Fromage Blanc with Honey, Raspberries, Vanilla-Bourbon Sugar, and Espresso
This is the last post in my series re-creating Julia Child’s first meal in France. It started off with oysters on the half shell with rye bread and butter, followed by sole meunière (sole filets pan-fried with butter and topped with capers, lemon juice, and parsley). The third course was a light and refreshing salad dressed with a Dijon-mustard vinaigrette. Fromage blanc with honey, raspberries, and espresso concludes the meal (Julia Child had a strong café filter, which is a large cup of American-style coffee, but because I only have a Bialetti espresso maker, I opted for espresso).
Fromage Blanc—French-Style Fresh Cheese
Fromage blanc is a fresh cheese, which means it hasn’t been aged. It’s mild and soft, similar in texture to sour cream, with a tart flavor. Although fromage blanc is low in fat, it still has a rich and creamy texture, and its subtle flavor does well in both sweet and savory applications. You can find fromage blanc in the dairy section of some grocery stores, usually next to the yogurt (call ahead to check). I found it at Whole Foods.
Fromage Blanc with Cream, Honey, and Chambord
Julia Child doesn’t go into much detail about the dessert of her first meal in France, other than saying, “We followed our meal with a leisurely dessert of fromage blanc, and ended with a strong, dark café filtre.” So I got to play with how I served the fromage blanc. My mind leaped to raspberries and Chambord, a black raspberry liqueur made with blackberries, raspberries, cognac, vanilla, and herbs.
Fromage blanc’s natural flavor is somewhat tart, so I softened it with a sweetener–honey pairs well with berries. I also boosted the richness of the fromage blanc by adding some heavy whipping cream. I finished the dessert with fresh raspberries and a sprinkle of vanilla-bourbon sugar for some texture and a more nuanced flavor. I made my own vanilla-bourbon sugar, but you can also purchase it online if you prefer. This fromage blanc with honey and raspberries was the perfect ending to a wonderful French meal!
Here’s a look at the four courses of the evening:
Now you have all the recipes to re-create Julia Child’s first meal in France! Bon appétit!
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Fromage Blanc with Honey and Raspberries
Print recipe | Serves | 2 |
| Meal type | Dessert |
| Region | French |
| Website | adapted from the Food Network |
Ingredients
- 8 ounces fromage blanc
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons Chambord
- raspberries and/or blackberries
Optional
- vanilla-bourbon sugar
Directions
| Step 1 | |
| Stir the fromage blanc, cream, honey, and Chambord together in a medium bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use. | |
| Step 2 | |
| To assemble, spoon the fromage blanc mixture into shallow bowls. Top with fresh berries and a sprinkle of the vanilla-borboun sugar, if using. | |
