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Comté (Gruyère)

PRINCE OF THE GRUYERE.

General information:
Origin: Franche-Comté, France.
Strength: Pressed, cooked.
Taste: wonderful, aromatic, fruity & very deep nutty flavor.

Fat content: Raw Cow Milk. 45% Fat in dry matter= 20% fat
Season: Fruity in summer, aromatic in winter.

Wine Pairing:

Jacquère grape wine, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris or Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon.

Description:

A spicy solid cheese, Comté, is from the Jura mountains in the region of Franche-Comté.
This French cheese has a diameter of 75 centimeters and a weight of 35 kilograms. The reason for this enormous size is in part due to its long tradition. In earlier times, large cheese wheels had the advantage that they could be stored for long periods of time, keeping throughout the long winter.

Comté has maintained its traditional production, and today it is produced by hand from raw milk and stored for at least three months. The milk is exclusively from cows of the Montbéliard breed, which graze on mountain meadows. Comté is also produced in Eastern Burgundy, parts of Lorraine, Champagne-Ardennes and Rhône-Alps.

As each raw milk cheese wheel is an individual, each tastes a little different depending on the season, degree of ripeness and on the cheese master. The flavor varies from fruity with summer Comté to nutty with winter Comté. It received the AOC seal (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) in 1952.

Recipes:

Crunchy Comté Croutons Salad

Serves: 4 persons.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes.

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

16 slices of Baguette,
16 slices of Comté cheese,
4 handful of mix greens salad,
One of Laurent Bonjour's salad dressing,
1 - 2 plum tomato
4 Tblsp of pinenuts.

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375F. Brush both sides of the sliced bread with olive oil and bake for 8 minutes or until golden. Top each bread crouton with a little sun dried tomato paste and slices of Comté cheese. Bake for further 5 minutes until the cheese has melted.
In a large salad bowl, toss together the salad leaves, baby plum tomatoes, pine nuts and one of Laurent Bonjour's salad dressing. Divide between 4 plates and top with the warm croutons. Serve immediately.

Bon appétit.

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