CHEESE AWARDS. With his two stars at Les Crayères in Reims, Philippe Mille fell in love with cheeses with age. Better late than never.
Par Laurence Gounel
© DR
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Philippe Mille recognizes from the outset that he hated children’s cheese, and it was while cooking it for his customers that, at the age of 35, this discreet chef, in love with his adopted terroir, discovered all the richness and complexity of textures. , perfumes. To the point of setting out to find the best producers in the region. The cheese platter has therefore gone from a trilogy of counties – 12, 24 and 36 months of ripening – to sixteen varieties, three-quarters of which are local and cannot be found on any other restaurant table. Another pleasure is to offer a cooked cheese. Like the angel hair he wraps in a Tomme des Ardennes cream and tops off with grated truffles. “I like to set up a real dialogue between two products with a strong personality. This is what cheese allows, a multiple set of textures and flavors. »
Our series: The cheese prize list of the great chefs
Anne-Sophie Pic (3 stars)
Maxime Meilleur (3 stars)
Philippe Mille (2 stars)
Christophe Bacquié (3 stars)
Julien Dumas (1 star)
Franck Derouet (3 stars)
1. Camembert
“There is a very patriotic side to it that I like right away with this cheese. It is known to everyone and yet it is not so consensual… A good camembert is still a little chalky, it offers a flowery rind and both make it the ideal pretext for a subtle pairing with a champagne particularly dosed in chardonnay . It is served at room temperature to let the contrast act: that of the nutty notes on the top, with the silky fat in its heart and which comes to line the palate as with velvet. I cut it into thin slices crosswise and serve it with some raw or candied pears. »
2. Chaource
“For once, I like the really chalky texture of this cow’s milk cheese, quite powerful in the mouth. Its texture is ideally semi-firm semi-flowing. If I don’t hesitate to coat it in its entirety with a pepper from the mill, it also likes with a hint of honey. Its deep notes of almonds, its fruity side (I smell mirabelle plums and a few white flowers) go perfectly with arugula or watercress. I happened to cook it with a watercress coulis. »
READ ALSOAnne-Sophie Pic: her ranking of the 5 best cheeses in the world
3. Cantal
“It is not unanimous because of its acidity, it can even reveal flavors that we consider a little negative, with a lingering bitterness in the mouth, for example. From the outset, I want to put a nice slice of it on a fillet of lamb. He will bond with this powerful meat. Same ideal combination with a boar. And why not on a red mullet, very thinly sliced when you have taken care to remove the skin from the fish? It is a cheese for experienced palates. »
4. Le roquefort
“I like it very flowery and not too powerful. It can even bring some balance to a sweet recipe…like with a slice of oven-roasted squash. Simply place the Roquefort on the still warm squash and season with spices. And why not serve it with a slightly reduced port or a Coteau Champagne? The same game of contrasts with a slice of greasy Brittany pig, just grilled. We then crumble the Roquefort on top and it will bring the little touch of acidity that makes the difference. »
READ ALSOMaxime Meilleur: his ranking of the 5 best cheeses in the world
5. An Argonne goat
“It is that of the Laluc family, passionate. I like their cheeses because they have a nice acidity, a very silky side and there is a nice freshness. According to the refinings, I place the creamy at the bottom, then the semi-refined slices above, and I grate the driest finally. It’s interesting to combine the different textures. As an accompaniment, I would choose a blanc de blancs. Above all, don’t be aggressive, he needs a wine for pleasure…”
Domains Les Crayères, Reims (Marne), lescrayeres.com
