Culture & Gastronomy Published on 30/03/2021
One of the joys of winter when you are in the mountains, in addition to the frantic descents between the fir trees, the hot chocolate at the foot of the slopes or the evenings by the fire, is undoubtedly the gastronomy and especially the cheese.
But what to eat in summer? The answer is simple and easy: cheese of course! Let yourself be tempted by this speciality on your deck with friends or family, after a good hike on the peaks, or after having had a good time on the summer toboggan.
The history of blue-veined cheese…
The most typical local product of the Pays de Gex has had an Protected Designation of Origin status since 1986. That’s all there is to it! You will recognize it by its ivory color, veined or marbled with blue and green.
It is made from the milk of cows fed in the traditional way: fresh grass in summer and hay and cereals in winter. Our Montbeliarde cows are pampered to produce good milk!
The maturing process lasts an average of 3 to 5 weeks, during which the cheeses are pricked to allow the development of the internal moulds: the blue and green veins. This is the secret of this very special cheese!
Bleu de Gex is presented in cylindrical forms of 6 to 8 kilos signed GEX, a mandatory condition to have the PDO.
Our Gessian producer…
Today, there are only 4 cheese dairies that still produce our famous cheese, and only one of them is Gessian: the Abbey cheese dairy in Chézery-Forens, in the heart of the Valserine valley.
The highlight of this cheese factory: from a footbridge with free access all day long, you can discover the cellars and the production workshops at your own pace. Moreover, on request, a video can be shown to you in order to discover the making of Bleu de Gex : the transformation of the milk, from the cows’ grazing to the sale of the cheese…
For the more adventurous, from 8:30 to 10:00 am, you will be able to watch the cheeses being made, stirred and molded by the cheese makers. This will whet your appetite even at such an early hour!
The recipe
There is the tartiflette, the croziflettte, the morbiflette, and well we, we invented the gexiflette and we offer you this recipe for 4 people ! To taste it is to embrace it!
Ingredients:
- 10 potatoes
- 500 g of Bleu de Gex cheese
- 1 onion
- 300 g of bacon
Let’s go ! Preheat your oven to 240°C.
- 1- Steam and peel the potatoes.
- 2- Cut them into strips and place them in a dish. Make a first layer.
- 3- Then, fry the onions in a hot frying pan, along with the bacon. For the gourmets, add a dash of white wine. Pour the preparation on the first layer of potatoes.
- 4- Cut the bleu de Gex into strips and garnish the first layer. Make a second layer of potatoes and finish with the Bleu de Gex. Bake for 20 minutes!
Serve your gexiflette with a small green salad.
A little extra: Add a spoonful of fresh cream for even more deliciousness! After all, it really can be even more delicious!
We can say it without hesitation, a gexiflette is something out of this world. So get to work and make us dream by sharing your photos on our Instagram @paysdegexstationmontsjura !
Youtube video available on the Bleu de Gex ( excerpt from the show Goûtez voir on France 3) to give you even more desire.
No more hesitation… I hope we have convinced you because reading about Bleu de Gex is good but eating it is better! Make your way to the Abbaye cheese factory to taste this light and subtle cheese. It will make you melt with pleasure…
