Fine Comfort Cooking from the Cheese of France Marketing Council and the Culinary Institute of America

Portland, Maine – An innovative new project, “Cooking with Fromage: Comfort Cuisine,” was formally launched today by The Cheeses of France Marketing Council (www.cheesesoffrance.com) and The Culinary Institute of America (www.ciachef.edu), the world’s premier culinary college.  The Comfort Cuisine project features a collection of easy-to-prepare, tempting recipes that feature French cheeses and that put a creative twist on standard American recipes.  All of the recipes are geared toward being “home cook-friendly.”

The recipe collection (www.cheesesoffrance.com/recipe_collection.php), complete with photos and detailed instructions for busy cooks at home, is expected to translate into an increased awareness of the pleasures of cooking with fromage selections, and into greater amounts and varieties of all-natural cheeses from France hitting many more American dinner tables.

“Awareness of the varieties and availability of French cheeses in America is spreading, but the Comfort Cuisine recipes we’ve developed will illustrate what a difference actually cooking with fromage at mealtime can make to the final dish,” noted Scott Samuel, Chef Instructor with The Culinary Institute of America.  “Cheeses from France serve as the essential ingredient in our new Comfort Cuisine recipes, in that they add a lot of rich, unique flavors that really enhance the meal.”

Comfort Cuisine recipes range from appetizers to desserts, and include:

Apple Pie a la Versailles with Triple Crème Ice Cream

Bing Cherry Compote and Brillat Savarin

Bleu Burger d’ Ambert

Fondue au Fromage

Fromage Frittata

Fromage Lasagne with Béchamel

Grilled Camembert Sandwiches with Summer Tomato Soup

Ham and Cantal Casserole

Macaroni and Fromage Rustique

Petite Chèvre Pizzas with Fresh Tomato Sauce

Gratin au Comte

“Active consumers today are hungry for great-tasting, easy-to-prepare, healthy dishes.  They want more innovative, world flavors at mealtime, but not with recipes that would take hours to prepare on busy weeknights,” said Michael Collins, marketing director for ThHam and Cantal Casserole from the new Cheeses of France campaign in the U.S.

Later this fall, Collins added, Cooking with Fromage: Comfort Cuisine will showcase educational elements of cooking with French cheeses from both a nutrition and cooking perspective, as well as via video podcasts and Web content demonstrating related cooking techniques, to be filmed in the world-class kitchen facilities at The Culinary Institute of America’s Greystone campus in Napa Valley.  Easy-to-replicate recipes will be offered that illustrate how and why French cheeses can play a lead role in creating sensational comfort foods that balance flavor, texture and nutrition.  The educational content is scheduled to launch on www.prochef.com by the end of October.

The announcement of the Comfort Cuisine project comes at an opportune time, as U.S. dining trends indicate a shift not only toward more meals being prepared at home, but a greater awareness of ingredients’ health factors.  Numerous national outlets including The New York Times and USA Today recently have reported that American consumers increasingly want products that are natural, authentic, and healthy.  And earlier this year, National Public Radio food commentator Bonny Wolf predicted that the economic recession would impact food trends throughout the year. “Comfort, value and simplicity," she said, would sum up the culinary scene.  “We're in uncertain times, and this is the time when we crave comfort food," Wolf reported.

Enter the Comfort Cuisine project, which will offer a wide variety of recipes showcasing classic fromage selections, such as “Homemade Goat Cheese Pizza” featuring smooth goat cheese with a tart and salty flavor, creative versions of such favorites as “Mac & Cheese,” and casual combination dishes like grilled cheese and tomato soup.

Cheeses from France also are being recommended today as a core component of influential nutritional pyramids such as the Mediterranean Diet (www.mediterraneanmark.org/MedDiet101.htm), which increasingly is considered the “Gold Standard” in healthy eating.  Studied by scientists for more than 50 years, the diet is based on the dietary traditions of the southern Mediterranean region at a time when the rates of chronic disease were among the lowest in the world, and adult life expectancy was among the highest. The Mediterranean Diet includes eating fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, olive oil - and nutrient-rich cheese in moderation each day.

Researchers have linked the Mediterranean Diet to an impressive array of health benefits, from lowered risk of heart disease and easier breathing to healthy weight maintenance. In a recent study conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and AARP, Americans who closely followed the Mediterranean Diet were shown to have a reduced risk of death from all causes, including cancer and cardiovascular disease.

More specifically, cheese is a “nutrient rich” food, which means a little goes a long way toward providing important daily nutritional benefits like calcium, protein and vitamins.  Growing numbers of American consumers are becoming aware of the benefits of enjoying cheeses from France that are all-natural, minimally processed, and free of artificial growth hormone/rBST.

To access recipes from the Cooking with Fromage: Comfort Cuisine new collection, visit www.cheesesoffrance.com/recipe_collection.php.

For more information on The Cheeses of France, part of the healthy Mediterranean Diet, visit www.CheesesOfFrance.com.

Find Cheeses of France on Twitter, @CheesesOfFrance.