Product Review: Ile De France Fol Epi Cheese

Product Review: Ile De France Fol Epi Cheese:

First off, I want to thank Marcus, who is an integral part of the Ile de France Cheese Team, for the opportunity to review yet another awesome and delicious product! Last year or so, we reviewed their goat’s milk cheese and seeing as Honey Bear and I are HUGE fans of goat’s milk and feta cheeses, we absolutely LOVED it.

Marcus generously sent us a rolled (round) cheese called Fol Epi - have you ever heard of it? Neither did we, but it sounded like an interesting cheese to try - and let me tell ya folks...it IS a winner! If you enjoy Swiss cheese, you will find Fol Epi a better flavor and texture - mild, yet flavorful. The taste is not overwhelming in any way, and yet strong enough for you to taste its deliciousness, not overpower the meal.

Honey Bear and I have not had much luck buying a good quality cheese at the market. Its not so much the price that we are running into, but the flavor - we NEED flavor

Here is a brief description of this cheese:

Fol Epi is enrobed in a golden brownish rind made from toasted wheat flour. This pressed uncooked French gourmet cheese is produced in Pays de Loire, an area long known for its dairy produce. In French, Fol Epi means 'wild wheat stalk', a fitting name for this unique loaf with perfect eye formation. Fol Epi is matured for 3 months and is decoratively embossed and has a pleasant, nutty and fruity taste. Although similar in taste to a Swiss Emmental, Fol Epi is sweeter and less bitter, making it a ideal for a sensitive palate.

A cow's milk cheese produced in the Loire Valley of France that is often made with a cheese mold providing a distinctive wheat ear pattern on the rind. This cheese is similar to Swiss style cheeses that have a rind dusted with a coating of toasted wheat flour. Inside the rind, pale ivory meat provides a somewhat nutty and fruity flavor, very similar to a Swiss style cheese. It is an excellent cheese for snacking or for serving with hearty breads, French breads, fruit, and in salads. It is also a cheese that melts well for grilling or melting on crackers.

NOW can you understand why I was excited to try this cheese?! Ile De France offers a WIDE variety of different cheese - something for every palate.

Not only that, but they have a recurring giveaway where you can enter daily to win your own cheese!

Right now, they have a Mothers Day Giveaway for us:

Play the Mother's Day-ly Draw! One winner per day!
The latest Ile de France Cheese Holiday Draw runs for the two weeks leading up the Mother's Day, May 9. Celebrate the big day with a delicious selection of fresh Ile de France gourmet French formage,the perfect gift for any gourmet mom! Register each day for a new chance to win. We will select one winner each day,then restart our list of entries - creating a totally new drawing each day!

Ile De France cheeses are smooth, enough flavor to make you want to come back for more. We have tried two of their cheese now (the goats milk cheese and the Fol Epi), and we are pleasantly satisfied!

I needed a new recipe for this cheese, as I normally use Swiss cheese to make sandwiches or on top of casseroles or melt on cordon blue. So, I searched out their site for a recipe for a warm summer day visiting and this is what I chose to try out on Honey Bear and family:

Grilled (sorta like a gourmet grilled corned beef sandwich) and Spring Berry Fruit Bowl -- but there is a real nice selection of recipes for Fol Epi here

Can you say YUM?! Oh my goodness! Thats all I can say as it was SO good! The sandwich was fantastic - the cheese melted just right (it didnt ooze out of the sandwich or become nothing after grilling it) The flavor was INCREDIBLE! I didnt slice the cheese thin, I made it about the slice of American cheese slice size and that worked great - it was a grilled Rueben, and on a side note, the slaw mix in the recipe fit the bill, it really made the cheese flavor stand out by complimenting it, not covering it up. We love finger foods...this simple berry bowl was just the perfect accessory to the sandwich and pickles that I served. The cheese flavor goes so well with fruit! I served an assortment of fruits they listed and included orange slices too - what a perfect cheese and fruit platter!

Bottom line, if you enjoy serving cheese, making cheese platters or just making cheese and crackers as a snack, this is THE perfect cheese - smooth, delicious and easy to slice up too!

Why not stop by Ile De France and check out this fanominal cheese today!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this products from Ile De France strictly to review and at no time do/did I recieve any monetary compensation. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”