Behind the French Menu

Brie: That Wonderful French cheese.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Brie de Melun

Photograph courtesy of SPLO, La Société des Produits Laitiers de l’Ouest

Brie, the cheese.

Brie is a 27.5% fat, semi-soft, French cow’s milk cheese aged from six to ten weeks before sale and holds second place on the cheese world popularity stakes; camembert is number one. Brie and Camembert are both semi-soft cheese with similarities in their method of production and texture, but with clear differences in their tastes.

Candied pine nut and crusted brie salad.

Photograph courtesy of Foodista.

www.flickr.com/photos/foodista/3694879890/

A brie may be eaten just as soon as it's sold, but if the cheese is very firm when pressed in the center that indicates it is not ripe. A perfectly ripe brie will feel soft when pressed in the center and when it is cut it will show a slightly bulging center. When brie begins to run, it is over-ripe.

A ripe wedge of Brie de Melun.

Photograph courtesy of Frédérique Voisin-Demery.

www.flickr.com/photos/vialbost/8751715300

The origin of Brie's name.

Brie’s name comes from the historic French region called Brie Française, now part of the department of Seine-et-Marne in the Ile de France region next to Paris. That historic region gave its name to the cheese, which has its own history dating back to the Middle-Ages. The bread called Brié (note the accent over the é) is a bread from Normandy that has no connection to the cheese. For more about French bread click here.

Brie on French menus:

Brie Croustillant et Truffe Tuber Mélanosporum – A crisply baked brie served with the black Périgord truffle.

Entrecôte au Brie de Meaux – An rib-eye steak grilled with Brie de Melun.

Smoked salmon and brie.

Photograph courtesy of Simon Law

www.flickr.com/photos/sfllaw/3225927554/

Escargots de la Butte de Marolles en Brie et sa Crème d'Ail – Petit Gris snails from the respected Butte de Marolles snail farm prepared with brie and a Cream of garlic sauce.

Rôti Porc Farci au Brie De Melun – Roast pork stuffed with Brie de Melun.

Terrine de Brie de Meaux aux Herbes Fraiches et aux Noix, Sorbet Vinaigrette – A pot of Brie de Meaux mixed with fresh herbs and walnuts served with a vinaigrette sorbet.

Truite Poêlée au Brie Parfumé à l’Estragon – Trout fried with brie and flavored with tarragon.

A toasted brie sandwich.

Photograph courtesy of Ruth Hartnup

www.flickr.com/photos/ruthanddave/36070655283/

Brie and brie type cheeses are also made in other parts of France, though only two bries, the Brie de Meaux, and the Brie de Melun carry the Pan-European AOP (AOC) label for their unique origin and method of manufacture. Both bries are still made in the historic Brie Française region with unpasteurized milk; pasteurized milk versions are available for export. Despite their lack of AOP labels, there are other French bries and brie-like cheeses that are really excellent.

Buying a Brie.

If you are considering buying a brie in France, to take home, be aware that it will not continue to ripen once it has been opened. Go to a fromagerie, a professional cheese shop, and ask for a brie that will be ready in a day or two, or week, no longer. Have the cheese vacuum-wrapped and when you get home keep it in the refrigerator, not the freezer. Take the cheese out of the refrigerator an hour before serving; any brie left over should be wrapped in plastic wrap and kept in the refrigerator. The leftover brie should be served over the next few days as after that it will begin to dry out. For a lexicon on buying cheese in France and taking it home click here/

France’s two most famous Bries.

Brie de Meaux AOP

A whole Brie de Meaux weighs close to 3 kilos (6.5 lbs), and its diameter is that of a large pizza, approximately 36 cm (14 “), and 3 cm (1”) thick. If you are in France and a true brie lover, then visit the town for dinner as it is just 22 km (14 miles) from Euro-Disney and 55 km (34 miles) from Paris, 45 minutes by train. On the second Saturday in October join in the annual Fete de Brie de Meaux.

Brie de Meaux

Photograph Meaux Tourist Information Office.

The annual Brie de Meaux celebration is held at the same time as the Autumn fair of Meaux; this celebration is organized by the Confrérie des Compagnons du Brie de Meaux, the brother, and sisterhood of the Companions of the Brie from Meaux.

The Confrérie de Brie de Meaux.

