Here in Toulon I go to the butcher to get our meat, and he cuts it into the right-sized slices for me, plus throws in a little beef fat to add a little flavor.  If you don’t have the advantage of having a butcher, you can get stew meat, or even a roast and cut up the meat yourself.  If you decide to use your crockpot, you can get a cheaper cut of meat, and it will still cut like butter when you’re ready to eat it.

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The prestigious AOC (which stands for Appelation d’Origine Controlee) -and means that the 45 cheeses (out of over 500) have been given the rights to bear this prestigious label.  So what happened? Had they been found cheating?  Were they of lower quality?  Was the world going crazy?

No, No and no.

It turns out that this is seen by most people as a “good thing.”  The label will be disappearing starting in May 09, and will be replaced by the equally prestigious “European-wide” designation “Appellation d’Origine Protogee (AOP) – which was created in 1999, and actually inspired by the French AOC.

Originally only wines received the AOC label – and believe me, there are some very stringent requirements for any brand to be able to carry the AOC label.

It was later extended to cheeses – and with the 45 cheeses that have this appelation, it’s by far the largest food group after wine to do so.

The purpose is to have all European cheeses – like the British Stilton, the Italian Parmsan and others – to share the same logo and quality standards.

At the moment, for a cheese to win the AOC appelation, here are the standards that must be met:

• The milk must be from a specific geographic area, and the production and at least part of the maturity process must be done in the same area
• Because the production conditions have a distinct and dramatic influence on the characteristics of a cheese, in order to assure the same high quality every single time, the AOC-cheese will be produced according to methods which are centuries old.
• Typical characteristics of a cheese such as size, rind, consistency or minimum fat content all come into play when determining the taste of a cheese and therefore must be kept in strict accordance with the standards and methods designated.
• Production of all AOC cheeses is subject to strict guidelines that must be followed and are supervised by a control commission which represents the AOC. By following these guidelines, AOC can be guaranteed by the state.

So for example, an AOC Camembert from Normandy can only be produced in the area of Calvados, Eure, La Manche, Orne and Seine-Maritime. The milk may not be heated to more than 37 degree centigrade, and from its production date, the Camembert de Normandy matures for exactly 21 days – 16 of which must be at the place of production. (So if you buy your cheese from a farmer on a farm, you know that it matured at the farm – under strict conditions – for at least 16 days.  And more than that, the fat content of the Camembert has to be at least 45 percent fat in the dry mass , and it has to have a diameter from 10,5 to 11 centimeters.

The history of the controlled term of origin dates back to the 15th century.  A decree was issued by the Toulouse parliament in 1666  – which counted as the first legal text, and was based on a specific cheese, the Roquefort.

On the basis of this regulation, the whole administration of justice developed, which the AOC-cheeses are subject to today.

Laws from the years 1955 and 1973 determine that the placing of an AOC-seal is only possible through regulation.  Since 1990 this is the responsibility of the INAO (Institut National des Appellations d Origine – National French Institute for Terms of Origin).

So are you curious which cheeses will shortly be wearing the new appelation?  Here’s the list from Wikipedia Follow the links to read more about them.)

Cow’s milk cheeses

Abondance – 1990
Beaufort – 1968
Bleu d’Auvergne – 1975
Bleu de Gex haut Jura – 1977
Bleu des Causses – 1979
Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage – 1998
Brie de Meaux – 1980
Brie de Melun – 1990
Camembert de Normandie – 1983
Cantal – 1956
Chaource – 1970
Chavignol – 2005
Chevrotin – 2002
Comté – 1952
Époisses – 2004
Fourme d’Ambert – 1972
Fourme de Montbrison – 1972
Laguiole – 1961
Langres – 1991
Livarot – 1972
Maroilles – 1976
Morbier – 2000
Munster-Géromé – 1969
Neufchâtel – 1969
Pont l’Evêque – 1976
Reblochon – 1958
Roue de Brie – 1980
Saint-Nectaire – 1955
Salers – 1979
Tome des Bauges – 2002
Vacherin Mont d’Or – 1981

Goat’s milk cheeses

Banon – 2003
Cabecou – 1988
Chabichou du Poitou – 1990
Crottin de Chavignol – 1976
Pélardon des Cevennes – 2000
Picodon – 1983

Pouligny-Saint-Pierre – 1972
Rocamadour – 1996
Sainte-Maure de Touraine – 1990
Selles-sur-Cher – 1975
Valençay – 1998

Sheep’s milk cheeses

Brocciu – 1983
Ossau-Iraty – 1980
Roquefort / Roquefort Carles – 1925

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Alain had this dish while we were in Burgundy. We had lunch in this wonderful old restaurant that sat on the edge of a river.  The restaurant had originally been a tanning factory, so it had stone walls and wonderful exposed wooden beams. The food was as delightful as the ambience!

