How I Learned To Serve Swiss Tete De Moine Cheese

      The Girolle is a simple tool to use to create beautiful Tete De Moine florets. I personally didn’t have any difficulties using my Girolle. I cut approximately ¼ inch off the top of the cheese with a regular knife. Remove the Girolle blade and place the cheese on the post. The cheese is soft enough that I didn’t need to apply any force to push it down. Be sure you push the cheese down far enough that the cheese is positioned securely on the small blades on the base. The cheese shouldn’t move around the post. Place the cutter blade on the top and then hold the base with one hand and rotate with the other. You don’t need to apply too much pressure on the blade to make the cheese florets. Instead, just turn it faster. The cheese develops its scented flavors the best when we serve this way. It is really simple if we follow the instructions.

I appreciate the company Tete De Moine for giving me permission to share this beautiful video with you on my website. Gala

                     Check out my other cheese tools related post → OXO Cheese Grater for Parmesan My Review  No cleaning grater after each use solution!

         What Is The Best Temperature To Serve Tete De Moine Cheese? 

          Serve the cheese directly from the refrigerator; don’t wait for it to warm up. In my original Girolle instruction is a clear suggestion – The Tete De Moine cheese should be stored and consumed at refrigerator temperature. When we tasted the cheese at the store, this is how it was served.

         I bought my Monk’s head cheese cutter online and didn’t look for alternative solutions on how to curl my cheese. However, for my curiosity, I tried other methods. In one of the instruction pictures, I saw a cheese cutter next to a cheese rosette, so of course, I tried to use a cheese cutter instead of the Girolle. This method didn’t work for me. I was not able to make beautiful florets with the cheese cutter.

      I also read an online suggestion to use a vegetable peeler, but I tried and wasn’t successful. From some sources I read, you can use a knife to scrape the surface of the cheese to make florets. Maybe a person with good knife skills would be able to make florets. 

       Bottom line is I tried how to cut Tete de Moine without a Girolle and didn’t find any method working for me. If you have any other suggestions to cut this cheese without Girolle, share in comments below. 

           You can find a few different types of Girolles for sale on the market. Since I already researched and bought a Girolle, I’m going to share with you what I learned. I chose a wooden based one because it was a reasonable price and I am not going to use it often. It works fine for me but everybody has a different budget. If you can spend a little more on this culinary tool, in my opinion, a Girolle with a marble base is better. A Girolle with a marble base is much easier to clean and because it is heavier, it is more stable than one with a wooden. Some Girolles have a mold to shape chocolate to make chocolate rosettes. I learned you can use special chocolate on this cheese curler. I saw photos on the Internet of very elegant desserts with cakes decorated with chocolate rosettes made with a Girolle. If you have enough money in your budget for additional tools, it is also good to have a dome cover to protect your cheese in the refrigerator.

         The best cheese for the Girolle is Tete De Moine, but we can possibly use this tool for a few other kinds of cheeses. I saw on YouTube some other suggestions and demonstrations of cheeses from Switzerland, similar to Tete De Moine, to curl on a Girolle. One is called Cinderella (Aschenputtel) cow’s cheese and another is called Milchzapfen cheese. I saw a real demonstration of Tete De Moine alternative cheeses and the rosettes come as pretty as they do with Tete De Moine!

      I asked the experts at our local St. James Cheese Company, New Orleans for suggestions on how we can serve Tete De Moine cheese and what is the best pairing. They suggested serving your cheese with something savory. For example, they served it with chives and delicacy pickles. You could also serve it with a variety of different cheeses, so guests have a choice. However, serving the florets individually is the best way to follow the serving directions, and the cheese is really delicious served with different meat delicacies on the side. Tete De Moine is a great sophisticated addition to any meat platter, cheese platter or just by itself. It is also really pretty as a garnish on any plate!

     The plate I featured below I found from a restaurant on Instagram. A pretty presentation! Tete de Moine is a really impressive garnish for many dishes!

     I can describe the taste of Tete De Moine as a unique flavor with nutty notes. The flavor is very rich and, at the same time, delicate; the soft and super thin ruffles literally melt in your mouth. It is a fun and delicious conversation piece on your cheese platter and a great garnish as well! I also need to mention we didn’t notice any unpleasant smell. Tete De Moine is not a stinky cheese. This cheese is a real delicacy and can decorate any cheese platter with its taste and look!