Confrérie des Compagnons du Brie de Meaux

Meaux is not only famous for its cheese but also for its old style mustard, entirely different to Dijon mustards. To check dates and see what else can be enjoyed in and around Meaux see the town’s French-language web site using Google translate or Bing translate at http://www.ville-meaux.fr/

Brie de Melun AOP

A whole Brie de Melun is a smaller cheese that the Brie de Meaux, but still weighs 1.7 kilos (3.75 lbs), and is four cms (1.6”) thick. Meaux is just 18 km (11 miles) from the Château de Fontainebleau and 42 km (26 miles) from Paris, 40 minutes by train. The town of Meaux celebrates their cheese on the first Sunday in October at their annual Fête du Brie de Melun organized by their confrérie, the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Brie de Melun, the Brotherhood and Sisterhood of the Knights of the Brie from Melun.

Apart from tasting the cheese and other local products at their fete, many restaurants in the area will be offering brie centric menus. To check the dates and to see what else is in and around Melon use Google or Bing translate with the town’s French-language web site at www.ville-melun.fr.

Confrérie de Brie de Melun

Photograph from the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Brie de Melun

Tasting Bries.

I was able to taste the two famous bries together; both were perfectly ripened, and incredibly they were served with a glass of white port. That was a uniquely enjoyable experience in an exceptional Parisian restaurant and cheese store. Both are great cheeses and with their slightly different tastes, and I can only confirm that they are both excellent; neither can take second place. By the way, a brie’s rind may be eaten, it has a different taste and texture to the cheese but eating a small amount of rind will add to the enjoyment.

One note about brie tasting; any brie that smells of ammonia is stale and far past its sell-by date. That smell means the cheese is really off, send it back, or if at home, throw it in the bin, I don’t think that even mice will eat stale a brie.

The Coulommiers’ cheese

There are other bries and brie-like cheeses made in France with the most famous being the Coulommiers’ cheese. Coulommiers is often called the Petit Brie de Coulommiers, the Small Brie of Coulommiers, as the cheese’s taste may easily be mistaken for one of the two famous AOP Bries. Coulommiers like the two more famous bries is made in the historical region of Brie Française

The Coulommiers cheese.

The Coulommiers brie-like cheese comes in a thin wooden box with a 500 gram (1.1 lb) cheese. The box may make you think of a Camembert; however, the cheese tastes like brie and its box is clearly marked.

Taste many wines, cheeses and the best bries of France.

To taste all the best Bries and many other kinds of cheese visit Coulommiers during its four-day Foire aux Fromages et Vins, their wine and cheese fair. The fair has nearly 400 exhibitors with wines, many wonderful cheeses including all the best brie and brie-like cheeses. The fair begins on the 2nd Friday in April through the following Monday. This very popular fair is visited by over 60,000 people annually.

The route to the Chateau de Fontainebleau,

and Melun,Euro-Disney, Meaux, and Coulommiers.

Coulommiers is just 29 km (18 miles) from Eurodisney and 64 km (40 miles) from Paris and 1 hour and 20 minutes by train. Coulommiers is also just 28 km, (18 miles) from Meaux and 50 km (31miles) from Melun.

Brie cheeses around the world.

Brie cheeses, like many other French cheeses, are copied all over the world. After you have tasted a perfectly ripened brie in France, only then you may then judge where the best bries come from.

Tasmanian Heritage Double Brie Cheese

Photograph courtesy of Woolworths AU

Bries like many other originally French cheeses have lost the copyrights to their name; however, imported real French Bries are available in most countries when made with pasteurized milk and a good cheese shop should offer a well-ripened brie,

-------------------------------------

Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Searching for the meaning of words, names or phrases

French menus?

Just add the word, words, or phrase that you are searching for to the words "Behind the French Menu" and search with Google. Behind the French Menu’s links include hundreds of words, names, and phrases that are seen on French menus. There are over 450 articles that include over 4,000 French dishes with English translations and explanations.

Ail - Garlic. Garlic in French Cuisine.

Buying Cheese in France. Bringing French Cheese Home and a Lexicon for buying French Cheese.

Camembert Cheese; France's most Famous Cow's Milk Cheese.

Confréries – The Brother and Sisterhoods that Promote and Defend the Foods and Wines of France.

Coulommiers Cheese. If You Want a Great Brie That Costs Less Try the Petit Brie de Coulommiers

Entrecôte (Entrecote). Ordering a Perfect Entrecote Steak in France.

Escargots - Snails. Snails on French Menus. How to Order Snails in France.

Estragon - Tarragon. Tarragon, the herb, in French Cuisine.

French Bread - Different Types of French Bread. Ordering Bread in France.

Moutarde – Mustard. Mustard (Including Dijon Mustard) in French cuisine.

