The CV of Roquefort
To deserve the name “Roquefort”, this cheese must meet certain criteria.
- It is protected by an AOP. In 1925, Roquefort was the first cheese to obtain the title of AO, Appellation d’Origine, to protect this pretty cheese from the counterfeits that were emerging here and there, and became AOP in 1996.
- Roquefort must be produced in a certain geographical area around the town of Roquefort, in the Occitanie region.
- It is prepared with raw milk from Lacaune sheep.
- The sheep are fed between pasture (as soon as the weather permits), fodder and cereals.
- It is matured in natural underground cellars, located in Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, which are naturally ventilated.
- The name of the microscopic fungus responsible for the sublime marbling of Roquefort is called Penicillium roqueforti. It develops thanks to the storage conditions of Roquefort, between freshness and humidity.
Good marriages
Roquefort goes well with many flavors. Among the most famous: Roquefort-honey; roquefort-endive; roquefort and walnuts; roquefort-raisin; roquefort-apple; etc. Overall, Roquefort goes wonderfully with sweets. Although it is not an essentially autumnal cheese, it goes wonderfully with autumn fruits such as apples, pears, grapes, or figs; but also oilseeds such as hazelnuts and pecans.
Whether you enjoy it raw, simply cut into pieces, mixed with a little butter to soften it, or included in a cake batter, Roquefort is always good.
Recipe #1: Roquefort and grape soufflé
© Valéry Guedes
The perfect fall recipe.
How to do it? Bring 30 cl of milk to the boil with 1 bay leaf, 2 cloves, 1 tbsp. teaspoon of Espelette pepper, 1 tbsp. teaspoon of nutmeg, salt and ground pepper. Remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 30 minutes.
We preheat the oven to 200°C. In a saucepan, melt 50 g of butter over low heat, add 50 g of flour, mix then add the filtered milk, stirring constantly. Separate the yolks from the egg whites of 5 eggs. Add the egg yolks to the preparation. Remove from the heat, add 100 g of grated Comté and 80 g of crumbled Roquefort. Beat the egg whites until very stiff and gently incorporate them into the previous mixture.
Cut 12 washed grapes in half. Butter with 10 g of butter and flour six molds. Divide the grapes into the molds and pour the mixture three-quarters full. Place the soufflés on a baking tray, slide it into the lowest part of the oven and leave to cook for 23 minutes without opening the door.
For 6 people
Discover the recipe for Roquefort and grape soufflé
Recipe no. 2: My grandmother’s endive salad
© Delphine Constantini
The classic endive/roquefort/walnut trio, enhanced with marinated pear and mustard seed pickles, is popular in autumn.
How to do it? Mustard seed pickles: use 200 g of white wine, 100 g of white vinegar and 1 g of peppercorns. Pour over 100 g of yellow mustard seeds. We leave it to rest for a day.
The same day, preheat the oven to 180°C.
We peel 2 red endives and 2 yellow endives, we wash them.
Peel and core 1 Conference pear, then cut it into 2 mm thick strips using a mandolin. We then cut them out with a round cookie cutter 4 cm in diameter. We marinate them in olive oil with added salt for around ten minutes.
We cut thin slices of 100 g of country bread (2 mm thick). Brush them on both sides with clarified butter and bake for 10 minutes. Place them on absorbent paper.
We roast 30 g of walnut kernels for 10 minutes in the oven.
We cut 60 g of Roquefort into 2 cm cubes.
The vinaigrette: mix 25 g of Meaux mustard, 15 g of Savora, 2 g of fine salt and 2 g of cumin powder using a whisk. Add 15 g of red wine vinegar, then add 25 g of extra virgin olive oil.
Place pear slices between the endive leaves. Top with nuts, Roquefort and pickles. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad then the bread croutons.
For 6 people
Discover my grandmother’s recipe for endive salad
Recipe no. 3: AOP Roquefort butter and pecan nuts, corn bread, maple syrup
© Virginie Garnier
This recipe is perfect for a gourmet aperitif, perfectly seasonal.
How to do it? We preheat the oven to 200°C. Roast 40 g of pecans for 5 minutes on a baking sheet. Let it cool.
For the corn bread, mix 120 g of cornmeal, 125 g of T55 flour, 1 tbsp. level coffee of baking powder, 1/2 tsp. level coffee of baking soda, 40 g of cane sugar and 1/4 tsp. teaspoon of salt.
In another bowl, whisk 1 egg with 250 g of buttermilk, 110 g of melted butter and 2 tbsp. tablespoon of maple syrup. Add it to the dry ingredients and mix. Pour the dough into a cake mold lined with parchment paper and bake for 25 minutes.
In a bowl, mash 150 g of Roquefort AOP with a fork and mix with 50 g of soft unsalted butter. We chop the pecans and add them to the preparation. When the corn bread is warm, cut it into pieces and serve with Roquefort butter and a drizzle of maple syrup.
For 6 people
Discover the recipe for AOP Roquefort butter and pecan nuts, corn bread, maple syrup
