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The Franche-Comté is an area in eastern France, bordering Switzerland.
It lies south of Alsace and north of the Savoie. This beautiful area is very often overlooked by visitors to France as it is more rural and less known, However, from a cheese making standpoint, this mountainous region is home to many of the classic cheeses of France. Comté, Comte Montagné, Morbier, Bleu de Gex and Vacherin are all made in this region.
In 2000 I was lucky enough to visit some cheesemakers in the area with a few of my co-workers. We went to a very small fruitiére (Comté making facility) up in a mountain village, and we went to visit an affineur who tends to the aging of the wheels in natural caves. We tried to see the whole picture of cheese culture in the region by visiting small, medium and large makers, as well as cheese stores. It’s always interesting to see how cheese is sold and displayed in the local boutiques.
One of our really fun visits was to a facility run by the cheese making company of Jean Perrin. We had an excellent tour of their plant, and then they took us for a delicious lunch at the restaurant they run. The restaurant is open to the public and it also houses a cheese museum so it is a fun stop. For lunch (not dinner, just to be clear) we were all served a whole wheel of l’Edel de Cleron (200 grams) that had been heated until it was bubbly and runny. This lovely treat was nestled in a platter of two or three large potatoes and five types of locally made sausages. There was no way anyone could have eaten it all, but we valiantly tried.
Jean Perrin makes a whole range of traditional Franche-Comté cheeses, but they also make a few originals. We are able to get two of them regularly in our market. Fromager des Clarines is one that has just made a comeback after being absent for a few years. It is lush and rich with a lovely buttery texture. The other cheese is l’Edel de Cleron, an interesting soft cheese that is wrapped in spruce bark before it is ripened. The bark lends the cheese a very distinctive taste that is hard to describe, but personally I find it to be grassy, and just a tiny bit earthy towards the rind. The texture is lush and very smooth with a nice light finish. Although it is rich, it doesn’t coat your mouth and overwhelm your tastebuds, so it is a nice accompaniment to other cheeses. l’Edel is made with the milk from Montbeliard cows, like most of the other cheese in the area, and although it is similar to a pasteurized version of Vacherin, it has its own personality and flavour profile. I find it a happy pairing with many spicy white wines and of course in the classic French idea of terroir, it is a great marriage with wines from the Jura.
Tips for serving as a delicate “fondue”:
There are instructions on the box, and they work well. Cover the cheese loosely in tin foil and then place it on a tray in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. The company recommends serving with potatoes, vegetable and saucisson. Works for me!
The website for the visiting centre is www.hameaudufromage.com
*Here are a couple of interesting French wines, from Savoie and elsewhere, that would make a match for this flavoursome cheese ~ TR
