Hello French Market friends,
This
week in France, on the 27thof March, will be the National Cheese celebration Day. Created in 2001, to remind consumers and gourmet food lovers alike, that the French speciality of Lait Cru (raw milk) cheeses are of national importance. These speciality cheeses symbolise the French culture, the knowledge how to produce the cheese, the diversity of the countryside, the different breeds of cows that produce the milk and France’s global gastronomic reputation. Many cheeses are traditionally made in small local dairies and carry the AOP designation (identification that the cheese has been produced according to strict regulations to ensure the source of the milk and traditional methods have been used in creating the cheese) to ensure the authentic flavour and textures are reproduced.
To help you enjoy the French National Cheese Day, in our shop this week we have cheese from many diff
erent regions around France. We have received some beautiful raw milk cheese, Mont D’Or vacherin, Camembert from the Normandie region, Reblochon and Tomme from Savoie, Morbier and Comte from the Jura. We have washed rind cheeses Epoisses from Burgundy, Munster from Alsace, Pont l’Eveque from Normandie, Pie d’Anglois from the Loire and St Nectaire from the Auvergne. Also, from the Auvergne we have blue cheeses, the Fourme d’Ambert and Bleu d’Auvergne. We have Roquefort from the hotter southern region. In our pasteurised milk cheeses we have some triple cream Delice from Burgundy and large wheels of Brie. There is a taste and texture for everyone to enjoy on the French National Cheese Day.
In our charcuterie range we have fresh sliced creamy duck mousse, large and small sized saucisson sec style salamis, plain pork and truffle flavoured. We have sliced prosciutto crudo and Mortadella from Italy. We also have a range of French terrines and rillettes in jars which are useful for snacks and picnics.
In our seafood range we have white and brown anchovies, black lumpfish roe, pink salmon roe and caviar. Remember that we can order fresh black mussels and oysters from the West Coast, we need 48 hours notice. We can also get whole fresh sea bass, it’s really beautiful and large, you need to be having a big party to eat all that fish.
In our frozen range we have plenty of croissants, pain au chocolat, baguettes and pastries from France that you bake at home. We also have frozen filled pastas, tagliatelle and spaghetti from Italy. Plus we have lots of Italian sauces to go with the pasta.
We received a new stock of Dijon mustards and vinegars including aged red wine vinegar and Jerez vinegar from Edmond Fallot. We also received Walnut oil and Hazelnut oil produced by La Tourangelle.
Come in and see our latest products or visit our website and check what is in stock at www.frenchmarket.co.za Remember you can pre-order on line then collect in the shop if you prefer.
With the abundant crop of figs currently in season, I seem to always end up with a few soft ones which I then turn into a dish. This week I decided to make some fig and cinnamon chutney. This is a really simple recipe using ripe figs, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and cinnamon sticks. It only took a few minutes to prepare then I let it simmer until it went gooey. Because of the cinnamon flavour and thick texture, the resulting chutney tastes a bit like a mince pie filling and pairs well with our cheese. I made a couple of extra jars for the shop. See recipe below.
I wish you a tranquil weekend and hope to see you again soon!
Regards