Behind the French Menu

Petit-Suisse - Petit-Suisse Cheese. Petit-Suisse is a Very Special Cheese From France.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Petit-suisse and strawberries.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/eljay/3482834275/

Petit-suisse cheese.

Petit-suisse is a fresh white cheese. Many people, including many children, and I, even now, dearly love this soft white French cheese, especially when mixed with sugar and or berries or strawberries.

Petit-suisse is one of the few fresh cows’ milk cheeses that have made a national name for themselves. This cheese was created on a small farm and dairy in the region of Picardie, France, now part of the region of Hautes de France. The farm’s owner, Madame Picarde Hérould, in the 1850’s, interested a young Parisian called Charles Gervais in the production of her locally popular cheese. Charles Gervais had one taste and was hooked and together with Madame Hérould opened a larger factory over the regional border in Normandy. Now they would sell Petit-suisse to Paris and follow that up with the rest of France, and they did.

A Petit- suisse six pack.

Petit-Suisse is a fromage frais, a fresh cheese; it is a smooth and creamy, soft, white cheese made from pasteurized cow's milk enriched with cream. The two most popular versions of Petit-Suisse have a fat content of 9% and 18%, high for a soft cheese and notwithstanding that originally it was even higher; there is a version made with skimmed milk wit These are small fresh cheeses made in individual packages; the standard weight is 30 grams (1 ounce) with a larger size weighing 60 grams (2 ounces).

Charles Gervais eventually bought Madame Hérould’s holding in the factory along with all the rights to make her cheese. Other cheeses and milk products followed, and the Gervais cheese and milk company was on its way. Charles Gervais passed away in 1892, and in 1973 the Gervais Company merged with the largest International French food company Danone. Danone is Dannon in the USA.

Danone-Gervais Petit-suisse.

As a child, I thought Petit-suisse, which means a little Swiss in French, came from Switzerland as it name might seem to imply. Despite the name Petit Suisse is of 100% French origin with history giving one of the cheese’s unknown creators Swiss nationality, hence the name. Today, this individual is remembered only as the man, or woman, from Switzerland, and he or she is assigned a wide variety of responsibilities in the company. Other histories give a Madame Etienne Pommel from Normandy the original recipe for the cheese and indicate that she sold that recipe to Madame Hérould. It would appear that the true origins of the name “Petit-suisse” and the name of the recipe’s creator was lost along the whey!

Petit-Yoplait 0% fat.

Competing with Gervais-Danone now is Yoplait and Nestle among others. Yoplait offers fruit flavored Petit Yoplait, and Nestlé offers a Hello Kitty Petit Suisse. Petit-Yoplait is also seen in versions from 0% fat and up. Gervais-Danone has, so far, kept to the original format and while they also sell the cheese in plastic six-packs within that container every cheese is still wrapped individually. I remember the fun of unwrapping these individual little cheeses, and that was before there were six-packs; that wrapper made the little cheese unique.

Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Épaule d'Agneau – Shoulder of Lamb in French Cuisine.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Braised shoulder of lamb

Photograph courtesy of Beck

https://www.flickr.com/photos/beckayork/5023110182/

Épaule d'Agneau or Épaule d'Agneau Entièr – Shoulder of lamb; the shoulder will include part of the front leg. Shoulder of lamb is popular in French restaurants, and while it is less expensive than most other cuts, it is equally flavorful.

Lamb shoulder on French Menus:

Épaule d'Agneau Cuit à la Broche - Shoulder of lamb cooked on a spit.

Épaule d'Agneau Cuite Entière avec l'Os aux Herbes (Pour 3 ou 4 Personnes) – A whole, very small shoulder of lamb, probably weighing around 1.2 5 kilos (2.8 lbs) cooked with the bone, which is half of the weight, and flavored with herbs. This menu listing is offered for three or four diners ordering together.

Barbecued shoulder of lamb.

Photograph courtesy of Beck

https://www.flickr.com/photos/beckayork/4693051762/

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

Apples and honey

Photograph courtesy of stu_spivack

https://www.flickr.com/photos/stuart_spivack/298494754/

Never a mixture, a hodgepodge or an assortment

Méli-mélo in French can mean a mixture, a hodgepodge or an assortment. However, in the French kitchen a dish with méli-mélo in its name should never be any of those. Méli-mélo comes from ancient Greek where meli was honey and melo (melon) was an apple; both were already highly valued for their taste and texture and their importance is seen in Greek mythology. Méli-mélo in French cuisine will be part of a name given to dishes that offer contrasting, but well-matched tastes, textures, and colors in foods that are served together.

Méli-mélo on French menus:

Méli mélo de Framboise et Meringue - Meli- melo of raspberries and meringue. That will be the matching and contrasting tastes, textures, and colors between the raspberries and the meringue.

Méli-mélo de Legumes Croquants, Magret de Canard Fumé, Vinaigrette à l'Orange – The matching and contrasting tastes and textures of crunchy fresh vegetables and smoked duck breast served with an orange flavored sauce vinaigrette.

Salmon and beef filet, tenderloin.

Photograph courtesy of Kurman Communications, Inc.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/kurmanphotos/14008156631/

Méli-mélo de Noix de Saint-Jacques et Queues d'Écrevisses – The matching and contrasting tastes and textures of King Scallop meat and crayfish tails.

Méli-mélo de Salades au Magret de Canard Fumé et Foie Gras – A salad with the contrasting tastes and textures of smoked duck breast and fattened duck's liver.

Vegetable meli-melo.
What could look more méli-mélo?

Photograph courtesy of woodleywonderworks

https://www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/5966002706/

Méli-mélo de Sandre et de Truite, Sauce au Savagnin de Pupillin -A contrast in tastes and textures with zander (pike-perch) and trout prepared with the Savagnin sweet wine from the community of Pupillin in the département of Jura in the région of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

Méli-mélo de Saumon Fumé et Saumon Gravelax, Crème Légère au Piment d'Espelette - Highlighted contrasts between smoked salmon and salmon gravlax served with a light, fresh cream flavored with Espelette peppers.

Grapes and cheese.

Photograph courtesy of Jordan Johnson

https://www.flickr.com/photos/winestyr/8692988715/

Some chefs just seem to like the words méli-mélo and the dishes they produce may stray far from the original meaning and be more like a jumble of ingredients. If it is not clear from the menu how the tastes and textures and colors on the dish offered are supposed to contrast and to complement each other, ask or choose something else.

The Greeks not only influenced French cuisine with the contrasting tastes and textures of apple and honey. At the beginning of the Jewish New Year apple and honey are served together and blessed, expressing hopes for a " good and sweet" New Year.