Comte: France's Answer To Gruyere

Comte is in reality the French equivalent of Swiss Gruyere, in fact it is often called Gruyere de Comte or French Gruyere. This great French cheese is produced in the Franche-Comte region which encompasses the three departments of Jura, Doubs and Haute-Salone. This mountainous region borders the Swiss Alps and the cheeses that are produced there are considered to be Alpine cheeses. The dairy cows in these alpine pastures graze on grass and mountain flowers which  produces the grassy, herbaceous flavors and aromas of the cheeses that are produced here. The major difference between French and Swiss Gruyeres is that the Swiss version is aged for only three months while the French ( Comte) is aged for a minimum of six months and is often aged for twelve months. This longer aging process brings out a bolder and richer flavor.

All French Comte is AOC name controlled to assure that only milk from this regions’ dariys is used to produce it. Comte is not produced on a large scale or in cheese factories but continues to made by small local dairies that make about six to seven 80lb wheels per day. This low volume ensures attention to detail and consistent high quality cheeses.

Comte, as with many hard Alpine cheeses , is hard to abuse and will hold up well in the refrigerator. It is an unpasteurized pressed, cooked curd cheese and has an inedible natural brushed rind.  When shopping for Comte do not purchase any that is moldy, looks dried out or has a cracked rind. The interior paste will have small pea sized holes through out and will have a yellowish to ivory color. Its flavor will have hints of hazelnuts and grassy herbs. Always look for the bell symbol and the name Comte stamped in green on the rind. However, a lot of the Comte coming into the US has a white and green paper label attached to the cheese with the name Comte AOC printed in Green on it. Comte has a fat content of 45%.

Comte is a versatile cheese that goes well with salads and sliced for sandwiches. It is also great for lunch served with salami and crusty bread and as a dessert course served with fresh fruit. Comte also melts well so use it with baked potatoes or rice dishes.

Wine parings: Big French reds like Cotes du Rhone, Burgundies and fruity reds like Beaujolais