Cancoillotte is one of France’s most unusual cheeses — a flowing, translucent, low-fat preparation from Franche-Comté that challenges every assumption about what cheese should be. It begins with metton, a cooked pressed curd made from skimmed milk that has been allowed to ferment for several days at 25-30°C until it develops a strong, pungent ammonia smell and turns pale yellow. The metton is then crumbled and gently melted in a saucepan with water (or milk) and butter, stirred continuously at 60-65°C until it transforms into a smooth, pourable, almost gelatinous mass. The traditional proportions are 200g metton to 50ml water and 30g butter — the resulting cancoillotte has remarkably low fat content (around 8-12%) compared to conventional cheeses (25-45%). Garlic is the classic flavoring, with a whole crushed head stirred in during the melting phase, but vin jaune (Jura’s famous oxidized wine), cumin, and shallot versions exist. The texture when warm is like a thin fondue; when cooled, it sets to a spreadable, slightly elastic consistency. Cancoillotte is eaten warm, spread on toast, or used as a sauce for boiled potatoes, sausages, or vegetables. In Franche-Comté and the broader Burgundian sphere, it represents the ultimate peasant cheese — made from the byproduct of butter-making (skimmed milk), it wastes nothing. The industrial versions sold in plastic tubs bear only passing resemblance to farmhouse cancoillotte made from properly aged metton, where the fermentation contributes a depth of flavor that the mild supermarket product cannot approach.
Starts with metton (fermented skimmed milk curd). Melt metton with water and butter at 60-65°C. Stir continuously until smooth and pourable. Classic garlic flavoring added during melting. Low-fat cheese (8-12%). Serve warm for best texture.
Source farmhouse metton if possible — it should smell aggressively funky, which indicates proper fermentation. If the cancoillotte gets too thick, add warm water a tablespoon at a time. For vin jaune version, add 50ml at the end of cooking and stir briefly — prolonged heating drives off the aromatics. Cancoillotte keeps well refrigerated for 2 weeks and reheats perfectly with a splash of water.
Heating too fast or too high (metton becomes stringy and grainy). Using industrial metton (underfermented, bland). Adding too much butter (defeats the point of this lean cheese). Not stirring continuously (lumps form). Serving cold from the fridge (too firm, flavor muted).
Fromages: An Expert’s Guide to French Cheese — Roland Barthélémy; La Cuisine Comtoise