BRESSANE PASTA (WITH BRESSE BLUE CHEESE)
Why Pasta Bressane?
Have you ever wondered why Bressane pasta is so special? The secret lies in its key ingredient: the famous Bresse Bleu cheese. This soft blue cheese, made from pasteurized milk, hails from Bourg-en-Bresse in the Rhône Valley of my beautiful France. If you enjoy blue cheese but find Roquefort a bit too strong, Bresse Bleu is the perfect alternative for you. Its milder taste and creamy texture make it an ideal choice for creating a lovely pasta dish.
I must admit, the first time I tried it, I was instantly hooked by the rich, creamy sauce and the way the Bresse Bleu cheese melded with the pasta The cheese’s subtle blue notes add just the right amount of tang without overwhelming the palate if you know what I mean…
A Modern Cheese with Deep Roots
Bresse Bleu is a relatively modern cheese, first created in 1951 by an agricultural cooperative near the town of Servoz in the Bresse region of eastern France. This cheese was developed as a milder and creamier alternative to traditional sharp and pungent blue cheeses like Gorgonzola. At the time, the popularity of Italian blue cheeses was on the rise, and Bresse Bleu emerged as a delicious response.
Innovation in Cheese Making
The key innovation of Bresse Bleu lies in its unique combination of characteristics. It merges the qualities of a blue cheese with those of a soft-ripened cheese like Brie. This creates a cheese with a creamy white interior, delicate blue veins from the mold Penicillium roqueforti, and an edible bloomy white rind from the mold Penicillium camemberti. This blend of blue-veined interior and Brie-like rind was a novel concept when Bresse Bleu was introduced in the 1950s.
Bresse Bleu strikes a perfect balance between the creamy texture of Brie and the subtle tang of blue cheese. Its mild flavor makes it an excellent choice for those who find traditional blue cheeses too strong. The small foil-wrapped cylindrical forms were also an innovation for the retail cheese market at that time, making it more accessible to a broader audience.
Wine Pairing: Calvi Rosé from Corsica
For my Bressane pasta recipe, I recommend a Calvi Rosé from Corsica. Those wines are crafted from a blend of local grape varieties. The primary grapes used are Sciaccarellu (the local name for Mammolo), Niellucciu (the Corsican name for Sangiovese), and Grenache. Some producers also blend in small amounts of other permitted varieties like Vermentinu (Vermentino) to enhance the profile.
Light and Vibrant
These rosés are typically light to medium-bodied with a brilliant pink or salmon hue. They are known for their fresh aromas of red berries, citrus, and floral notes like roses. On the palate, Calvi rosés are characterized by vibrant red fruit flavours like nectarine and melon, with crisp, dry acidity and hints of strawberry, grapefruit, and subtle herbal nuances.
Perfect Terroir
The vineyards around the town of Calvi benefit from a warm, sunny Mediterranean climate tempered by cooling sea breezes. The soils are predominantly granite-based, which imparts a distinct minerality to the wines. The mountainous terrain and windy conditions also contribute freshness and aromatic intensity, making these wines truly unique.
Historical Significance
The Calvi wine region is centred around the medieval port town of Calvi, which flourished during the Roman Empire era. This suggests that winemaking has existed in the area since Roman times. The name “Calvi” is derived from a bald rock that served as the foundation for the town’s citadel, built in the 13th century when the territory was loyal to the Republic of Genoa.
A Region Worth Protecting
During the Middle Ages, the municipality of Calvi built fortified structures like the citadel to defend against raids by the French and Turks, indicating an established wine industry worth protecting. In the late 18th century, during the French Revolutionary Wars, the British besieged Calvi, further evidence of its importance as a regional centre with vineyards at that time.
Ancient Viticultural Tradition
The Calvi vineyard saw the birth of the “Balagne wine known to the Romans, as well as the wines of Algajola and Reginu raised by the Benedictine monks.” This points to an unbroken viticultural tradition from antiquity through the medieval monastic period. While labelled under the broad Vin de Corse regional appellation today, Calvi has ancient roots as one of Corsica’s oldest and most historic wine terroirs.
Bringing It All Together
So, the next time you crave something comforting or wish to experience French cuisine at its finest, give my Bressane pasta dish a try. I am confident it will become one of your favourites, just as it has become one of mine…
A Taste of France at Home
You may wish to discover or rediscover a bit of typical French recipes!
What about a French onion soup or some exquisite crepes ?
Do not forget to leave a comment and let me know how it turned out! And if you have any variation of this recipe that you would like to share, I would love to hear it. Be sure to check out my other easy-peasy recipes on the blog for more culinary inspiration!
Happy cooking and bonne dégustation!
Sixtine ;)
BRESSANE PASTA (WITH BRESSE BLUE CHEESE)
Ingredients
- 350 g Bresse Bleu cheese diced
- 400 g pasta Orechiete for me
- 150 g smoked lardons
- 2 tbsp crème fraîche
- 4 egg yolks in their shells
- 5 cl cooking water
- olive oil
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a large volume of water for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, sizzle the lardons in pan with a little bit of olive oil for a few minutes.
- Add the crème, cooking water and Bresse Bleu. Stir well.
- Drain the pasta and put them in a salad bowl.
- Add the cheese preparation and mix thoroughly.
- Serve immediately with the egg yolks on each plate.
Notes
