Bonjour French Market Friends,
This week in France all eyes are on the French Open at Roland Garros 
located in the 16ième Arrondissement of Paris. The Roland Garros French Open is in its 135th year and is the global leader in clay court Tennis Championships. The prize money of +EUR620,000 attracts all the top global tennis players. A part of the events in the first week raise funds for charity, over 600,000 Euros was raised this year. Due to the hot sunny weather in Paris right now, the clay courts are dryer which affects the performance of the tennis ball making it more powerful (Image courtesy Facebook Roland Garros). 
There will be lots of exciting games to watch while we sit at home in Cape Town, where our winter weather has settled in with drizzle, clouds and cooler temperatures. To cheer everyone up we have landed a couple of hundred kilos of cheese from Paris, with some new, smaller size cheeses to serve on your cheese board.
In 
our cow’s milk cheese range, in addition to kilos of aged Comte, we now have the addictive triple cream Delice in small tubs. The white crust contains the rich, delicate flavoured creamy centre, it is packed in a thin wooden box which makes a great gift. We also have this delicious triple cream with a layer of summer truffle running through the centre. The third type of small Delice is a new crustless, rich creamy spread flavoured with pieces of black summer truffle which can be layered on a chunk of freshly baked bread.
Another new range is 3 beautiful little logs of delicate flavoured, soft goat’s cheese. One is dusted in the traditional manner with a layer of wood ash. One is made with herbs and garlic, and the third is so pretty as it is rolled in a layer of dried flowers, which gives it a most attractive and colourful crust. An ideal centre piece for a cheese board.
We hav
e a new cheese made with sheep’s milk, this 150gr cheese wheel is made with a soft crust and creamy centre and looks similar to a small brie. Sheep’s milk is more delicate in flavour and suitable for people who find cow’s milk too rich or want to try something a bit different.
We have received our first stock of Vieux Mimolette that has been aged for at least 12 months. This cheese was first commissioned by Louis X1V the area
of Lille, to compete with the Dutch Gouda (which was banned at that time). It is made in a round ball shape with a dry crust. The centre is dark orange and has a firm texture and dark orange colour. The taste is strong and nutty. Our Vieux Mimolette comes in prepacked wedges.
We have restocked on the large bags of Torres black truffle chips, they are full 
of flavour and great to share with friends while you are watching the Tennis. Another favourite to nibble while you are watching tennis are the freshly baked cheese straws and the Dutch Emmental crisp biscuits. Pair these with beautiful large olives from Italy and crunchy cornichons (small gherkins) from Burgundy. Celebrate the winning matches with a glass of Tribaut Scholsser Brut Champagne.
We have a new stock of mini jars of fruit preserves to accompany your cheese board. These are made for us by Leo, a beautiful French woman who handcrafts the preserves using the best of local fruit.
One of my favourite starters is vol-aux-vents (fly-in-the-wind). These light, puff pastry cases were first written about in France in the 1800s. They are usually 
served filled with a creamy savoury filling. We stock two sizes of ready made vols-aux-vents from Holland. One is a mini size, ideal to serve at cocktails as an aperitif. The larger size is ideal as a starter or light main course. Often they are filled with a creamy Bechamel sauce containing a variety of ingredients such as chicken, fish or mushrooms. They are also practical for using up small pieces of left overs mixed in a sauce or mayonnaise.
In my recipe this week I am sharing a filling for Vol-au-Vents with local Cape salmon and fresh thyme, topped with grilled Comte. This makes a tasty and light dish which I suggest pairing with some of our Chablis, produced by J.Moreau.
I wish you a relaxing weekend, enjoy watching lots of tennis with a plate of our amazing French cheese and fresh baguettes.
Regards
Suzanne and The French Market Team