Tete de Moine cheese, approximately 850g (+/- 10%)
This semi-hard cheese is made from unpasteurised cow's milk and should be used with a scraper or a Girolle, a contraption that shaves off the top layer of the cheese, making a rosette shape with the trimming.
This cheese was first made over 800 years ago by the monks of Bellaley in Moutier, Switzerland in the mountainous Bernese Jura area. Tete de Moine (which translates to 'monk's head') is a rich, savoury cheese made with sweet Alpine milk.
If you don't have a Girolle Cutter then you could use a vegetable peeler to shave pieces off this cylinder of cheese, ready to serve as part of a cheeseboard, and it pairs well with fresh fruit too. If you'd like to try baking with Tete de Moine, then use as you would raclette, it's excellent melted over potatoes.
Instructions:
Step 1: Cut the Tête de Moine in two, wrap one half in cling film and place it back in cold storage. If the rind is greasy or sticky, leave your Tête de Moine AOP unwrapped in the refrigerator for one or two hours.
Step 2: Place the other half on a clean and even surface with the cut side facing down. Firmly push the spike of the Girolle held upside down through the centre of the cheese. Make absolutely sure you hold the Girolle base horizontally.
Step 3: Then flip your Girolle the right way round and press the cheese firmly down onto the steel grippers of the wooden base, so that it cannot rotate while it is being shaved.
Step 4: Avoid pressing down too hard on the cheese when you turn the blade. For nicer rosettes, it is recommended to shave Tête de Moine AOP with a cheese curler straight out of refrigeration. Rosettes have to be packed immediately after shaving to prevent them from drying out. The fresher the better!
Step 5: If you keep Tête de Moine AOP chilled protected under its cover and the other half wrapped in cling film, your cheese will retain its full flavour and will be ready to be used at any time.