Farewell Picnic Fare

With three days left before our departure, we wanted to throw one more picnic for anyone who couldn't make it to the farewell pot we'd had in the courtyard. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate, and at the last minute we had to move our picnic indoors. But no matter - everyone who came still had a great time, and (most importantly) we ate really well. The picnic gave us one last excuse to share some of our favorite cheese and sliced meats with our friends.

It was while shopping for another picnic - with Becky and Gladis - that Maggie discovered rosette saucisson (front and center), a dry, "rose"-shaped sausage that can be sliced thin and that goes perfect on a baguette even without condiments. When I went to the charcuterie to pick some up for our indoor farewell picnic, I was asked whether I wanted regular rosette or rosette à l'ancienne (front left). Indecisive, I took both, thinking it'd be fun to do a taste test. It was. On the right, there's some basic sliced ham, perfect with melon but delicious without, too. This charcuterie was all well and good, but paled in comparison to the cheeses we served.

From left to right, a long blanc, which is a soft goat cheese; tête de moine, a hard cheese that's shaved into a flower shape; and cantal, a raw milk cheese from the Massif Central region. This collection represents much of what we learned about designing a cheese plate during our year in France: balance cheeses that are hard and soft, that come from goats, cows, and sheeps; whose origins are in different regions; and that come in diverse shapes and colors. Clearly we did a much better job diversifying our cheese plate than we did with our charcuterie plate.

We're particularly excited to have learned about tête de moine (thanks to Mark, Jeanice, and Amelia!), which even the other customers at the fromagerie (cheese store) didn't know about when I requested it. The cheese comes in a large wheel, and to shave it, you need a wood base with a spike that holds the cheese while it's being turned, and then a sharp knife and good technique to produce the flower. When we return to France, we're investing in a tête de moine shaver and becoming really, really good friends with our local cheesemonger.