The Most Unavailable French Cheese in NYC...Boulette d'Avesnes

Here's a real toughie. One of the most unusual & addictive French cheeses, "Boulette d'Avesnes", is NOT available in NYC as far as I have found (hence this post).

Look at this commercial website for a brief description:

http://www.france-gourmet.fr/Cheese/B...

(Then try to order it from them & see what you'll pay.
)
If anyone has any leads on finding this amazing cheese locally, PLEASE respond.

[Delucacheesemonger]

If you can get Maroilles, which you can as l used to sell it, you can get Boulette. It is made from maroilles curds and a ton of paprika is put on outside. l am looking at a plop of it right now, but l am in France. The french call it 'suppositoire diable', or the devil's suppository . It is made in the town of Avesnes in Picardy region, or very far north just below Belgian border. While this original thread is very old, the cheese now is far less complex than it was 10-20 years ago. Before it was a true fromage fort, now made as a planned item.

[Zack Jelesoff]

Wow! The thread still lives.
Still no Boulette in New York. I was there recently on a visit after relocating to Europe - and BTW, where I now live it's still a no go.
Either I have to go to France or if someone can point me to a decent online vendor that ships via Fedex/DHL, I'm still without my favorite cheese. C'est la vie.

[Delucacheesemonger]

Thought of you last night, did a cheese course for a group of nine at a dinner here in Paris, my selection for the nasty one at the end was, yup, BdeA. Most here avoided it, the alsacian dog, however, is now my best friend.

[Zack Jelesoff]

Well, I guess your Alsatian knows something we don't!

[petitrobert36]

Did you ever find a 'Boulette d'Avesnes' in New York? I've been looking in Boston with no luck.

Bob

Sorry to post a pet peeve in reply, but here I go anyway! And, BTW, I LOVE French cheeses!

When, oh, when are Americans going to be able to buy a wide variety of really yummy American cheeses that are just as good, if not better, than French cheeses? When is the FDA going to permit Americans to make and sell raw milk cheeses without aging them forever? I'm tired of paying premium prices at "gourmet" cheese counters for something the French eat every day.

Thanks for the reply.

In response, I have to agree. The FDA rules are overkill & the USA is, in general, bacteria phobic in the extreme. Raw milk here? - no way.

Sure, Boulette d'Avesnes could probably be reproduced here, but in the meantime, we are bound to forking over high prices at those pretentious "gourmet" counters.

BTW, I'm not a French food devotee. Lest Americans forget, all those tasty sauces were originally invented to mask the flavor of spoiled meat.

Bring back Liederkranz!

> Lest Americans forget, all those tasty sauces were
> originally invented to mask the flavor of spoiled
> meat.

Nonsense. Commonly repeated nonsense, but nonsense nonetheless. You can't cover the taste of spoiled meat: If you eat spoiled meat, you get sick, sauce or no sauce.

I've studied medieval cookbooks and I have friends who have studied many more. It is obvious that medieval cooks knew that spoiled meat was unhealthy and they clearly warned readers to prevent it and to throw away bad meat.

This fallacy probably arose from two sources: First, the mistaken modern belief that refrigeration is the only way to prevent meat from spoiling; and second, the misunderstanding of the entirely healthful process of aging meat to enhance its flavor.

I encourage you to get hold of a well-researched cookbook of medieval recipes. Make a few and they'll blow away all sorts of misconceptions.

fascinating. any particular suggestions?