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Lynn Deasy is a freelance writer, author, foodie, and garden tinkerer. She lives in a 600 year old house in southern France with her husband, Christophe. Currently, she is looking for a literary agent for her memoir CA VA? STORIES FROM RURAL LIFE IN SOUTHERN FRANCE which examines the oddities of French provincial living from an outsider’s point of view through a series of adventures that provide more than a fair share of frustration, education, admiration, and blisters…. yes, lots and lots of blisters. Lynn blogs every Monday, Wednesday, and sometimes Friday.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Cheese: Brique du Forez

Brique du Forez

Given the abundance of cheese France produces, I’ve decided to tackle the subject once a month in a series of posts that bring some of the lesser known cheeses, (at least outside the France borders) into focus.  Some cheeses have a complicated history which I try to boil down to what makes them unique and notable, and others simply developed from “farm cheeses” made to be consumed where they were produced.  Either way, “Cheese” gives me a chance to explore one of the gastronomic delights of France and justify my excursions to a cheese monger as “research”.  And the research can be oh, so grueling…


Cheese: Brique du Forez

Christophe noted a new cheese had been purchased when he opened the fridge this morning, “Whoa, not what I was expecting before my coffee”, he said taking a step back.  “What did you buy?”

Brique du Forez is a soft cheese, made from goat or sheep milk and sometimes mixed with cow’s milk.  Its form is notable: rectangular, 17 centimeters by 8 centimeters and 2.5 centimeters high.  The name, brique, comes from the form of its pine mold in which it is aged.   It is fabricated in Auvergne, Puy de Dôme, which is located in the central and rather cold part of the country.  Traditionally, it is made from raw milk, but like with many other cheeses, its producers are caving into market trends and creating a pasteurized version.

No considerable history on the cheese has been found, except for the fact that the fermentation process has been modified from pressure to the use of lactic curds over the last 20-30 years.

Its texture is creamy, soft and has a slightly hazelnut taste.

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