The Best Cheese Refiners of Paris

To be sure of the quality of a cheese, avoid large-scale distribution. Prefer specialized stores, those of cheese makers and cheese ripeners. As the name suggests, they do their own maturing of the cheeses they sell.

How to choose a good cheese ?

If you want to eat organic, choose small stores rather than supermarkets. Their quality cheeses are the result of a careful selection process artisanal and often generational know-how. Eating locally is also the best way to find the little nuggets of the soil.

A master cheesemaker will also be able to advise you according to your tastes and help you compose your own custom cheese platter.

Which cheeses are the most digestible ?

Cheeses are difficult to digest ? This is a misconception. People with lactose intolerance tend to avoid milk products, including cheese. And yet, it generally does not contain lactose.

Similarly, people with gluten intolerance avoid it, even though most cheeses do not contain gluten.

However, some cheeses are easier to digest than others. If you have a weak stomach, the products to be favored on the market are those which are low in fat. Generally speaking, the fatter the cheese, the harder it is to digest.

Choose hard cheeses and those made from raw milk, rather than those made from whole milk.

What is cheese ripening? ?

After curdling, draining and salting, the preparation is ready for maturing. This stage of cheese maturation allows enzymes to break down sugars, proteins and lipids. It is during this long fermentation that its taste and flavours develop.

Ripening is done in a special cellar, with a duration depending on the type of cheese.

During the initial drying process, the salt in the cheese helps form its rind. It is regularly washed and rubbed with a liquid mixture, also depending on the type of cheese. It is the morge for the pressed cheese and a salt solution for the soft ones.

A solution containing penicillium is applied to bloomy rind cheeses.

Apart from fresh cheeses, all other types of cheese are matured. Soft, blue-veined, pressed cooked or uncooked, all these products go through the ripening process.

Which are the best cheese ripeners in Paris ?

Quatrehomme, a family cheese shop since 1953, has stores in the 7th, 12th and 13th arrondissements, as well as in Issy-les-Moulineaux (92). Chez Virginie, another family-run cheese shop, offers a hundred varieties in its boutique on rue Damrémont in the 18th arrondissement.

The Fromagerie Barthélémy, supplier of the Élysée, attracts many personalities to its store in the 7th arrondissement. Don’t miss the Fontainebleau, its flagship product. Marie-Anne Cantin, in the 7th arrondissement, also attracts the stars with its selection of high quality products.

La Fromagerie d’Auteuil is the store of Michel Fouchereau, who was awarded the title of Best Worker in France in 2004. To find these products, go to the rue d’Auteuil in the 16th district. The stores of Laurent Dubois, also a “meilleur ouvrier de France 2000”, are also among the best addresses.

Its original cheeses bring a constant flow of customers to its cheese shops in the 4th, 5th and 15th arrondissements.

Finally, Ferme Saint-Hubert offers more than 200 references according to the cycle of the seasons. It is located on the rue Rochechouart in the 9th arrondissement of Paris.

What is the budget for a cheese platter at a cheese ripener in Paris? ?

As cheese is sold by weight, the quantity of products is the first variable of your budget. If the platter is intended for a cocktail party or an aperitif, 40 g of cheese per person will suffice. For a cheese platter at the end of a meal or between 2 courses, count 120 g of cheese per person.

For a 100% cheese meal, plan on about 200 g per guest.

The price of a platter depends on the type and quality of the cheeses it contains. Play it safea card of diversity by mixing top-of-the-line products with original specialties and more classic varieties. You will satisfy the maximum number of guests by selecting different types of cheese.To get an idea of the budget, you can estimate the cost per person depending on the quality of the cheeses. It is necessary to plan between 3 and 6 euros for an end-of-meal platter and between 6 and 10 euros for a 100% cheese meal.

Remember to accompany your platter with appropriate drinks, such as wine, sparkling wine or champagne. Choose them according to your selection or ask your cheesemaker for the best cheese-drink pairing and choose your wine accordingly.

Cheese platters are very popular meals in France, since’they are convivial and allow you to satisfy your hunger, they satisfy many tourists: cheese is part of the French heritage !