In this installment
Farm Bread
Comté Cheese
Fig & Walnut Confit
Farm Bread
Imagine sitting down to dinner around a large farmhouse table, somewhere in the French countryside. This would be the bread served at the start of the meal. It first hits you with the aroma of dark, toasted wheat. Then, as you take your first bite, and the thick, caramelized crust gives way to a soft but substantial interior, you taste a delightful nuttiness from the grains with a touch of sourness and a bit of sweetness. We bake this one darker than some other loaves to get the desired flavor. To make our Farm bread, we start with the star of all our naturally leavened breads: the sourdough starter. Then we add organic wheat flour, a handful of freshly milled whole wheat flour, water, and sea salt. Perhaps the most important ingredient though is time; it can be up to 17 hours from the time we mix the starter to the time we bake. You’ll find that our Farm Bread makes your everyday toast, sandwich, or a simple slice with some good butter, infinitely better!
Comté Cheese
(From the writings of Lisa Roberts, our resident Cheese Expert and Warehouse Manager)
Recently I travelled to Marcel Petite’s Fort St. Antoine in Jougne, France where they age Comté cheese. This was a dream come true for me. Everyone acknowledges that the French make great cheese and Comté is king in France. Comté from Fort St. Antoine is the crown of the king and a trip there is like a cheesemonger’s hajj. The Fort is special because it’s an ideal environment for very slow maturing of the wheels. Inside, the cheese can develop and express its individual flavors. Plus, it’s cool because it’s really a fort! It was built into the side of a hill in the 1800’s and abandoned after it failed at its job stopping Germans in World War II.
Before I ever visited the Fort or even knew of it, I was already a Comté convert. I love this cheese because I think it’s just about perfect. It’s a wonderful balance of flavors that include hazelnut, brothy french onion soup and butter. It has the most delicate hint of sweetness and a super long finish. Perfecto!
Fig & Walnut Confit
Figs have always been one of my favorite fruits…and not only in Newton form. Great fig preserves should taste like freshly plucked from the tree fruit, and this one hits the spot with some small pieces of walnut to enhance the experience. Rich, sweet, musty and lustily spreadable this confit is great with cheese, like our city goat cheese or cream cheese. Artisanal Manchego cheese would be better for the addition as well. Lately this confit has found a place on my morning breakfast table along with farm bread and some good butter.
Better yet, try a dollop of the confit on a piece of Comté. The sweeter, darker notes of the confit balance the rich umami notes of the cheese exquisitely.