I first ventured to the village of Carantec in the fall of 2000 when my wife and I were doing a tour of Brittany. A friend had recommended that we stop in Carantec to visit Patrick Jeffroy’s new restaurant and hotel. Chef Jeffroy had previously run a Michelin one-star restaurant in a nearby village and had opened his new creation just a few months before our visit. Months later, the two things I remembered most about our visit was that our room was one of the nicest I’ve been in during my many visits to France and the cheese course was fantastic. (Note: in February 2002, Restaurant Patrick Jeffroy was awarded its second star by Michelin.)

When it came time to consider making my selection of the restaurant’s cheese tray, Christine, the restaurant manager, suggested that I forego the usual ritual and order the terrine de Roquefort — a signature dish of the chef. I did as was suggested and was happy I did. I’ve eaten lots of cheeses, but never had I tasted cheese quite like this.

When the terrine is ordered at Restaurant Patrick Jeffroy, the dish has a thin slice of the terrine — a greenish-gray slice of cheese filled with nuts and dried fruit. Along with the cheese is a slice of bread flavored with cocoa powder, an herb salad served in a small “bowl” made of deep-fried brik, and a dash of reduced balsamic vinegar. All in all, a very nice combination of flavors.

When I had the opportunity to spend a week in Carantec a year later, I jumped at the opportunity. My principal goal was to learn how Chef Jeffroy had prepared his terrine and its accompaniments. When I discussed ingredients with the Chef, he said that any Roquefort-style cheese could be used for the preparation. He said he particularly liked using fourme d’ambert — a cheese I particularly like. Thus I have renamed the dish to make the title more specific. Each part of the ensemble is prepared separately and combined at the point of serving. For a single serving, the following items are required: 1 slice of terrine de fourme d’ambert; 2 slices of pain de mie cacao; 1 serving of salade d’herbes in a baked feuille de brik “bowl”; and a dash of sirop de balsamic. Except for the final mixing of the herb salad, the entire serving can be prepared ahead of time. The final result is well worth the effort.

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  1. Prepare the fruits and nuts and set aside. [In this recipe, dates have been substituted for the figs called for in Chef Jeffroy’s original recipe. The skins on the dried figs available to me seemed too tough to chew easily.]
  2. Line a 350-gram terrine with plastic wrap and set aside. [The recipe may be proportioned for other size terrines.]
  3. Using a food processor, mix the butter and cheese together until soft and very creamy. Add the eau de vie and mix. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the fruits and nuts. [Any fruit-based eau de vie, or even cognac, can be used in this recipe.]
  4. Spoon the mixture into the prepared terrine. Be careful to not trap any air in the mixture. Level the top with a small metal spatula and fold the plastic wrap to cover the exposed surface. Refrigerate until hard.
  5. To serve, remove the hardened mixture from the terrine. Slice into 6-mm (1/4") thick slices with a warm knife. Remove the plastic after transferring the slices to the serving plates. [The terrine can be cut ahead of time and the slices placed on individual pieces of parchment paper for easy handling.]
 
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  1. Prepare the fruits and nuts and set aside. [In this recipe, dates have been substituted for the figs called for in Chef Jeffroy’s original recipe. The skins on the dried figs available to me seemed too tough to chew easily.]
  2. Place the milk and water in a small sauce pan and gently heat to between 38 to 45 °C (100 to 110 °F). Remove from heat. Add sugar and stir to dissolve. Sprinkle yeast over the surface and let stand for 10 minutes.
  3. Combine flour, cocoa, and salt in strainer over the bowl of an electric mixer. Sift the dry ingredients into the bowl. Make a well in the center and add the yeast mixture. Using low speed and a dough hook, mix until the dough is combined. Add the butter and mix until blended. Add the fruits and nuts and combine. Increase the speed slightly and knead for 10 minutes.
  4. Butter a 10-cm x 23-cm (4" x 9") loaf pan. Form the dough into a long loaf shape and place in loaf pan. Cover pan with plastic wrap. Allow dough to rise until the loaf is full size. [This may take up to 3 hours.)
  5. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 200 °C (390 °F).
  6. Remove plastic wrap and bake the loaf for 35 minutes.
  7. Unmold the bread and cool on a rack.
  8. Toast individual slices of the bread slightly before serving.
 
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  1. Gently combine the herbs in a small bowl. [Chef Jeffroy used cilantro and dill instead of marjoram and parsley for his herb salad in the original recipe.]
  2. Mix the herbs very gently with a small amount of oil until the herbs start to glisten. Add a few drops of vinegar to taste. [It is important to not “over sauce” the herbs — they should just barely be moist.]
  3. Sprinkle each serving with a few sesame seeds.
 
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  1. Preheat oven to 180 °C (355 °F).
  2. Cut four 14-cm (5-1/2") diameter disks of brik. [If brik is unavailable, substitute Chinese spring roll wrappers.]
  3. Brush the disks of brik with melted butter and drape over mini-brioche pans. Use a brush to shape the disks to the pans.
  4. Bake the disks for 15 minutes until golden-brown.
  5. Remove the baked “bowls” from the molds and cool on a rack. [Depending on humidity these “bowls” may be made up to 4 or 5 hours before using.]
 
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  1. Place the vinegar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
  2. Boil the vinegar until it reduces to a syrup. [As it reduces, the shape and quantity of the bubbles rising to the surface will change until they appear similar to boiling sugar. Be careful not to over reduce the vinegar — it can burn. Periodically check the progress of the reduction by removing a few drops with a spoon and cooling quickly.]
  3. Cool the syrup in the saucepan. Pour into a squeeze bottle for serving, or serve with a small spoon.
 
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©2002, 2014 Peter Hertzmann. All rights reserved.

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