Emily in France 🇫🇷 Hiking and a New (to Me) Brie

Autumn means hikes – and cheese

I shouldn't be surprised, by now, that autumn always awakens the hiker in me. In winter and spring I never think to jump on a suburban rail line train to spend hours wandering through the woods, but the moment the leaves start to turn golden and I pull my sweaters out of storage, I can't help it: I want to be in the forest.

Luckily, there are loads of places a quick jaunt from Paris where this dream can quickly and easily become reality, and living, as I do, steps from Gare de l’Est and Gare du Nord, I have an even larger array of options.

Of course, I didn't always realize how much choice I had. I’ve long had a go-to destination near the end of the RER B, and seeing as I’m sorely lacking in a sense of direction, it seemed prudent to return to the same trail again and again and again. (And get lost again and again and again…) But one sunny fall Sunday when the line was exceptionellement fermé, I discovered just one of the sheer wealth of other hikes at my disposal… in Brie.

(No, not this Brie.)

Brie isn't just a cheese, after all. Most French cheeses bear the names of the villages and regions from whence they hail, and Brie is no exception. Brie the area is a historic region east of Paris encompassing (roughly) today's Seine-et-Marne department, a portion of the Marne, and some of the Aisne. Home to Fontainebleau as well as the market towns of Melun and Meaux, which lend the two AOP Bries their names, it was particularly ripe (har har) for discovery.)

Since then, I’ve embarked on quite a few other hikes and nature walks in surrounding areas… somehow managing to ensure that they're often in cheese-adjacent areas with flourishing local markets that just so happen to be open on the days of my visits.

In Roissy-en-Brie, the cheesemonger in the covered market offered no fewer than eleven free samples of cheeses ranging from truffled tomme to a bleu de chèvre so delicious it demanded to come home.

(A word to the wise: Visiting a market towards closing time is always a good idea for deals, but it might also earn you a free mini chausson aux pommes for dessert.)

In Coulommiers, meanwhile, “hiking” is perhaps too heavy a word for tromping through the expanse of fairly manicured parks in the area.

It is, however, a gorgeous place to explore, as much for the nature as for the picturesque village… and, yes, for the cheese.

Fromagerie Ganot, a cheese ager I interviewed eons ago for what I’m just now realizing may well have been my very first published article on cheese is present in the local covered market, selling everything from Brie de Meaux to Brie de Melun, Brie de Nangis to Coulommiers, sometimes referred to as Mother Brie.

Their fermier options number two, which meant, of course, that a side-by-side comparison was mandatory. (I’m delving into my favorite a bit further down in this missive.)

… See why I like hiking?

Cheese of the Week

I’d heard of Coulommiers but had never heard of Brie de Coulommiers before my recent trek out to the town of the same name. Essentially a larger wheel of Coulommiers, Fromagerie Ganot’s organic Brie de Coulommiers is produced on-site at Sainte Colombe farm before being delivered two days later to Ganot, where it is preciously aged until it takes on a ripe, mushroomy flavor perfect for fall. What makes this one stand out is the nutty, brothy richness – almost reminiscent of an excellent Saint-Nectaire – that lasts and lasts and lasts.

To discover more of my favorite cheeses, be sure to follow me on Instagram @emily_in_france, subscribe to my YouTube channel, and tune into the Terroir Podcast, where Caroline Conner and I delve into France's cheese, wine, and more one region at a time.

Where I’m Going

1. To the launch party of Version Originale, a new bilingual literary journal, where I’ll be reading an extract of my published story.

2. To Rosette, to finally check out this project from two industry pros I absolutely adore.

3. On another hike – location TBD – to celebrate my favorite holiday… Halloween!

What I’m Doing

1. I’ve been hard at work plotting and planning my NaNoWriMo project for this year, but for those of you who want to join in on the fun and are in need of a bit of inspiration… you’re in luck! Seeing as our next Nantes Writers’ Workshop session won’t be until June (though signups are open on our website if you'd like to join us!), we're launching a newsletter to keep those creative juices a-flowing. You’ll get one totally free newsletter a month with writing prompts and words from other writers about this craft that makes us so very happy (and so very insane). Sign up now to get the first email Thursday. (Spoiler: It’s Halloween themed!)

2. Desperately trying to help save La Clef, Paris’ last associative cinema.

What I'm Writing

1. While France is home to upwards of 1,000 distinct cheeses, nearly none are made in Paris. It makes sense, of course: Paris is not home to a preponderance of sheep, goats, or cows. But for Pierre Coulon, founder of La Laiterie de Paris, that was far from an obstacle. In 2017, he became Paris’ first intra-muros cheesemaker, and now, six years later, he’s still one of the most innovative pros on the local cheesescape. For Bonjour Paris.

2. This new omakase hot spot was built in Kyoto – and then shipped to Miami. And Michelin-starred chef Shingo Akikuni wouldn't have it any other way. For InsideHook.

3. This recipe for PB&J wings is controversial yet crowd-pleasing. For InsideHook.

What I'm Reading

1. I love Alice Hoffman's atmospheric writing and deep sense of a place I also know and love well – New England. Blackbird House’s interconnected short stories explore the different families who have lived on one farmhouse on Cape Cod over the course of over a century. With just a touch of the magic/magical realism that made people fall in love with her Practical Magic, this book is chiefly concerned with love stories and stories of love, whether between lovers or, even more often, between mother and child. The stories break from the fairy tale mold to address sacrifice, resentment, expectation, and hope. And while not every story is as memorable as the one that came before it, the ensemble wrought by the collection is a delight perfect for cozy fall reading.

2. This intriguing – and admittedly divisive – exploration of why comparing French and American food cultures is a moot point, seeing as the two cultures do not seek the same values in their cuisine. In Walking the World.

3. This story on why Americans don’t eat mutton. In Modern Farmer.

A bientôt !