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How To Serve Swiss Tête de Moine Cheese + 7 Expert Tips
I first saw this unique cheese, Tete De Moine, on Instagram and I wanted to try it! I tried so many cheeses in my life, but the serving and presentation of Tete De Moine cheese are so unique and impressive. I learned the recipe for the Swiss Tete De Moine cheese has been known for about 800 years, and the tradition of preparing this unique delicacy continues to this day in Switzerland. What is unique about Tete De Moine cheese, you may ask? It is not cut into wedges or slices like most cheeses. It is always served in the shape of delicate rosettes. We curl the cheese with a tool called a Girolle. Here I am going to share what I learned at a New Orleans specialty cheese store. They also shared their unique New Orleans spice recipe to serve this cheese. All the suggestions on this page were tested by my family and me and we love everything we tried!
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Tête de Moine is a show-stopping cheese, as you can see in the photo, that instantly upgrades any cheese board! For the ultimate wow factor, serve it with a girolle slicer so your guests can create their beautiful cheese rosettes—fun to make and even better to eat. It’s an interactive cheese for guests of all ages—especially the little ones, try for the Holidays!
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1. Girolle Cheese Cutter For 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.
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Video How To Use Girolle To Make Tete De Moine Rosettes
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!
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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. My original Girolle instruction suggests that 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.
*Of course, the cheese starts warming up on the table, don’t worry it’s still great to make rosettes.
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2. Can We Use Other Tools Instead Of The Girolle To Make Tete De Moine Rosettes?
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.
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3. A Few More Words About Girolles
You can find several types of Girolles available on the market. Since I already did my research and purchased one, I’d love to share what I’ve learned. I chose a Girolle with a wooden base because it was reasonably priced, and I don’t plan to use it often. It works well for me, but everyone has a different budget. If you’re willing to spend a little more, I’d recommend a cheese shaper with a marble base. It’s easier to clean and, because of its weight, more stable than a wooden one.
If your budget allows for additional accessories, a dome cover is also a great investment—it helps protect your cheese while stored in the refrigerator. However, I made myself a dome cover! Learn how to make a cover for Girolle ⇒ How To Use And Clean Girolle Cheese Curler for Tete de Moine
*Some Girolles come with a mold for shaping chocolate rosettes, and I discovered that you can use special chocolate with a cheese curler. I even saw stunning dessert photos online, featuring cakes beautifully decorated with chocolate rosettes made using a Girolle.
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4. Best Cheeses for a Girolle: Alternatives to Tête de Moine
The best cheese for cheese Girolle is Tête de Moine, but we can curl other cheeses as well. I found some great suggestions and demonstrations on YouTube featuring Swiss cheeses similar to Tête de Moine that also curl beautifully on a Girolle. Two other kinds of cheese for cheese curlers are Cinderella (Aschenputtel) cow’s cheese, and Milchzapfen cheese. I recommend these cheeses because I saw a real demonstration. The rosettes turned out just as pretty as they do with Tête de Moine!
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5. How To Serve Tete De Moine Cheese
I asked the experts at our local St. James Cheese Company, in 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 delicious and served with different meat delicacies on the side. Tete De Moine is a great sophisticated addition to any meat, cheese platter, or just by itself. It is also a beautiful and unusual delicacy as a garnish on any cheese platter for a WOW effect!
Rosettes of Tete de Moine is an impressive garnish for any cheese platter!
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6. Tete De Moine Spice Mix Recipe From New Orleans
Another suggestion from St. James Cheese Company is to serve this unique cheese with a spice mix. They make their own spice mix in the store and serve it with the Tete De Moine cheese. They generously shared the recipe with us, so now we can make the mix any time we would like. We tried and tested the cheese florets served with the spice mix recipe premade at the store, and felt they worked very well together. It adds a great accent flavor for the Tete De Moine cheese. The image below is of the actual recipe made and used by St. James Cheese Company.
3 teaspoons fennel
2 teaspoons coriander
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
3 teaspoons black sesame seeds
1/4 teaspoons cumin
– Toast until fragrant
-Grind with 1 teaspoon lavender
-Add 1/4 teaspoons grey salt
-Add 1 teaspoon paprika (sweet)
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7. Which Wine Should Be Served With Cheese Tete De Moine?
Online, we can find different wine and Tete De Moine pairing ideas, but here I am going to share what I tried and liked. I asked our local experts from the St. James Cheese Company in New Orleans which wine makes the best pairing with Tete De Moine cheese. They suggested serving Pinot Noir red wine with this cheese. My friends and I paired this wine with the fancy cheese florets and liked the way they go together. Of course, many other options for wine but if you are serving this cheese for the first time, the best way is to follow professional advice.
On the website, they suggest also beer as well as Saisons, Lambic beer, Trappist ales, and Red Burgundy.
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8. Taste Of Tete De Moine Cheese
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 :)
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9. Issues With Tete De Moine Cheese Odor
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.
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10. Where To Buy Tete De Moine Cheese In The New Orleans Area
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
5004 Prytania St, New Orleans, LA 70115 Phone (504) 899-4737
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.
Update 2024
We can order online cheese Tete De Moine at https://stjamescheese.com/
I made my first order for our Thanksgiving family celebration from them. I am going to share my experience, after receiving my order.
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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!
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Video How To Use Electric Girolle To Make Tete De Moine Rosettes
I appreciate the company Tete De Moine for giving me permission to share this beautiful video with you on my website. Gala
11. Is It Worth It To Buy Formaticum Cheese Paper To Store Cheese?
I never heard about special cheese paper before visiting St. James Cheese Company in New Orleans. It is costly for disposable storage paper. If you are 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.
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My Formaticum Cheese Paper Test Result
I stored the cheese sample on the left in wax paper, and it was slightly discolored, dried out, and lost its fragrance. In contrast, the cheese stored in Formaticum cheese paper on the right remains fragrant and free of dryness along the edges. Based on this test, I can confidently say that Formaticum cheese paper performed much better than wax paper. I also discovered that Formaticum has not only cheese storage sheets but also convenient cheese storage bags, which we can buy online.
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!
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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.
Video Tete De Moine Origin and Cheesemaking Process
I appreciate the company Tete De Moine for giving me permission to share this beautiful video with you on my website. Gala
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@Galainthekitchen.com
@Galainthekitchen.com
Galainthekitchen.com
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@Galainthekitchen.com
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In 1797 the monks were evicted from the abbey by soldiers during the French revolution. Tete de Moine cheese was no longer made by monks in the abbey, but continued to be made by local farmers.
Thank you, Eden! Interesting to know.