Three decades ago, I was inducted into the Commanderie des Nobles Vins du Jura et du Comte, a bacchanalian confraternity in the Franche-Comte region of France celebrating the local wines and cheeses.
A few of us food writers from the United States took the charter’s oath to extol, whenever possible, the noble wines and cheese of the Jura. We received an embossed medal and a parchment with the seal and signatures of the three officers. The hand-lettered parchment hangs in my kitchen to this day.
During our visit to this eastern region of France, we toured wineries and cheesemaking establishments. The dedication to tradition, to quality, to the land, runs through everything. I’ve been happily cooking with creamy, tangy Comte cheese and sipping the crisp white wines ever since.
A recent trip to Paris rekindled my appreciation for Comte cheese. Like a creamier version of Swiss cheese (without the holes), Comte tastes of rich milk, with a hint of nuts, and is aged to a perfectly tangy flavor. I bought a hunk at Androuet, one of my favorite cheese shops, to eat along with quince paste and a baguette. I enjoyed a 24-month-aged wedge as part of a cheese course.