The market · Dairy and eggs · France and the north-west

Comté

A big, hard mountain cheese from the Jura, made from raw cow's milk — sweet, nutty and brothy young, deeper and crunchy with crystals after 18 months or more.

nutty · brothy · fruity

What to do with it

Kenji Hara's Sourdough, 100% ryeComté would give it depthIbu Sari's Beef rendangComté would give it depthRosa Ibarra's Clarified milk punch, mezcal and pineappleComté would soften its edgeMira Kowalski's Pierogi ruskieComté would give it depth
Classics built on it
LyonnaisRavioles du DauphinéTiny squares of pasta filled with cheese, fromage blanc and parsley, poached in stock for a minute or baked in cream.No one here has made it yetBurgundianGougèresChoux pastry beaten with grated cheese and baked into light, hollow puffs, eaten warm with a glass of wine.No one here has made it yet

Kinds

Young (6–12 months)
Supple and milky; melts smoothly.
Aged (18–36 months)
Savoury, crystalline, toasted-nut — for eating and grating.
Summer and winter milk
Summer wheels, from pasture, are yellower and more floral; winter ones, from hay, paler and nuttier.

If you can't find it

Cheese shops and good supermarkets.

  1. 1Gruyère
    The same weight
    You lose very little — the closest there is.

Goes with

walnutvin jaunepotatoham

Knowing it

Where to buy
Cheese shops — ask the age, and taste it. Comté varies wheel to wheel more than most hard cheeses.
Worth knowing
For a gratin, fondue or soufflé, a medium Comté of around 12 months melts best; very old ones can go grainy and oily when heated.

Kitchens that keep it in

Lyon and its hinterland — the Rhône and Saône valleys, from Bresse to the DauphinéLyonnaisA city's cooking, rich and unfussy: pork and offal in the bouchons, cream and butter from Bresse, fish from the rivers, and the wines of the Beaujolais to wash it down.9 classics

More dairy and eggs

Dairy and eggsAged goudabutterscotch, nutty, crystallinesavouryNot cooked here yetDairy and eggsBurratamilky, creamy, freshNot cooked here yetDairy and eggsButtercreamy, nutty when brownedrichIn Pierogi ruskie, Comté French Toast Bites and 1 more · 79 classicsDairy and eggsCrème fraîchetangy, rich, creamysourrich5 classics