Fromage Frais/Coeurs à la Crème

Soft cheese is one of the best and favourite French desserts (or first courses, come to that, since it is often mixed with chopped herbs, garlic and salt). In Normandy, each village and small town grocery will have the refrigerator stocked with a tray of dripping perforated tubs, known as ‘faisselles’. They used to be made of brown and grey glazed stoneware, but these days white plastic is handier and probably more hygienic. In every market, too, there will be stalls where a particul