If you are interested, you can find more gourmet recipes with Tete De Moine cheese on the website www.tetedemoine.ch/en/recipes

       When you buy expensive aged cheese, it is always a good idea to check with the experts at the store how to keep it properly if you need to store it before your event. Cheese needs to breathe. Use wax paper, parchment paper or special cheese paper, which most specialty cheese stores use. Don’t keep Tete De Moine cheese in plastic! Don’t ask how I learned :)

       After I bought a whole head of Tete De Moine, I kept the cheese in a store-bought plastic bag before my Girolle arrived. When I unpacked my cheese the smell was not pleasant and strong. In my case, I just cut off the outside of my cheese and this solved the odor problem. The cheese by itself didn’t have any unpleasant odor.

     If you are ok with the smell but are still unsatisfied, here is another solution. We can cover the outside of the cheese before shaving it with the Girolle. To cover it we can use spices such as the New Orleans Spice mix or just spices alone such as coriander, pepper, cinnamon.

       What I did when I first started looking for Tete De Moine was check all our local stores. Nice try! Of course, I didn’t find it at our local grocery stores! I didn’t know there are only a few places where I can buy it in the United States. According to the Tete De Moine website, we can buy this cheese at Whole Foods stores as well as many specialty cheese shops at the USA.

       I checked the Whole Foods store in Covington, Louisiana for Tete De Moine cheese. The lady who was working in the cheese department said they don’t have enough demand for this cheese and don’t have an electric Girolle, so they don’t keep this cheese in stock. I checked also one of the Whole Foods stores in New Orleans and they don’t have Tete De Moine too. My advice is, before you drive somewhere, call the store and ask about the availability of Tete De Moine there. 

      You can find where to buy this unique cheese in other countries on website  www.tetedemoine.ch/en/infos/sales

        I told my family about my desire to try this delicacy cheese and one day I was invited for lunch at St. James Cheese Company in New Orleans. This is one of the locations in New Orleans that sells Tete De Moine cheese. It is a really, nice place to have lunch and learn more about different cheeses. They are very knowledgeable about cheeses and give you the inside information about every cheese you might want to try. We not only found my Tete De Moine cheese at the St. James Cheese Company, New Orleans, but they also gave me direction and suggestions on how to serve this unique cheese, which I have shared with you. Of course, we tasted it without spices as well as with the store-made spice mix. Our experts shared with us a spice mix recipe to serve with this cheese. The recipe is below.

      At this store, they also have the electric Girolle cheese cutter, which cuts the cheese so fine and makes beautiful rosettes. I was so excited to see it but didn’t get a chance to take many photos this time. It is a fun, interactive experience to watch and learn how to make Tete De Moine flowers using an electric Girolle. Watch this video to see how the electric Girolle works – it makes really fine and attractive cheese flowers!

         I appreciate the company Tete De Moine for giving me permission to share this beautiful video with you on my website. Gala

      I never heard about special cheese paper before visiting St. James Cheese Company in New Orleans. It is costly for disposable storage paper. I paid $9.50 + Tax for the paper you see in the photo. If you are really a cheese lover and buy expensive cheese in advance for your cheese platters, you may be interested to learn about this cheese storage paper. The paper looks like wax paper with a plastic layer inside. If I try to tear the paper, the plastic keeps it from tearing easily. I tested the cheese paper side-by-side with wax paper. I packed almost the same size square of cheese in the wax paper and in the Formaticum cheese paper and left them in the refrigerator for one week. I really had no doubts about the cheese storage paper because it has very good reviews online and I bought it from a company I trust. However, just for curiosity’s sake, I am going to share my very simple test result.

       The cheese sample on the left I kept in wax paper. The cheese is slightly discolored and has started drying out. There is also no fragrance left on the surface. The sample cheese from the cheese storage paper on the right is still fragrant and has no dryness on the sides. In conclusion, I can say the Formaticum cheese paper works much better than wax paper when I tested it. I saw the Formaticum company has not only sheets of paper, but they also have cheese storage bags as well. 

     The set includes, in addition to sheets of paper, labels to seal the wrapping. As you can see, I used them in the photo below. We can write the name of the cheese and the date of packing if needed. We can use it as a gift wrapping paper if we give good quality cheese to someone as a present. Just add a ribbon and you are good to go!

     Watch this beautiful informative video about the origin of Tete De Moine, the history of the cheese, as well as the making, aging and packing process before it comes to our tables.

I appreciate the company Tete De Moine for giving me permission to share this beautiful video with you on my website. Gala