Why the fall is the best time for cheese — plus 7 cheesy recipes

For some, the fall and winter holidays mean all things apple and pear, roasted squash or parsnips, persimmons, maybe cider or hot cocoa or Thanksgiving turkey dinner.

But the holiday season is also the best time for cheese. I consider it high cheese season for peak flavor, when milk that is used to make washed-rind cheeses such as Époisses and Langres and Rush Creek Reserve is richer, fattier, more intense. This is also the time when many cheeses ripened for at least several months reach maturity — Comté, Gruyère, Stilton and aged cheddars.

Sure, I love a fall apple or pear, but I heart them even more with cheese. Same with just about any late-in-the-year vegetable, including celeriac, butternuts and cauliflower. And of course dried fruit and nuts and membrillo. (Also, holiday Champagne.)

Few cities in the world top the cheese-caring culture of Paris, and I recently cruised through a few of its fromageries: Thomas Artisan Fromager on Rue Rambuteau in the 4th arrondissement, Barthélémy on Rue de Grenelle in the 7th, and Taka & Vermo on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis in the 10th (as well as the cheese stalls at the Bastille food market on Sundays).

At Thomas, wrinkled pucks and logs and cubes and pyramids of cheeses are stacked unwrapped in open refrigerated cases. The chubby cylinders (a cone-like shape called “bonde”) of Chabichou du Poitou were especially pungent-looking. And even this goat’s milk cheese, often associated with spring, I especially appreciate in fall because its deliciousness crescendos as it ages for several weeks and the nutty flavor that it develops goes so well with hearty greens of the season — and dried dates and marcona almonds.

At the Musée du Fromage (yes, there’s a cheese museum in Paris, staffed by cheese mongers) I tried chèvre affiné à feuille de sakura — a brick of fresh goat cheese with a preserved cherry tree leaf that runs through the center. To me the preserved leaves tasted of cool weather and shorter days. (Also, check out this Gruyère aged with sweet woodruff and Saint Nectaire with sansho pepper at Taka & Vermo.)

I’m a cheese plate fan, but I also love that so many of the aforementioned fromages melt so well into winter dishes of gratins, fondue, grilled cheese sandwiches, onion soup and mac ‘n’ cheese. OK, mac ‘n’ cheese is great any time of year. But it’s cozier in the fall.

Here are several of our cheesiest cheese recipes for the season.

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Mustardy Meatball and Cauliflower Gratin With Gruyère

Mustardy, beefy meatballs and florets of cauliflower in bubbling cream with Gruyère or aged white cheddar? Yes, please. If you already have your own favorite homemade or frozen store-bought meatball recipe, use it here in place of the from-scratch meatballs; just make sure they’re the same size and are thawed completely.
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Cook time: 1 hour. Serves 4.

(Silvia Razgova/For The Times)

Cheese-Crusted Potatoes

These cheese and potatoes are the best antidote for the nastiest weather and bleakest mood, according to writer Regina Schrambling. She melts Gruyère, Manchego or Parmigiano-Reggiano over roasted potatoes, sprinkled with coarse sea salt, cayenne and herbs.
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Cook time: 30 minutes. Serves 4.

Pasjoli’s Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich

This grilled cheese sandwich is a time investment, with dividends. It’s the best grilled cheese you’ll probably ever make: buttery, toasty, crispy, gooey, melty. It features layers of nutty Gruyère, caramelized onions, thinly sliced cured ham and creamy Mornay sauce (a béchamel with cheese). Don’t get too hung up on caramelizing the onions for several hours; you can get a lot of flavor and jammy texture in a couple of hours. The objective is not to let them cook too quickly so that the onions develop their flavor and color fully over time. Plus, you’ll have leftovers for using in just about anything — soups, stews, with roasts or more sandwiches.
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Cook time: 2 hours. Makes 2 sandwiches.

Soupe à L’Oignon Gratinée

A reader once wrote to former L.A. Times Test Kitchen director Noelle Carter for a recipe from the erstwhile restaurant Comme Ça for French onion soup that reminded him of one he ate at a late-night stand at Les Halles in Paris, and this is it. Start with a generous amount of slowly caramelized onions, and gently simmer them in a broth brightened with a little sherry and hints of thyme and bay leaf. Serve each bowl topped with a slice of crusty French toast — or two — hidden under a creamy layer of melted Gruyère, of course.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 3 hours. Serves 8.

Rashida Holmes’ Macaroni and Cheese Pie

There’s a reason the macaroni and cheese pie that chef Rashida Holmes serves at Bridgetown Roti in East Hollywood is so popular.
Besides cheddar cheese, Holmes uses curry powder to add zing. Instead of macaroni noodles, she prefers fusilli, which allows the cheesy mixture to seep into every cranny as it bakes. Also, this is a five-cheese pie: There’s cheddar and Jack cheeses, pepper Jack for heat, Gouda for creaminess and Parmesan for saltiness. But according to Holmes, it’s fresh thyme, a staple herb in the Caribbean culinary lexicon, that makes the dish.
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Cook time: 1 hour 15 minutes. Serves 10 to 12.

(Mariah Tauger/Los Angeles Times)

Fondue Savoyarde

Former L.A. Times reporter Charles Perry wrote about the fondue recipe from Laurent Bonjour, who was cheese maestro at Monsieur Marcel at the Original Farmers Market at the time. “Fondue cheeses are a matter of personal choice, but in the Savoie, the mix usually includes two Swiss-type cheeses,” said Perry. “Gruyère de Comté and the rarer Gruyère de Beaufort, along with the pungent semisoft Morbier.”
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Cook time: 40 minutes. Serves 6 to 8.

Gratin Dauphinois

Potatoes and cream transform into a bubbly, rich casserole in this classic French side dish — worthy of a holiday table. Get the best cream and Gruyère you can find. Use a mandoline to slice the potatoes, a pro move because it reduces your working time and the potatoes will oxidize quickly once they’re cut. The volume of your baking dish is key to contain all the potatoes and cream, so don’t use a small dish or it will bubble out into your oven (and do use a baking sheet under the dish — the cheesy cream bubbleth over).
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Cook time: 2 hours 30 minutes. Serves 10 to 12.

(Katrina Frederick / For The Times)