{"id":2687,"date":"2024-01-28T16:29:14","date_gmt":"2024-01-28T16:29:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/what-is-comte-3-top-reasons-why-cheesemongers-are-so-crazy-about-it\/"},"modified":"2024-01-28T16:29:14","modified_gmt":"2024-01-28T16:29:14","slug":"what-is-comte-3-top-reasons-why-cheesemongers-are-so-crazy-about-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/what-is-comte-3-top-reasons-why-cheesemongers-are-so-crazy-about-it\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Comt\u00e9 & 3 Top Reasons Why Cheesemongers Are So Crazy About It"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The case at a well-stocked cheese shop or supermarket cheese counter is full of much-lauded European cheeses with centuries or even millennia of history. But one wheel\u2014Comt\u00e9\u2014rules them all, especially in the eyes of cheesemongers. What\u2019s so special about this particular French cheese?<\/p>\n

\u00a0First, the basics: Comt\u00e9 is made in the Jura Mountains along France\u2019s border with Switzerland. In cheese industry-speak, it\u2019s a cooked, pressed cheese\u2014meaning that tiny curds the size of rice grains are gently heated before they\u2019re drained, and the freshly hooped curds are pressed with heavy weights to expel as much whey as possible.<\/p>\n

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\"Comt\u00e9<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

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\"Comt\u00e9<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

The cheese can be sold as young as four months, with nutty flavors and a smooth, supple texture, though it can age for more than four years. Over time, the cheese firms up and develops complex flavors as wide-ranging as celery leaves, nutmeg, dried pineapple, or baked mac \u2018n\u2019 cheese (there\u2019s a reason Comt\u00e9 has its own special flavor wheel). <\/p>\n

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\"Sandwich<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

Versatility<\/strong> <\/h2>\n

Philadelphia-based cheesemonger David Jeffrey Harper first tasted Comt\u00e9 early in his career while working at Whole Foods. At the time, the store got one shipment of a single variety each year\u2014a moment of excitement for the cheese team. Later, working at Di Bruno Bros., Harper got to experience a much wider spectrum of Comt\u00e9. The store stocks the cheese at four different ages, from young to a special reserve that, pre-Covid, a lucky monger was chosen to go to France to taste and select.<\/p>\n

When communicating with customers about the cheese, Harper starts with how they plan to use it. He\u2019ll recommend a young variety for cooking or sandwiches, while longer-aged batches shine on a simple cheese board. <\/p>\n

\u201cComt\u00e9 is the little black dress of cheeses. It goes with some red wines, some white wines, some beers. You can pair it sweet or savory. It\u2019s great for cooking or on its own,\u201d Harper said. \u201cI always say, don\u2019t trust a monger who isn\u2019t a fan of Comt\u00e9, and I can\u2019t think of any mongers I know who don\u2019t love Comt\u00e9.\u201d<\/p>\n

Comt\u00e9 is protected by a European Union PDO that details strict standards around its production. These standards cover which breeds of cows can be milked (Montbeliarde or French Simmental), their feed (fresh grass in summer and dry hay in winter, with a small supplement of non-GMO grain), and how much grazing space for each (at least two acres). <\/p>\n

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\"Montb\u00e9liarde<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

Production <\/strong><\/h2>\n

For Cheese Professor contributor Jennifer Greco<\/a>, a Paris-based cheese writer who leads food tours in the city, Comt\u00e9\u2019s unique allure lies in its strong ties to the place it\u2019s made and the traditional methods used to make it. <\/p>\n

\u201cBetween the use of mostly Montb\u00e9liarde cow’s milk and their diet of Alpine grasses, herbs, and flowers, Comt\u00e9 is not a cheese that can be replicated just anywhere, or with the milk of just any breed,\u201d she said. \u201cThe breed and feed factors combine to give Comt\u00e9 its distinctive and exceptional flavors and aromas.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Vats<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

The production process is strictly defined, too. Cows must be milked no more than 16 miles from the fruiti\u00e8res, or cooperative cheesemaking facilities, at which Comt\u00e9 is produced to ensure the milk is as fresh and rich in flavor-creating microflora as possible. The milk must be heated in copper vats, and it\u2019s cultured by saving whey from the previous day\u2019s make and adding mesophilic and thermophilic cultures. Makers using the traditional form of rennet, the salted fourth stomach of a calf, will add it to the thermophilic starter to infuse the mixture with its coagulating enzymes. <\/p>\n

This ultra-specific production process ties Comt\u00e9 specifically to its region. All Comt\u00e9 is made in just three French departments of Jura, Doubs, and Ain at around 150 fruiti\u00e8res. A few weeks after wheels are produced affineurs, or cheese agers, take over the process. Here\u2019s where things really get interesting. <\/p>\n

Comt\u00e9 is sold at several different ages: During aging, the affineur must carefully calibrate the temperature and humidity of the cheese to develop the right kind of bacteria that will lead to the richest flavor development. Wheels are evaluated for flavor and aroma and graded to be sold or matured further. <\/p>\n

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\"Stacked<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

Aging<\/strong> <\/h2>\n

For Julia Hallman, general manager of Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Comt\u00e9 provides a fascinating example of how a cheese develops during aging.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s rare to find a cheese at so many different ages, where you can really see the nuance of the different ages and how it affects each wheel, because every little detail that goes into cheesemaking can dramatically impact the final outcome,\u201d she said. \u201cIt’s a really rare opportunity to see such a steady increase in the age of a cheese and how it affects flavor.\u201d<\/p>\n

In France, said Greco, most cheese shops will stock at least two ages of Comt\u00e9. \u201cIt’s versatile, delicious, and has such a broad range of flavors. Younger wheels are more fruity and lactic and can be used as a melting or cooking cheese. Older wheels have more complex, nutty, caramel and butterscotch flavors and are perfect for snacking.\u201d<\/p>\n

On both sides of the Atlantic, cheese experts invoke the Comt\u00e9 rainbow to show tasters how aging can transform a cheese. On her food tours, Greco typically uses a middle-aged wheel\u201412 to 18 months\u2014and contrasts it with a three-year wheel to illustrate the difference and help tasters decide which they like best. Formaggio Kitchen stocks up to seven different styles of Comt\u00e9 at any given time, from fruity, eight-month Melodie to three-year-old Comt\u00e9 Extra Grand Cru by legendary maker Marcel Petite.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe firmly believe that each cheese has purpose and place,\u201d said Hallman. \u201cWhat\u2019s fun for us is that each batch is so different, and it\u2019s great to be able to taste through them and see the nuances.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greco recommends tasting your way through the oldest Comt\u00e9 you can find\u2014she prefers a 24 to 36-month wheel for snacking\u2014to figure out your favorite. \u201cComt\u00e9 is very complex, and it requires a slow tasting to appreciate what an incredible cheese it is.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The case at a well-stocked cheese shop or supermarket cheese counter is full of much-lauded European cheeses with centuries or even millennia of history. But one wheel\u2014Comt\u00e9\u2014rules them all, especially in the eyes of cheesemongers. What\u2019s so special about this particular French cheese? \u00a0First, the basics: Comt\u00e9 is made in the Jura Mountains along France\u2019s … Okumaya devam et “What Is Comt\u00e9 & 3 Top Reasons Why Cheesemongers Are So Crazy About It”<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1271,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[395],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-milk-and-diary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2687","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1271"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2687"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2687\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.sutyo.com\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}