flipFromage de Fontainebleau with Red Berries
Fromage de Fontainebleau with Red Berries
Why this dish? In 1921, young Copland left to study in France; he passed through Fontainebleau (American Conservatory) before becoming a student of the great pedagogue Nadia Boulanger. Fromage de Fontainebleau, a whipped fresh cheese, is the emblematic sweet of that town where his musical life opened up.
A cloud of fresh cheese whipped with cream, barely sweetened, served very cold with red berries. Light, airy, delicately tangy.
I arrived in France still very young, and it was there, around Fontainebleau and then in Mademoiselle Boulanger's class, that everything began for me. We would taste this fresh cheese mousse so light it seemed barely to hold on the spoon—a touch of sugar, a few fruits, and that was it. That finesse, that restraint, I believe it rubbed off on my way of hearing music: saying much with very little.
- •Beaten fresh cheese — a good amount (airy base)
- •Crème fraîche — to whip (lightness and volume)
- •Sugar — a little (discreet sweetness)
- •Seasonal red berries — a handful (tangy freshness)
Fromage de Fontainebleau with Red Berries
A cloud of fresh cheese whipped with cream, barely sweetened, served very cold with red berries. Light, airy, delicately tangy.
Why this dish? In 1921, young Copland left to study in France; he passed through Fontainebleau (American Conservatory) before becoming a student of the great pedagogue Nadia Boulanger. Fromage de Fontainebleau, a whipped fresh cheese, is the emblematic sweet of that town where his musical life opened up.
I arrived in France still very young, and it was there, around Fontainebleau and then in Mademoiselle Boulanger's class, that everything began for me. We would taste this fresh cheese mousse so light it seemed barely to hold on the spoon—a touch of sugar, a few fruits, and that was it. That finesse, that restraint, I believe it rubbed off on my way of hearing music: saying much with very little.
Ingredients (period version)
- Beaten fresh cheese — a good amount (airy base)
- Crème fraîche — to whip (lightness and volume)
- Sugar — a little (discreet sweetness)
- Seasonal red berries — a handful (tangy freshness)
Ingredients
- Fresh cheese (like well-drained fromage blanc) — 250 g (base)
- Cold heavy cream — 150 ml (whipped, lightness)
- Powdered sugar — 2 tbsp (sweetness)
- Vanilla (bean or extract) — a pinch (flavor)
- Strawberries and raspberries — 200 g (tangy garnish)
Method
- Whip the cold cream with powdered sugar and vanilla to soft peaks.
- Soften the fresh cheese with a spatula until smooth.
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the fresh cheese, lifting the mass to retain air.
- Spoon this mousse into cups or, traditionally, into cheese molds lined with muslin to drain for a few hours in the fridge.
- Serve very cold, crowned with red berries and, if desired, a drizzle of sugar.
How it was made : The true Fromage de Fontainebleau was made in the region from beaten milk and cream, sold wrapped in muslin that allowed it to drain. Its mousse-like texture, between fresh cheese and whipped cream, made it a prized dessert from the 19th century onward.
The contemporary twist : Serve in verrines piped with a pastry bag, with raspberry coulis at the bottom and a few meringue shards for crunch.
Aaron Copland · Charactorium
