fromage blanc

Thoughts of French cheese may lead one to think of one or more of France classic cheeses — Camembert, Roquefort, Gruyère, or others — or maybe to reflect of how General DeGaulle decried governing a nation with so many types of cheese. I seriously believe that if you were asked to name your top five favorite French cheeses, fromage blanc wouldn’t be on your list. It certainly doesn’t have the cachet of other cheeses. That’s a shame. Fromage blanc doesn’t have the depth of flavor of other cheeses, but its flavor is still quite interesting.

In France, fromage blanc can be purchased at the local grocery store in tubs. Depending on its intended use, it may be drained or it may just be beaten until smooth. This isn’t cured cheese that’s been aged — this is fresh stuff — fromage frais. And it doesn’t get better if you age it — it goes bad.

For those of us outside the borders of France, obtaining fromage blanc can be problematic. Many countries do not allow the importation of French fromage blanc because it is not fully cured like other cheese. It may be possible to obtain a locally produced fromage blanc, but this can be excessively expensive. Luckily, if you can’t obtain reasonably-priced fromage blanc, you can make a close substitute yourself. All you need is fresh milk and a culture to cause it to curdle.

To make your own fromage blanc, start with 2 liters (2 quarts) of fresh, whole milk. Heat the milk to between 22 and 26 °C (72 to 80 °F). [left] If the milk isn’t pasteurized, heat it to 80 °C (180 °F) and then cool it to the target temperature. When the milk is in the target temperature range, pour it into a non-reactive (plastic, glass, or stainless steel) container. [right] Note: click on any picture to enlarge it.

Add the culture to the milk and stir to dissolve. [left] Cover the container and set aside at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours. [right] If you don’t have a local source for fromage blanc starter culture, this can be obtained from New England Cheesemaking Supply Company in a powdered form supplied in packets capable of curdling 4 liters (1 gallon) of milk. One packet can easily be divided into two portions with one portion being used and the other saved in a sealed package in the freezer.

The starter culture contains bacteria, rennet, and an inert carrier. The bacteria eats the milk sugar (lactose) of the milk at room temperature. This produces, as a by-product, lactic acid which gives the cheese its flavor and increases the acidity of the milk. The rennet coagulates the milk. The mass of milk will solidify after a few hours. When the solidified mass shrinks slightly, visibly pulling away from the edges of the container, the coagulation is sufficient. The fromage blanc at this point will look like a block of curd floating in clear whey.

The curds and whey are next poured [left] into a strainer lined with fine cheesecloth [right] The strainer is supported in another bowl to catch the whey. The drained-off whey is discarded as the bottom of the bowl fills with liquid. The fine cheesecloth — called butter muslin — is also available from New England Cheesemaking Supply if a local source is not available.

The strainer and bowl are refrigerated during the draining process. How long the fromage blanc is drained is a function of how the finished product will be used. The longer it drains, the firmer it becomes. Initially, it will be necessary to drain the bowl fairly often. As time passes, the rate of whey drainage from the cheese will decrease. The edges of the cheese will stiffen before the center. By lifting the cheesecloth gently on a side, it’s possible to determine whether the fromage has drained sufficiently. This drained fromage blanc can be used for fromage blanc au sirop, a delightful and refreshing dessert. Or it can be mixed with herbs to make fromage blanc aux herbes, a quick and easy entrée or a very nice snack. Tarte au fromage blanc is a traditional Alsacian cheese tart made principally from fromage blanc. If there is any fromage blanc left over, this can be used instead of some of the cream in a ganache to make truffes au chocolat et fromage blanc. If the fromage blanc is further pressed under weight to further drain and compress it, it will be firm enough to cut and serve in many different ways. An example is fromage blanc à la verveine, jus à la liqueur de cassis.

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