Recipes & Wine Pairing.

Roquefort

KING OF THE FRENCH BLUE CHEESE.

ONE OF THE 3 MUSKETEERS OF THE BLUE CHEESES.

General information:
Origin: Middle-Pyrénées, France
Strength: Strong
Taste: sheep's milk flavor, tangy, salty & strong.
Fat content: Raw Sheep Milk. 52% Fat in dry matter= 27% fat
Season: All year.

Wine Pairing:

Sauternes, Zinfandel, Banyuls, Muscat de Rivesaltes, or Port.

Description:

Roquefort, from the south of France, is characterized by its very white body pierced by blue-green  mould veins. It looks and seems crumbly but is exceptionally smooth and rich on the palate.
Excellent by itself, it is preferred by many when accompanied by butter and can be crumbled to add savory tang into sauces, onto baked potatoes – even into salad dressings.
A similar cheese to Roquefort existed in Roman times, and was mentioned by Plinius in the year 79 . In 1411, Karl VI allowed the inhabitants of Roquefort to have the monopoly for ripening this cheese in their caves. Even today, this cheese can only be ripened in the natural stone caves of the Mont Combalou in the community of Roquefort-sur-Sulzon.

In 1925 Roquefort was one of the first French cheeses to receive the AOC seal. No wonder the French call it the King of Cheeses.

Recipes:

Bacon wrapped Prunes

Serves:

Preparation Time: 10 minutes.

Cooking Time: 10 - 15 minutes

• figs,
• Roquefort,
• Slices of bacon.

Preparation:

Make a slit in pitted prunes and fill in with diced Roquefort then wrap in stretched pieces of streaky bacon.

Grill until golden and serve on tiny rounds of toast.
 

Bon appétit.

Roquefort and Clementine Lettuce cups

Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 15 minutes.

Cooking Time:

• 150g Roquefort,
• 1 gem lettuce,
• 3 clementines or 2 oranges,
• 30g sugar.

Preparation:

Peel off the of the gem lettuce, wash thoroughly and dry.
Peel the clemetines or oranges and break up into segments.
In a non-stick pan melt the sugar until it starts to colour slightly, then immediately add the segments for a few seconds and toss until coated in sugar, then remove from the pan and place on grease proof paper.
Distribute the segments between the lettuce leave, then crumble over the Roquefort.
Place the lettuce cups on a platter for people to help themselves.

Bon appétit.

Soon more recipes . . . be patient.