Precious ham
The most expensive ham in the world sells for €4100 each. The pure Iberian Jabugo Manchado is a unique variety in the world, of which there are only a little more than a hundred specimens and which is in danger of extinction because of swine fever and industrialization of the sector. Eduardo Donato is Catalan and lives in Cortegana in the province of Huelva. It raises its pigs freely between streams, waterfalls and oaks, whose acorns they eat. They are also fed with grass from pasture, nothing else. They also benefit from homeopathic care: their wounds, for example, are healed with oak ash and extra virgin olive oil, and they are dewormed with mint. The breeder sells 80 pieces per year. From the birth of the piglet to the sale of its ham, nearly a decade passes: 3 years to reach its ideal weight, 6 years to age in the cellar after slaughter. The aromatic intensity of this variety, enhanced by toasted notes of nuts and bread crust, is particularly sought after.
LESS FOIE GRAS this year?
The star product of the end-of-year celebrations, foie gras has undergone some imponderable events during the year. In spring, breeding ducks were affected by avian influenza, particularly in the Pays de la Loire, the leading supplier of farmed ducklings. In return, some producers have chosen to fatten canes, of which we know that foie gras is of lower quality. Small producers have been better preserved. In addition, production costs have increased with
higher expenditure on cereals and energy. While there will certainly be no shortage, prices are likely to soar. To have fun this year, we eat less and we choose better!
CHEESES To discover
Many great chefs and illustrious personalities, such as Alain Ducasse and Queen Elizabeth II, have fallen under the spell of the products of the Antony cheese dairy in Vieux-Ferrette. The establishment supplies more than thirty starred restaurants in France and many others around the world, as far as Asia. Jean-François Antony offers us some nuggets to discover:
Roquefort by Vincent Combes
Master Cheesemaker with the EPV label, Vincent Combes is the smallest of the Roquefort craftsmen. It represents only 1% of the production, and its know-how has been passed down through the family since 1923. Its cheese is extremely fine, buttery, with the right balance.
Old mimolette of the Bernard brothers
This cheese of artisanal production, breaks with its basic and industrial stereotyped image. With its beautiful orange-red flesh, Mimolette can be a great cheese, extremely complex with fruity notes and an original touch of rusticity.
Ewe’s milk diamond from the Lazuech family
Exclusive to the Lazuech family, this cheese, which looks like a goat’s cabécou, is as creamy as a caress. It is ideal as an aperitif to appreciate all its delicacy and summer freshness.
Abbey of Citeaux
The great cheese tradition of the Cistercian monks, at the origin of many cheeses, reminds us of the world of wine. Matured within the abbey, this washed-rind cheese is a cousin of Reblochon, with a more developed fruitiness.
Red cow parmesan
Italian pride and joy, Parmesan cheese is, without a doubt, one of the greatest cheeses in Europe. The red cow is a historical breed of which there are still rare specimens. A great Parmesan like this one, with its straw yellow color and lingering flavors, is best enjoyed as an aperitif.
Arbori of Johanna
Contrary to the idea of a Corsican cheese, this goat cheese prepared from raw whole milk is a tasty, aromatic and rather soft cheese. With her herd of 140 goats, Johanna Soton embodies a new generation of cheese makers, modern and enterprising.
Refined Brie de Meaux
It is one of the greatest classics of French cheese. If it is well chosen, it tells a more complex story than it seems. It offers flavors of undergrowth and noble mushrooms, and we also find the creamy side of mushrooms in the pan.
Geisster of the Farm of the Wild Thoughts
In the Guebwiller valley, the Pensées Sauvages Farm has been producing traditional cow’s milk Munster cheese for 30 years. Three years ago, the producers decided to innovate by reinterpreting the recipe with goat’s milk: thus was born the original goat’s “munster”.
