White cheese

Fromage blanc is a fresh cow’s milk cheese which is only aged for a few weeks, resulting in a soft texture and a tangy flavour, a bit like yoghurt. Herbs, spices, or fruit preserves etc. can be added to make spreads and dips. For l’olivade de fromage blanc / olive and fresh cheese spread, I crushed stoned black olives and mixed these into the cheese along with some finely chopped onion and chives, then stirred in some extra virgin olive oil. I seasoned with a little salt, packed the spread into a bowl, covering with onion rings and more olive oil, and chilled in the fridge for 24 hours. I served on bread croutons.

Scrumptious biscuits

Les biscuits au Parmesan / Parmesan biscuits come highly recommended. I used my food processor to mix flour, grated parmesan, butter, salt, black and cayenne pepper, then slowly added a little cold water to make a dough. I formed into two cylinders, wrapped in cling-film, and left in the fridge overnight to firm up. The next day, I brushed the cylinders with beaten egg and rolled in sesame and nigella seeds, then re-wrapped and put back into the fridge for a few hours. I cut into small rounds, placed on a tray and baked in the oven for 20 minutes until golden-brown. A perfect accompaniment for an apéritif.

First market

We are back in France and asparagus caught my eye at our first market. I remember cooking white asparagus for the first time a few years ago and being pleasantly surprised by the result. So I decided to give le gratin d’asperges / asparagus baked in a cheese sauce another go. The vendor must have seen me coming because he chose the fattest stalks and I wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing! Anyway I scraped and washed the asparagus, using only the tender tips for this dish. These I fried briefly in butter with some smoked bacon lardons, adding salt and pepper and nutmeg, until slightly caramelised. I made a well seasoned béchamel sauce and tipped everything into a gratin dish topped with grated cheese (local Comté) and dotted with butter. This was baked in the oven until the top was crisp and golden. The result was as good as I had remembered with juicy asparagus complemented by the tasty sauce. A perfect dish for a cool spring day. And with the added bonus of asparagus soup made from the stalks on the following day.

Savoury or sweet?

For Shrove Tuesday, I decided to break with tradition and make savoury rather than sweet pancakes. For les crêpes au Roquefort / Roquefort pancakes, I made a batter with flour, salt, an egg, milk and water, and melted butter. I whisked the mixture well and left it to stand at room temperature for a couple of hours. I made a béchamel sauce, simmering it gently for 10 minutes to cook the flour. I added salt and pepper and grated nutmeg. I took the pan off the heat, and crumbled in some Roquefort cheese, stirring till smooth. I made the pancakes in the usual way, keeping them warm over a pan of simmering water. I placed some of the cheese filling into each one, folding over the edges to make a square, and placed them in a hot dish. I finished the pancakes with some melted butter and browned them under a hot grill.

Homemade quiche

We had Australian friends for lunch. It’s the first time they have visited this part of France and so I wanted to cook a traditional dish. I chose le flan de l’Aubrac / quiche of Cantal cheese. This tasty hard cheese (Cheddar would substitute) comes from the southern Massif Central a few hours east of us, but we have a herd of Salers cattle (whose milk produces the cheese) in our valley, so it seemed apt. I prepared some shortcrust pastry and lined a buttered flan tin. To make the filling, I heated butter with cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Then I sifted in some flour and whisked it till smooth and thick. I took the pan off the heat, added some egg yolks, and a handful of grated Cantal cheese. I beat the egg whites and folded these in too. I poured into the flan case and baked in a hot oven till golden.

Crowd-pleasing starter

We had our friends Lew and Rosalie for supper and I made les feuilletés au Roquefort / Roquefort in flaky pastry for the starter. I mixed some Roquefort and cream cheese together, adding seasoning and lemon juice. I moulded this into sausage shapes and placed in the fridge to firm up. I rolled out some flaky pastry, cut four rectangles, and brushed the edges with egg yolk. I placed a cheese sausage on each, folded the pastry over, and sealed the edges. I cut some slits in the top and glazed the top with more egg yolk. I placed in a hot oven for 15 minutes and served with a few salad leaves. Our guests were very enthusiastic!