I heart cheese and swanky olive oil
Coeur Cendré
You think I'm going to talk about cheese don't you. Well I would if I hadn't been so cocky as to walk out of the fromagerie knowing the name of the above cheese and nothing else. I thought the internet would help me out but it seems to be on the fritz. Someone forgot to index that wealth of information on Coeur Cendré cheese. Or perhaps I was just lazy and didn't look hard enough. But it looks pretty and it tasted nice. It was drier and crumblier than I expected but it had a nice flavour. If that doesn't send you running to your nearest cheese shop, well then, I perfectly understand.
Oh, and please note the free piece of hay that came with it.
Free stuff. That's right.
Thus ends the story of my new cheese. Sort of.
And so I move on to the olive oil.
This part of the story is motivated by my rather sad relationship with salads over the past few months. I shamefully admit that not one has graced my table in an embarrassingly long time. (Never fear mom, I'm still eating my veggies!)
Now let me just say that I, for the most part, do not spend lavishly when it comes to olive oil and balsamic vinegar. So I'm not telling you to spend lots of money, I'm just saying, well.. that I did.
Check out my brand new 20euro bottle of olive oil. A.O.C, cold pressed, made in Nyons, France. Accompanying this purchase was an equally expensive 12 year aged balsamic vinegar from Italy. I felt a bit naughty for having done so. But good naughty. I was going to spend a romantic evening with a salad and damn it, it was going to be great if I had anything to say about it.
Cue the Barry White.
I washed the greens, drizzled some of that swanky olive oil and balsamic vinegar on it, and added a sprinkle of fleur de sel (which sounds pretentious, but that's what its called so why fight it).
And then the cheese made its debut after a brief stint in a hot oven. I must say, that I gobbled that salad up faster than you can say a really long word.
Salad, it's just you and me baby. I'm back. And I'm never going to let you go again.
P. S. That's a dollop of fig jam at the side because nothin' says lovin' like fig jam and goat cheese.
P.P.S. The money I spent on that olive oil and vinegar was totally worth it.
Tags
Olive Oil France
Balsamic Vinegar
Coeur Cendré
Salad Ideas
Labels: cheese, Paris, specialty food products
posted by Michèle at 8:02 AM
21 Comments:
You are so cute! Everything looks yummy.
I have had this blog on my list of fav's for a long time:
http://www.frenchcheese.dk/gb/fixed/index1024.html
After a bit of checking, I found the name of your cheese:
Chevrecoeur
From the region Poitou-Charentes. The site even makes wine suggestions for each cheese.
Funny thing-I started making salads again last week, after a very long hiatus. Perhaps it was/is the weather?
Your mum should spank you. How could you let go of la salade?? The queen of the queen on the table??? I am glad you started the relationship with it again! Sacré bleu!
Ah les fromages, you make me miss la fromagerie!
Lovely pictures and story!
Béa
Now that sounds like my kind of salad! Strangely enough, I've been ignoring my weekly salad purchases lately until they wilt and have to be thrown out. I had just decided to lay off purchasing salad until I regain my motivation to eat it. Maybe I need to splash out for some top-notch oil and vinegar instead! I'm glad to hear your purchases were justified. Oh, and the dollop of fig jam has me drooling... Can you send me a new supply? ;)
What a sweet shape for a cheese. It looks great warmed on the plate! I have been on a salad binge since getting back to Chicago. We have a great and cheap produce shop nearby which has encouraged me. The next one I make will have some warm cheese to go along with it after seeing your post.
Her mum should spank her?
I believe the line starts right here. Behind me.
my mouth is watering! The fig jam was the trigger! I could imagine the baguette and sip of merlot too!
And salad isn't salad without roquette!
The mystery cheese's name might be Coeur de Touraine, if you find that the one mentioned above isn't right.
Love the blog. Living vicariously in Paris through you!
yum, salad with cheese, olive oil and balsamic vinegar! i would have added some bacon too ;)
Gorgeous salad! I'm still feelling the grey day gloom of Southern Ontario, and cannot wait for the fresh greens of spring to come along. This salad would definitely bring some cheer. Bonus for the pairing with the fig jam (though my carbohydrate loving self would probablyl also add a chunk of good baguette).
Those greens look great. You bring me back to my frisee with roasted chevre days in Paris. Oh I would kill for some good chevre here! (I haven't seen a single block of goats cheese yet here in Corrientes). Love the pictures too.
You did well, Michele. The olive oil sounds all worthy, and only a heartless person could resist a heart-shaped cheese, for sure?!
There are few things better than good olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and cheese. I think your meal is fantastic, and doubly so for its simplicity.
Alisa, well look at that. I can be lazy and just have someone else look it up for me. Thank you! It only encourages me you know.
And yes perhaps it was the weather. But in order to justify my purchases, Im going to blame it on the sub-par balsamic that was in my cupboard.
Bea, I know, its blasphemy! Im normally a hearty eater of leafy greens. But Im back on track now so my mom needn't worry. Or spank me. ;)
Melissa, yes, I think its your dressing. Of course it is! Go on out and splurge, right now. I promise you wont regret it. And yes, put in your fig jam order, we can't have you going without!
Gemma, well I must say I've become a bit spoilt and a side order of cheese seems to grace alot of my meals lately. It certainly makes an otherwise boring salad seem much more exciting!
David, you cheeky monkey.
Corey, wine does go with everything, bien sur! You know it took me awhile to warm up to roquette, but Im a true convert now.
Anonymous, thanks for the info, I'll have to do some digging. And thanks for your kind words!
K & S, I know you would have ;) And believe me I was tempted, the lardons were sitting right there in my fridge begging to be fried up. But I resisted. The good news is they are still in my fridge for when the urge strikes.
Tara, I know, a baguette would have been a perfect touch. But there is so much bread around here that a girl has to learn when to say no, or I'd be eating it 3 times a day and a whole new wardrobe would require purchasing. Sigh.
Katy, I certainly have noticed that the French love their frisee. I am going to have to look to see where Corrientes is.. its such a shame you cant find goat cheese there!
Pille, well said and very true my dear!
Rob, well thank you very much. This salad, with a rotating array of cheeses has been my lunch for the last few days in a row, so I think Im definitely getting my money's worth out of my extravagant purchases.
My package of Lapsang Souchang from Mariage Frères arrived today.
It was absolutely stunning. Great aroma, Great taste. Thanks for the tip.
Michele, I am a devoted reader since your coq au vin episode which provoked my own "Rooster Quest". Keep up the great entries as I am living in Paris vicariously through you.
That olive de Nyons oil has been on my wish list (my own wishlist, not the amazon one) for a while… It's not the first time someone recommends it. It's outrageously expensive here in New York, but you convinced me, and I'm going to get it tomorrow ! Thanks for the tip!
Congratulations! Love the photos and theme!
That looks so good. Now I'm craving a salad with warm cheese on it too :(
Tom, there's nothing worse than recommending something and having someone be disappointed by it, so Im very happy to hear that you liked it. I've never tried it myself, but with your hearty recommendation I may just give it a try. My tea stash is increasing daily. Oy.
Susie, I hope your rooster quest has been successful! And thank you, Im happy to hear that you enjoy reading my blog.
Liza, well let me know what you think. Im certainly no connaisseur of olive oils, but it has definitely made me love my salads again, and for that I think its worth it.
Arte do cha, thank you very much.
Mona, its hard to resist warm, melty cheese isn't it? It certainly makes it easier to eat your greens ;)
i'm wondering how much that did cost you...
I'm sure it was worth spent and the salad looks divine!
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