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Vegetarian, South and mountains

Patranque with green salad

Patranque is a mash of stale bread melted with fresh tomme cheese and garlic, served with a green salad. It takes 30 minutes to make for 4 people, costs €1.60 per person, and requires no real skill. The key to success is stirring nonstop with a fork so the mixture stays smooth and stretchy.

Patranque is stale bread turned into a stretchy, cheesy mash with tomme and garlic, a nothing kind of dish that has everything going for it.

Patranque with green salad
Total time
30 min
Difficulty
Very easy
Cost per person
€1.60
Calories per person
750 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Fall
The kids
They generally like it

Patranque turns leftover hard bread into a comforting dish. Soaked in warm milk, the bread softens again, then melts with fresh tomme cheese into a stretchy mass flavored with raw garlic. This is far from a simple cheese toast, the texture is closer to a creamy cheese mash, with a light crispness where the edges have browned in the butter.

This is a classic weeknight dish, the kind you make without thinking when the fridge looks empty and there is just an old heel of bread left. Kids generally love this stretchy, cheesy mash that feels a bit like an easy fondue. Mon Chou likes to serve it on a winter evening, with a well dressed green salad to cut through the richness of the cheese.

The ingredients

4 people

Bakery

  • Stale country bread 300 g

Dairy

  • Fresh tomme cheese 300 g
  • Milk 15 cl
  • Butter 30 g

Fruits and vegetables

  • Garlic 3 cloves
  • Green salad 1

Pantry

  • Olive oiloften in the pantry 2 tbsp
  • Vinegaroften in the pantry 1 tbsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Allergens Gluten, Lactose

The step by step recipe

  1. Cut the bread into small pieces and soak it in warm milk. 10 min

    The bread should be plump but not soggy.

  2. Melt the butter in a large skillet and cook the chopped garlic without browning it. 3 min

    Remove the garlic if it starts to blacken, it would make the dish bitter.

  3. Add the drained bread and mash it with a fork into a rough paste. 5 min

    It should start turning lightly golden at the edges.

  4. Stir in the tomme cut into small cubes and mix until you get a stretchy mash. 5 min

    Lower the heat, cheese that gets too hot turns rubbery.

  5. Season lightly with salt, generously with pepper, and serve with the dressed salad.

    Go heavy on the pepper, it wakes up the cheese flavor.

Our tips to get it right

  • Pick a country bread that is truly stale, even hard, it soaks up the milk better without turning mushy.
  • Cut the tomme into small, even cubes so it melts evenly and faster into the bread mixture.
  • Serve the patranque straight out of the pan, it loses its stretchy texture as it cools and turns dense.

The variations

  • Swap the fresh tomme for young cantal or mozzarella if you can't find it, the result stays nice and stretchy.
  • Beat an egg into the soaked bread for a richer version, closer to a traditional Auvergne farçou.
  • For kids, cut back on the garlic and serve the patranque with carrot sticks instead of the salad.

What to serve it with

  • A well dressed green salad
  • Mountain cured meats as a starter
  • A glass of light red wine

Storage

Patranque is best eaten right away, it doesn't keep well since the cheese firms up as it cools. You can store it for 1 day in the fridge in a sealed container and reheat it gently in a pan with a splash of milk. It doesn't freeze well, the stretchy texture doesn't survive thawing.

Questions about this dish

Can you make patranque with fresh bread?

You can, but the result won't be as good, fresh bread soaks up less milk and turns gummy. Stale, even slightly hard bread gives the best texture.

What cheese can replace fresh tomme?

Young cantal or mozzarella both work well since they melt the same way and stay stretchy. Avoid aged cheeses, which release too much fat.

Can you prepare patranque ahead of time?

It's best made right before serving, since it loses its stretchy texture as it cools. You can soak the bread and cube the tomme ahead to save time, though.

How do you tone down the garlic for kids?

Cut the garlic down to one clove and cook it gently without browning, which softens its flavor a lot. You can also remove it from the pan once it's just infused its flavor.

How long does it take to make a patranque with green salad?

Count 30 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “very easy”.

How many calories are in a patranque with green salad?

About 750 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a patranque with green salad cost?

About €1.60 per serving, or €6.40 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains gluten, lactose. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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