Fromager D'Affinois

Name: Fromager d'Affinois with Walnut Bread and Poached Pear
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: France
Ingredients: 400 g (14 oz) Fromager d'Affinois cheese; 2 whole ripe pears; 500 ml (2 cups) water; 100 g (3½ oz) sugar; 1 whole vanilla bean; 1 whole cinnamon stick; 8 slices walnut bread or sourdough baguette; 30 g (1 oz) walnut halves; 15 ml (1 tbsp) honey; 120 ml (½ cup) red wine

Also known as Affinois, Fromage d'Affinois

📍 Dauphiné — Isère (Saint-Siméon-de-Bressieux area) ★ 4.1

Last updated Aug 28, 2026 · Reviewed by the WhatWhereVacay editorial team

French double-cream made by ultrafiltration — silky and spreadable on the day it leaves the dairy, from the Isère in the Dauphiné.

About Fromager D'Affinois

Fromager d'Affinois is a French double-cream cheese that uses a patented ultrafiltration process to concentrate milk proteins before coagulation, producing an unusually silky, spreadable paste without the long ageing a classic double-cream like Brillat-Savarin would need. The result is the texture of a ripe triple-cream on the day it is made, with the pale ivory colour and buttery fat content of a much older cheese.

It is produced in the Dauphiné region around the Isère, by the Fromagerie Guilloteau, and it comes in two main forms: the plain Fromager d'Affinois and the Fromager d'Affinois aux truffes, the latter studded with small black summer-truffle shards and sold in a black-and-gold box every winter. There is also a goat's-milk version, the Petit Affinois, and a Pérail-style sheep's-milk cousin, but the cow's-milk original is by far the most familiar to French cheese counters.

Unlike a bloomy-rind Camembert or Brie, Fromager d'Affinois is sold in a small log wrapped in paper and eaten within a week or two of purchase. It is the cheese French supermarkets reach for when they want a reliable, mild, spreadable double-cream to put on the cheese trolley without committing to a long-aged Brillat or a runny Chaource.

🏛️ History & Culture

Fromager d'Affinois is a relatively modern French cheese, created in the 1980s by the Guilloteau family in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Its production employs a technique called ultrafiltration to concentrate the milk, resulting in a velvety, double-cream texture that is often compared to Brie or Camembert but with a richer, more indulgent profile. Unlike centuries-old appellation cheeses, its history is not ancient; instead, it is a contemporary innovation that draws on the region's long-standing dairy craftsmanship.

Although it lacks the deep historical roots of traditional farmhouse cheeses, Fromager d'Affinois has gained significant cultural traction as a premium soft-ripened cheese, frequently featured on international cheese boards and in gourmet cuisine. Its name references the Affinois locality, and it is produced in a bloomy-rind style that echoes classic French soft cheeses while offering a modern, consistent flavor. It represents a bridge between heritage and innovation, showcasing how French dairy traditions adapt to contemporary tastes without losing their regional identity.

🍳 How to make Fromager D'Affinois

AI-assisted, not kitchen-tested

Fromager d'Affinois with Walnut Bread and Poached Pear

Fromager d'Affinois is a luxuriously creamy, double-cream French cheese from the Rhône-Alpes region. Traditionally enjoyed simply with crusty bread and fruit, this preparation lets the cheese's buttery richness shine while adding complementary textures and flavors.

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 15 min
Total: 30 min
Serves: 4
Difficulty: Easy

Recipe ingredients

400 g (14 oz) Fromager d'Affinois cheese, brought to room temperature 30 minutes before serving
2 whole ripe pears, Comice or Williams variety, peeled
500 ml (2 cups) water
100 g (3½ oz) sugar, for poaching liquid
1 whole vanilla bean, split and scraped, or 1 tsp vanilla extract
1 whole cinnamon stick
8 slices walnut bread or sourdough baguette, slightly stale is traditional
30 g (1 oz) walnut halves, lightly toasted, for garnish
15 ml (1 tbsp) honey, optional, for drizzling
120 ml (½ cup) red wine, such as a Beaujolais, for pairing

Steps

1 Prepare the poaching liquid: In a medium saucepan, combine water, sugar, split vanilla bean (including seeds), and cinnamon stick. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
2 Once the liquid is simmering, carefully lower the peeled pears into the pan. Reduce heat to low and poach for 12-15 minutes, turning occasionally, until pears are tender when pierced with a knife but still hold their shape. The poaching liquid should remain at a bare simmer (around 85°C / 185°F), not a rolling boil.
3 Remove pears from the poaching liquid and set aside to cool slightly. Reserve 60 ml (¼ cup) of the reduced poaching liquid if desired for drizzling.
4 Just before serving, slice the walnut bread or baguette into 1.5 cm (½ inch) thick slices. If you have a grill pan, lightly toast the bread on both sides for a subtle char; alternatively, serve at room temperature as is traditional.
5 Slice the Fromager d'Affinois into wedges or thick rounds. The cheese should be yielding and soft at room temperature—do not serve it cold as it will lose its signature creamy texture.
6 To plate: Place a slice of bread on each plate, top with a wedge of Fromager d'Affinois. Halve the poached pears lengthwise and place beside the cheese. Scatter toasted walnuts over the cheese.
7 Drizzle with a small amount of honey and a spoonful of the reserved poaching liquid if using. Serve immediately with a glass of Beaujolais or a light red wine, the traditional French accompaniment.

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🧺 Key ingredients

cow milk
cream
mesophilic starter
rennet
salt
penicillium candidum (white rind)

🍴 Where to eat it

Spread it on a slice of baguette at any good Paris fromagerie — Alléosse in the 12th, Quatrehomme in the 6th, or the Marie-Anne Cantin shop in the 7th. In the Isère itself, the small affineurs in the villages around Saint-Siméon-de-Bressieux sell the wheels fresh from the dairy, often still warm from the moulding hall. The truffle version appears in cheese shops every November and disappears by mid-January — it is one of the easiest ways to eat a piece of tuber melanosporum at a French holiday table.

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