Ranking of the 5 best cheeses according to chef Julien Dumas
The starred chef of the Saint James hotel restaurant in Paris has made himself the ambassador of the rarest varieties.
Initially skeptical of the idea of offering a cheese platter as part of a tasting menu, Julien Dumas who admits to being "conservative and attached to craftsmanship" changed his mind when faced with the observation of a growing number of appellations brought to disappear.
"Most people who produce milk have more to gain by offering it to cooperatives than by making cheese, and we urgently need to unite as chefs to support those who still have the courage and the vocation to keep … »
By offering a dozen farmhouse cheeses, its platter is offered with a precise approach: "We explain how we designed it, we also insist on the nutritional values of a farmhouse cheese and above all on the fact that the biodiversity of cheeses disappears little to small. The result is almost systematic: the client is touched and is tempted. »
- 1. Langres “It's a very special cheese which can obviously put you off at first sight because it's brushed with salt water and therefore has a strong smell. In reality as soon as you attack the cut you perceive all the creaminess and the potential for unctuousness. In addition to its texture, we discover on tasting a real delicacy full of delicacy. Like a dulce de leche that coats your palate and melts in your mouth. There is a very regressive side to tasting this cheese, you can't stop. It must be tasted when it is in balance, not too refined, not chalky either, when its rind is between salmon pink and autumn leaf orange. If the winter one is mild, the summer one releases more herbaceous aromas. »
- 2. Saint-Félicien “In my eyes, it's a cheese for sharing. When it is well ripened and very runny, it is easily eaten whole for two. This cheese, which is found just about everywhere, is in fact set to disappear: because the real Saint-Félicien comes from the curd that only two producers continue to produce in Ardèche. This curd is matured for six weeks until a very thick crust forms. Inside, it's runny… The real Saint-Félicien is a bit like the soft chocolate cheese! And I find that same umami that characterizes Roquefort and it's long in the mouth. »
- 3. Fourme d'Ambert "Less divisive than Roquefort, this very intense variety combines the smoothness of whole milk, the creaminess of a cheese and all the craftsmanship that makes the exception of our cheeses with the addition of penicillium by the producer. I like its nutty taste and once again, rather than cooking it and heating it, I prefer to serve it with a spicy brioche and a little cherry jam and almond oil. »
- 4. L'ossau-iraty “It was chef Cédric Béchade who put me in touch with the last breeder who makes his own tomme over there. Like this shepherd who makes his transhumance his milk then his cheese, his tomme is alive. There are even small bubbles inside even though its flesh is denser than the others. It looks like something a little dry when cut, in reality it's melting and you can measure all the quality of your sheep's milk, which is not in excess. Just in the aromatic. It is refined delicate. Even its dense crust also tastes like fresh hazelnuts that are picked from the tree. It's a very small production, I get about ten tommes a year. »
- 5. Vacherin “In my eyes, it's a cheese that ticks all the boxes. Those of sharing the typicality of singularity... With its brushing of a fir tree leaf around its wooden setting and very strict breeding methods, it embodies the very notion of craftsmanship and cheese know-how. It is then the perfume of nature with these resinous aromas which develop as soon as it is heated. I like it both hot – runny – and cold – creamy – by the way! Even its crust is slightly present without being too exhaustive. А put in the oven at 180 degrees for ten minutes, served with curried walnuts and drizzled with a Jura wine from Stéphane Tissot. »
Julien Dumas at Saint James Paris 5 place du Chancelier Adenauer 75116 Paris