Noix – The Walnut. France’s Beloved Nut. The Walnut on French Menu

Saumon, Saumon Atlantique - Salmon. Salmon on French Menus. Atlantic Salmon is the only Salmon Generally Available in France.

Sorbet - Sorbet. Sorbets on French Menus.

Truite - Trout, the Fish. Trout in French Cuisine.

Vinegar, Vinaigrette and Verjus in French Cuisine.

What are the AOCs and AOPs on France's Foods and Wine labels?

Vinegar, Vinaigrette and Verjus in French Cuisine.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

The production of vinegar.

Drawing by Louis Figuier, (1819-1894).

Photograph courtesy of Biblioteca de la Faculthe ltad

de Derecho y Ciencias del Trabajo.

The University of Seville, Spain.

Vinaigre -Vinegar

To make a good salad is to be a brilliant diplomatist---the problem is entirely the same in both cases. To know exactly how much oil one must put with one's vinegar.

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900).

Author, poet, and playwright was born in Dublin he died in Paris.

From the play Vera, or the Nihilists.

This was the first play written by Oscar Wilde and was published in 1880.

Vinaigre – Vinegar; the word comes from the French for sour wine, vin aigre. Despite vinegar’s origins in today’s French kitchens, plain wine vinegars have a great deal of competition. Flavored wine vinegars and fruit vinegars are in every restaurant and home kitchen. Among the many fruit vinegars, Normandy and Brittany promote cider vinegars alongside their famous ciders and apple brandies. All over France distilleries producing alcoholic fruit eau-de vies will be out there selling their fruit vinegar as they are valuable by-products. The traditional sauce vinaigrette was made with wine vinegar. Nevertheless, fruit vinegars and of course, that much enjoyed Italian import balsamic grape vinegar is often in contention. When wine vinegar is used, then the name of the wine that was used to create the vinegar is usually on the menu.

Chevreuil Rôti, Béarnaise au Vinaigre de Banyuls, Purée de Panais et Échalotes - Roast roe deer, served with a Béarnaise sauce flavored with vinegar from the famous sweet wines from the town of Banyuls sur Mer on the Mediterranean coast.

Cœur de Bœuf, Rôtie au Vinaigre Chardonnay, Salade et Truffe d'Été - The beefsteak tomato roasted and served with a salad with winter truffles flavored with chardonnay wine vinegar.

Choose your vinegar

Photograph courtesy of Bon Appétit

Fines Tranches d’Agneau, Vinaigre de Merlot, Huile de Noisettes Courgettes et Tomates Confites, Racines d’Hiver. Thin slices of lamb served with merlot wine vinegar and hazelnut oil, accompanied by a thick and sweet courgette, the USA zucchini, and tomato jam and winter root vegetables.

Tranches de Foie Gras aux Figues et Gelée au Vinaigre de Muscat de Rivesaltes – Slices of fattened duck's liver served with its own jelly and a fig jam flavored with vinegar from the sweet Muscat de Riversaltes wine.

Vinaigre Balsamique - Balsamic vinegar.

Balsamic vinegar is only legally produced in and around the city of Modena, Italy. Despite balsamic vinegar’s Italian provenance, the French recognize and happily receive the best products from around the world and they incorporate them in their kitchen. Balsamic vinegar is very popular and its use will be noted on the menu.

Testing Balsamic Vinegar in Modena, Italy

Photograph courtesy of Marenello.

Balsamic vinegar comes from the Trebbiano grape. It owes its unique taste not only to that grape but also to the manner in which it is aged. The aging process takes the vinegar through to five different wooden barrels, each adding to the flavor. This grape vinegar is unlike most grape-based vinegars as it was never a wine. However; despite never having been a wine the vinegar itself does ferment. Then, as part of its aging, the cellar master, as with fine wines, must evaluate the exact amount of fermentation as the vinegar passes through the five barrels: oak, chestnut, cherry, ash and finally mulberry, before being bottled. A young balsamic vinegar will rarely be less than five years old.

The finest balsamic vinegars are aged for 15 to 30 years and are more expensive than many fine wines. Foods and salads prepared with balsamic vinegar offer a different and unique taste.

Salade de Chèvre Chaud, Échalotes Rôties au Vinaigre Balsamique- A hot goats’ cheese salad served with roasted shallots and Balsamic vinegar.

Cailles Rôties et Pimientos au Chèvre Frais, Vinaigre Balsamique Réduit - Roasted quail and sweet peppers and fresh goat’s cheese served with a thickened balsamic vinegar sauce.

Risotto aux Légumes, Vieux Vinaigre Balsamique, Roquette et Parmesan - A vegetable risotto flavored with an aged Balsamic vinegar, rocket and Parmesan cheese.

