Do you know cancoillotte, the lightest of processed cheeses?

There are key moments in life, those which mark a before and an after. In my case, my first culinary key moment took place when a friend introduced me to salted butter for the first time. The revelation ! So much so that I always wondered how I could have missed such a delight all these years. Second key moment with the cancoillotte. Nestled nicely in its little pot, this Franche-Comté cheese does not have the aura of its Reblochon or Raclette colleagues, although it has many things to offer.

Protected Geographical Indication for cancoillotte

On Friday May 20, 2022, cancoillotte was awarded the IGP label by the European Commission, ensuring on the one hand protection on a European scale, on the other hand the promotion of this ancestral know-how.
What differentiates cancoillotte from a “classic” matured cheese has a lot to do with its manufacturing method. Cow’s milk is first skimmed before becoming a cheese called “metton blanc”. The latter is then refined and then melted, which gives the famous cancoillotte. Sold in a pot, cancoillotte has a semi-liquid and sticky texture. When heated, it becomes very liquid.

In supermarkets, cancoillotte is sold plain or flavored. We often find the reference to garlic or white wine, but if you are lucky, it also exists for spices, yellow wine, mushrooms, nuts, and many others.

© Sabine Alphonsine

Lightness

The cancoillotte has two strong points. 1/ It is very easy to cook and adapts to all the craziness. 2/ It is light. Yes, light. And associating the words cheese and light is already an exception, but on the cancoillotte side we are talking about a fat content of less than 15%. For comparison, Comté contains 28g and Cheddar 33g of lipids per 100g.

Taste and recipes

With its intoxicating smell, and its slightly yeasty milky/buttery flavor, cancoillotte is not just a low-fat cheese, therefore poor in taste, far from it. It can be slipped into a light tartiflette to replace reblochon with potatoes, onions, and bacon strips. In a cooked egg to simply slide into the oven. In a French mac & cheese garnished with small pieces of Montbéliard sausage, to play up local flavors. In a winter gratin with cauliflower or broccoli. In a leek quiche. You can even use it to make fondue! It is the ideal ally for light, intoxicating and tempting winter recipes.

It’s simple, if you like melted cheese, you’ll love cancoillotte!

More information on https://www.cancoillotte-igp.fr/

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