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–+ servings

Cervelle de canut

Appetizer, Appetizers & Snacks, Snack
Cervelle de canut is Lyon's brilliant answer to herb cheese, fresh fromage blanc whipped with shallots, garlic, chives, parsley, and a good glug of walnut oil. The texture's somewhere between cream cheese and thick yogurt, but lighter and sharper than both.
Cheese Spread Lyon recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients 

Equipment

Instructions

  1. 1. Drain the cheese
    If your fromage blanc is quite liquid, drain it through muslin or a fine sieve for 30 minutes first. You want it thick enough to hold its shape but still creamy. Most "faisselles" are perfect as they come. The consistency should be somewhere between Greek yogurt and soft cream cheese.
  2. 2. Prep the aromatics
    Chop the shallots and garlic properly, fine enough that you won't get massive chunks in your mouth. Same with the herbs. Everything needs to be evenly distributed throughout the cheese.
  3. 3. Mix everything together
    Tip the fromage blanc into your bowl. Add the shallots, garlic, and all your chopped herbs. Don't be shy with the herbs, they're what makes this worth eating. Mix it all together with a fork or whisk until everything's evenly distributed. You want it creamy but not necessarily smooth. Some texture is good.
  4. 4. Add the walnut oil
    Pour in the walnut oil gradually, mixing as you go. You want enough to make it creamy and bring the flavours together, but not so much that it's swimming in oil. Start with 2 tablespoons, then add more if needed. Taste it. Now season with salt and pepper, you'll need more than you think. Fromage blanc is quite bland on its own, so be generous.
  5. 5. Chill properly
    Cover and stick it in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Overnight is better. The flavours need time to meld. The shallots mellow, the herbs infuse, the walnut oil works its way through everything. This is crucial, eating it straight away means you miss half the point.
    Serve it cold with plenty of good crusty bread, or with boiled potatoes if you're being traditional. Some people serve it with radishes, which works rather well. In Lyon, you'll find this cheese spread in every bouchon, usually as part of the starter selection.

Notes

  • What is fromage blanc? Fromage blanc is a fresh, unaged French cheese with a mild, slightly tangy flavour and creamy texture, thicker than yogurt but lighter than cream cheese. It's similar to quark and fromage frais.
  • UK substitute: Use quark (available at Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons, Aldi, Lidl, and Ocado). Look in the cheese section near cottage cheese and Philadelphia. Quark has the same mild flavour and creamy texture as fromage blanc and works perfectly in this Lyon cheese spread recipe.
  • US substitute: Quark is harder to find but available at some Aldi stores (Hemme Brothers Creamery), Whole Foods (Vermont Creamery or Elli Quark brands), and select Safeway locations. If you can't find quark, mix 300g full-fat Greek yogurt with 100g softened cream cheese until smooth, this creates a similar texture and tanginess.
  • Don't use: Regular Greek yogurt on its own (too thin and tangy), standard cream cheese (too thick and rich), or cottage cheese (has curds that won't blend smoothly).
  • The oil matters. Walnut oil is traditional because walnuts grow in the Rhône-Alpes region. Olive oil wasn't local and was expensive, the silk workers couldn't afford it. If you can't find walnut oil, use toasted rapeseed oil (also called toasted canola oil). Both were what Lyon workers would have used.
  • No cream. Modern recipes sometimes add crème fraîche to this cheese spread, but the original didn't have it. The silk workers were poor, cream was a luxury. The cheese should be rich enough on its own.
  • Herbs are flexible. Tarragon or chervil add that subtle anise note that's quite traditional, but if you can only get parsley and chives, it's still proper. Just use whatever's fresh. The important thing is the quantity, you want enough herbs that you can actually taste them.
  • Make it smoother. Some Lyon chefs use a stick blender for a completely smooth cheese spread. Traditional versions are chunkier. Your choice.
  • Keeps well. This lasts 3-4 days in the fridge, covered. The flavour actually improves after a day or two as everything melds together.