Magret de Canard au Miel et Vinaigre Balsamique – Duck breast cooked with a honey and Balsamic Vinegar sauce.

Soupe de Fraise au Vinaigre Balsamique - A cold strawberry soup flavored with Balsamic Vinegar.

Steak, rocket and aged Balsamic vinegar.

Photograph courtesy of wEnDy

www.flickr.com/photos/wwny/655374509/

Balsamic sauce

A balsamic sauce sometimes called a Balsamic reduction is made by heating Balsamic vinegar until it slowly concentrates and thickens. This process results in the quantity being reduced and that explains the term reduction. The process intensifies the flavor of the Balsamic vinegar and may be added to a sauce or cooked directly with meat dishes. A balsamic sauce will also add a rush of flavor to salads

Vinaigre d'Orléans – The vinegar of Orleans. A wine vinegar from the town most associated with Joan of Arc. Orleans is on the Loire river in the valley of the Loire. This vinegar is aged for a minimum of six months before being sold.

Salade de Mâche et Betteraves et Vinaigre d'Orléans "Vieille Réserve”. - A salad of France’s wonderful lambs’ lettuce salad greens, beetroots, and an especially old Orleans vinegar.

Ravioles d'Épinards, Sauce au Vinaigre d'Orléans. Spinach ravioli served with an Orleans vinegar sauce.

Vinaigre de Cidre – Cider vinegar. Most cider vinegars though fermented are made from apple juice before it has become cider. Despite that, there is a great deal of competition for the sale of cider vinegars and some will be aged in oak barrels. Chefs use cider vinegar in recipes where its unique taste makes a difference. Still, cider vinegar is a strong tasting vinegar and so it is used carefully.

At one-time cider vinegar was sold like a patent medicine or a cure-all and it is still recommended for its homeopathic properties. Maybe there is something in that “apple a day.”

Colvert Rôti, Navets Confits au Vinaigre de Cidre – Mallard duck served with a sweet turnip jam flavored with cider vinegar.

Pavé de Cabillaud Rôti au Vinaigre de Cidre, Pot au Feu de Légumes - A thick slice of roasted cod flavored with cider vinegar and served with a vegetable pot au feu, a heavy stew.

Suprême de Pintadeau Braisé aux Pommes et Vinaigre de Cidre – Guinea hen breast braised with potatoes and flavored with cider vinegar.

Vinaigre de Fraises - Strawberry vinegar. Strawberry vinegar may be either a flavored wine vinegar or a vinegar made from a strawberry eau-de-vie. Strawberry vinegar along with other sweet berry and fruit vinegars are mostly used to flavor sauces. The examples below show just three fruits, but practically every fruit that is made into an alcoholic eau de vie also has its own vinegar.

Carpaccio de Lotte au Vinaigre de Fraises. – A monkfish Carpaccio marinated in strawberry vinegar.

Rhubarbe et Vinaigre de Fraises- Rhubarb cooked with strawberry Vinegar.

Vinaigre de Framboise – Raspberry vinegar

Magret de Canard au Miel d'Acacia et Vinaigre de Framboise – Duck breast cooked in accacia honey and raspberry vinegar.

Spanish strawberry and raspberry vinegars.

Photograph courtesy of Esencia Andalusí

www.flickr.com/photos/esenciaandalusi/16344693545/

Salade de Gésiers d'Oie déglacée au Vinaigre de Framboise - A salad of goose gizzards cooked in a thickened raspberry vinegar.

Viinaigre de Jerez - See Vinaigre de Xérès .

Vinaigre de Pêches - Peach vinegar.

Aiguillettes de Canard au Vinaigre de Pêches. – Slices of duck flavored with peach vinegar.

Vinaigre de Pommes - Apple vinegar. See Vinaigre de Cidre.

Vinaigre de Reims (Le) – Reims Vinegar; a vinegar made from Champagne; this is considered to have a lighter touch than other wine vinegars. Reims is the largest city in the Champagne-Ardenne region and that region that is home to most of the Champagne vineyards.

Daurade Marinée, Pommes de Terre, Oignons Rouges au Vinaigre de Reims - Marinated gilthead sea bream, potatoes, red onions prepared with the Reims vinegar.

Entrecôte de Bœuf Échalottes au Vinaigre de Reims – An entrecote steak prepared with shallots and flavored with Reims vinegar. Reims is the most important town in the Champagne area and is made with Champagne.

