puff pastry. sounded dee-lish to me. A posh snack to be sure

[Joanbunting Profile]

Vache qui rit is just like dairylea ie it is some way removed from real cheese. Primula is much nicer though you can't call that cheese either.

I wouldn't have been impressed to be offered it for breakfast !

[Pampy Profile]

Have to disagree - I don't think it's like Dairylea (except that both are processed). Laughing Cow is much softer.

[Joanbunting Profile]

I wouldn't know Pampy, I've never knowingly eaten either Primula is another matter - not cheese but I like it !

[Stokey Sue Profile]

I used to like them all in my youth, preferably on hot crumpets

But having tried both Laughing Cow and Primula quite recently, all I can taste is the evaporated milk used to make it “creamy” Yuk.

[Alexandria Profile]

One of the best French cheeses we have
enjoyed on our yearly trips to Marseille, is from:

Maison Bedau ( Dairy Farm )
40 minutes from Marseille.

It is a memorable and
remarquable spreadable goat cheese
variety ..

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

Cantal

Sorry Maria and Joan.
I made a typo. And you are probably right about it being CanTal.

We did have a jolly plate of french cheeses on the ferry back.
Unfortunately forrus, the ferry was diddy, and didn't have a restaurant, which we always like.
Just the canteen, with average food we couldn't face.

So we stuck to the selection of cheeses, with rather nice rolls.
I liked the mini oval shaped one. Can't quite work out the name on the photo, but it might come to me.

[Wic Profile]

The little blue cheese looks like Caprice des Dieux, Gill. We like that, too, and usually buy it in France or Belgium. Really nice with a good baguette.

As an aside, I think it’s quite hard to find good baguettes nowadays. The supermarkets we used to use in Belgium made lovely, authentic ones, but now they seem to be just factory made in the right shape. Even some of the boulangeries are a bit dicey. We’ve tended to go for the boules lately.

[Binky Profile]

That's a very interesting comment about the baguettes.

A couple of years ago, we were in a small French village and used the boulangerie daily. He made a big thing of making proper bread, not factory-produced dough for baking on site.

His paper bags explained the whole deal about proper fresh bread and how the supermarkets were spoiling things. It looks like some bakers have now given in to the ease of factory dough, but you can tell the difference very quickly. I wish I'd saved the paper bag, it was quite political in a way!

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

That's the one, Wic. Well done.

We've got a boulangerie nearby.
With excellent sourdough baguettes breads and croissants etc. Run from an industrial unit.
I say nearby.
You have to drive there.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Local Turkish baker has been persuaded to make sourdough baguettes.

Not quite like the very best French but good.

Another cheese for the list Delice de Bourgogne, soft, creamy and quite sour. Lovely, especially if you run to Chablis with it!

[Joanbunting Profile]

Yes boulangeries in France are going through a difficult passage. There, like restaurants, are good ones and fake ones. You can always tell by the number of people queueing outside. Everyone knows the best one in the area.

Our village one is not bad if you know which type of bread to buy. His croissants are gorgeous , However there is one in the next village which is superb, bakes the bread in a proper wood fire oven. There is always a long line of local outside

Restaurants are the same. You get real honest ones for really cheap to top end and the dishonest ones which sneak in bought in dishes sous vide - yes even expensive ones.

[Alexandria Profile]

Joan,

You probably know ..

The Best French Baguettes I have ever had in France, are created in Normandy in a tiny town, and the flour is milled and prepared in the historical manner.

I believe the Founder of the Bakery´s 1st name is David.

He is quite renowned for his amazing knowledge, baked breads, and profiles of flour, in Normandy and Paris.

I would know his name if I saw it. Off the top of my head at the moment, it has slipped my mind however, it shall come to me.

This master of the Baguette opened a Bakery on the Docks of the Hudson River, in Manhattan several years ago as well as maintaining his Normandy establishment.

Have a lovely summer.
Best regards from Northern Portugal.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Best croissants I ever ate were in Brittany about 20 years ago, made by M Geogehegan. You could smell caramelised butter from about 1 km away as you approached the bakery

OH’s godson was a regional manager for La Ronde des Pains, a commercial organisation that supports bakers using the flours of Paris mills - obviously to sell flour, but Thibault seemed to give quite a lot of support too