Four years ago, the first thing I did in Paris was head to a local supermarket and buy six different varieties of cheese. I ate cheese for breakfast, for lunch, for dinner and of course with glasses of wine. I was literally in cheese heaven! As someone who loves cheese, a meeting with cheesemonger Francois Robin at a recent event at The Lodi, made for a wonderful evening. Voted one of the best cheesemongers in France, the specially-curated cheese tasting event by Robin, organised by European Union and CNIEL, was a feast for the taste buds.
The recipes combined vegetarian French cheese and Indian spices and ingredients and were a treat for the cheese lover as well as the novice. This adaptability with the local palate is what was stressed upon by Robin, as that increases the popularity of cheese in a country.
“I’ve run several blind tasting sessions with Indian bloggers and found that for Indian palates, Comté PDO (a label that ensures the origin and quality of the cheese) is for sure a keeper,” Robin says when asked which French cheeses he feels works best for Indian taste buds. “Goat cheese is also something that seems to fit Indian palates, especially with fresh coriander and sesame. Surprisingly, blue cheeses are acclaimed too, even though the taste is more intense and lasts longer.”
Following are Robin’s tips on procuring and storing cheese:
For a first-time buyer: Try to select a variety of aspects and textures, if not aromas. You should start somewhere knowing that you may not love every single cheese, and that’s ok. But if you invite friends to share, you’ll be surprised by the variety of different tastes that we have. So follow your instinct ant take the time to taste carefully every cheese you find. You can also add some dried fruits and chutneys to your platter.
Storage: No choice but the fridge in the original wrapping packaging. You may put the cheeses out of the fridge 30 minutes before eating. You can store the cheese in the vegetable part so it doesn’t smell up the fridge and capture the aromas of other stored foods.