Vinaigre Vieux - Aged vinegar. While the words aged vinegar could refer to any vinegar when no further description is offered it is an aged wine vinegar that will be used.

Farci de Tomate aux Fregola Sarde, Girolles et Vinaigre Vieux- Stuffed tomatoes with the unique Sardinian toasted wheat pasta prepared with chanterelle mushrooms and flavored with aged vinegar.

Pickling olives with red wine vinegar

Weeks after picking, the olives are jarred with a 3 to 1 mixture of water and red wine vinegar, oregano, lemon slices and garlic cloves. Ready for tasting in another 45 days. Photograph courtesy of Jessica Merz

www.flickr.com/photos/jessicafm/3139773279/

Vinaigre de Xérès - Sherry Vinegar. Despite its Spanish provenance, this is a very popular vinegar in French kitchens. Sherry vinegars are produced in the same area where sherry wines are produced in Spain. Sherry vinegar is aged in oak barrels for a minimum of six months and while in the barrel, like other wine vinegars, the presence of oxygen allows bacteria to convert the alcohol to vinegar. True vinegars have at least 6% acetic acid and sherry vinegars additionally have about 3% residual alcohol. The original taste of the sherry remains with the vinegar and allows it to produce some very special tastes. A sherry vinaigrette sauce with a salad can be wonderful.

Sherry Vinegar

Photograph courtesy of Terroirs

Like the producers of balsamic vinegar, sherry vinegar producers have realized that there is a great deal of added value when they sell well-aged and flavorsome vinegars. All sherry vinegars are aged in a barrel for at least six months and then may be sold as a Vinaigre de Jerez. Older sherry vinegars spend two years in a barrel, usually oak; these vinegars are called Gran Reserva, and their price is much higher than the six-month-old vinegars. After ten years in the barrel, a very expensive vinegar will be produced; this is a unique vinegar called Vinagre de Jerez Gran Reserva.

Ris de Veau, Risotto Arborio au Parmesan, Jus Aigre Doux au Vinaigre de Xéres. – Veal sweetbreads served with a risotto made with Arborio rice and Parmesan cheese and flavored with a sweet and sour sauce made with Sherry vinegar.

La Salade Tiède de Scampis Grillés au Vinaigre de Xérès et Pointes d'Asperges – A warm salad of grilled scampi, Dublin bay prawns, served with Sherry vinegar and asparagus tips.

Salade de Rillauds d'Anjou au Vinaigre de Xérès. A salad of spiced pork belly pieces, prepared in the manner of Anjou, cooked until crisp and crunchy.

Pigeon Entier, Désossé, Sauce au Miel et Vinaigre de Xérès – A whole pigeon, deboned and prepared in a sauce made of honey and sherry vinegar.

Vinaigrette - The most well known of all French sauces or salad dressings. The original and traditional French dressing is olive oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic and herbs. This is the dressing often just called a French dressing and that it is; it is also always better when tasted in France!

Vinaigrette olive oil and Balsamic vinegar

Photograph courtesy of Chris Dlugosz

www.flickr.com/photos/chrisdlugosz/3405367811/

Verjus - Juice from unripe grapes. Unripe grapes are not sweet and while verjus does not taste like vinegar it was used in the Middles Ages in much the same way as vinegar is used today. Then a few hundred years ago vinegar took over from verjus in the popularity polls. Now, knowledgeable chefs are looking at the different tastes that certain verjus’s create. They are using those tastes and putting them back on the menu and recreating flavors that were lost along with new creations. The name verjus is old French and simply means green juice.

A Flatiron (rare) steak, (Macreuse de Bœuf in French),

mushroom jerky, grape, verjus

Photograph courtesy of Krista

www.flickr.com/photos/scaredykat/8513826232/

Huîtres en Papillote au Verjus – Oysters baked with verjus inside a sealed baking parchment paper or aluminum foil. When ready the sealed parchment or foil will be placed on the table and opened in front of the diners. Then the concentrated aroma may be appreciated before the dish is served.

La Salade de Canard Fumé au Verjus – A salad made with smoked duck and served with verjus instead of a vinaigrette sauce.

Poitrine de Colvert au Verjus – Breast of mallard duck prepared with verjus.

--------------------------------

Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

--------------------------------

Searching for the meaning of words, names or phrases

French menus?

Just add the word, words, or phrase that you are searching for to the words "Behind the French Menu" (best when including the inverted commas), and search with Google, Bing, or another browser. Behind the French Menu’s links, include hundreds of words, names, and phrases that are seen on French menus. There are over 450 articles that include over 4,000 French dishes with English translations and explanations.

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