Roquefort is one of the most famous French cheeses.

In the program "Historically yours", Olivier Poels was interested in the legend on the invention of this very particular marbled dough of sheep.

Before giving his recipe for endive cream with Roquefort for a gourmet winter dinner.

It is one of the emblems of our French cheese-making know-how: Roquefort, this marbled dough of raw milk sheep, has delighted blue lovers for centuries.

The 11th, precisely, the date on which it was given this name.

In his column Les Papilles de la Nation, Olivier Poels looks 

back on the history of this product, or rather on its legend.

Before giving a simple and gourmet recipe for endive cream with Roquefort.

Roquefort would have been born by chance, in a cave on the rock of Combalou, in Aveyron.

At least that's what the legend tells: a young shepherd sees a young girl pass by whom he finds very much to his liking and decides to follow her.

He then rushed off and left his little bundle with his provisions in the cave.

For one, two, three days, the shepherd is absent (demonstrating in passing a stubbornness in love quite close to obsession, but that's another subject).

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The story does not tell if he succeeds in seducing the young girl, but he ends up returning to his cave, hungry in his stomach, and opens his bundle, made up in particular of fresh sheep cheese and a piece of bread.

Due to the humidity in the cave, the cheese became moldy.

Punished by hunger, the shepherd nevertheless decides to taste it ... and loves the result.

Like what, even if Roquefort is not recommended for consumption on a first date, it is a romantic encounter that has made it possible to create a beautiful cheese.

A very particular manufacturing process

Since then, Roquefort has become one of the most famous French cheeses.

It must be said that the manufacturing process is very particular.

You can only use milk from a particular breed of sheep, Lacaune.

There is then only one manufacturing site, the village of Roquefort, with its fabulous cellars which can be visited when the Covid does not decide otherwise.

In these cellars, we find a particular alchemy of temperature, hydrometry and ventilation that allows the development of

penicillium roqueforti

.

It is this edible rot that will give the taste to Roquefort after 4 to 5 months of ripening.

While Roquefort can of course be eaten on its own, it goes wonderfully in the kitchen, in particular goes divinely well with endive. 

The recipe for endive cream with Roquefort from Olivier Poels

Ingredients for 4 persons

  • Eight endives

  • 75 cl of chicken broth

  • A little cream

  • Salt pepper

  • Bacon

  • Roquefort

Recipe

Cook the endives in a covered pan.

Add the chicken broth, cream, salt and pepper.

Mix everything. 

On the side, brown the bacon and cut the Roquefort into cubes.

Place the grilled bacon and Roquefort in this endive cream.