In English it’s called “Poached Eggs in Meurette Sauce”

If you check out the recipe below, you’ll see that this recipe should be a heart attack waiting to happen – but for some reason, the French can eat this type of rich, delicious, mouthwatering food – and not only not get sick, but not even gain an ounce! (Doesn’t seem fair, does it?)

When choosing eggs for poaching, remember that freshness counts. If you’ve never poached eggs before, you’ll and to poach them in plenty of unsalted water (salt makes the whites too thin) and add just a splash of white wine vinegar.

For the Sauce:
1 bottle of fruity red wine
3 shallots sliced (if you can’t find shallots, you can use a white onion)
1 carrot sliced
2 garlic cloves crushed
1 tomato quartered
1 bouquet garni (fresh parsley, thyme and bay leaf tied with kitchen twine)
A few black peppercorns
2 cups water

Beurre Manie: (To thicken the sauce)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, mixed – or kneaded by hand with 2 tablespoons of flour

For the garnish:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ pound of button mushrooms or larger ones quartered: optional
2 slices of ¼ inch-thick un-smoked bacon, cut into lardons
24 pearl onions peeled (plunging them into boiling water for 2 minutes makes peeling easier)
1 teaspoon sugar
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Chopped parsley

You will also need croutons or 1/4 sliced pieces of toast that are large enough to hold a poached egg. Cut six two inch rounds out of good quality dense bread, brush with a little melted butter, season with salt and pepper and bake for 10 minutes in a hot oven.

6 large very fresh eggs

Prepare the sauce:

Put the wine into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and ignite the wine with a match. (Warning: Make sure you use a fireplace-type matchstick and stand back when you light the wine because – trust me – an entire bottle of wine can create a pretty impressive flame!)

Don’t be impatient here – it’s going to take a good 5 minutes for the flame to burn itself out.  If it goes out too quickly, try turning the heat up and starting it up again.

After the flames have died down, add the shallots, garlic, tomato, bouquet garni, carrot and water. Reduce the liquid slowly over a low heat by two thirds (this will take 30–40 minutes). Strain through a fine sieve, or cheesecloth, pushing on the solids, and reserve in a clean saucepan.

For the Beurre Manie: Knead the butter and flour together in a small bowl. Chill in the fridge till it’s time to use it.

Finishing the Sauce:

In a sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of butter with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Sauté the mushrooms over a medium-high heat until the juices have evaporated. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and reserve.  Add the lardons and pearl onions to the pan, cover and cook over a low fire for 10 minutes until the onions are cooked. Return the mushrooms to the pan, sprinkle over the sugar, deglaze with a spoonful of the sauce, cover and keep warm while you thicken the sauce.

Reheat the sauce; when bubbling add the chilled beurre manie a teaspoonful at a time, whisking until all lumps are dissolved and the sauce sticks to a spoon. Add the onions, lardons, and mushrooms, and season with salt and pepper to taste. If the sauce is too acidic, add a pat or two of cold butter.

Poach the eggs for 3 to 4 minutes until the whites are set and the yolks soft to the touch.

Warm 6 shallow bowls or plates. Place a crouton in the bottom of each. Top with a poached egg and spoon the sauce over it. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.

Now – just in case you’re wondering what kind of wine to serve with this delicous dish, here are my thoughts:

You might think you’d want the same wine – a burgundy – but the truth is, especially after cooking, it’s would be a little too acidic.  So you could try a fruity Pinot – that would add a kind of tangy zip to the dish. Or perhaps a nice bottle of Pouilly-Fuissé or Saint Veran.  Another choice might be a Chassagne-Montrachet or Saint Aubin which would also be fresh and delicious.

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