Shaved on a girolle, dense and buttery with toasted hazelnut and brown butter.
Tête de Moine AOP from Switzerland's Jura. Raw cow's milk, washed rind, shaved into buttery, nutty rosettes on a girolle. Order online.
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Tête de Moine is a raw cow's milk cheese from the Bernese Jura in Switzerland, made in small cylindrical wheels and aged on spruce boards under a brushed, brine-washed rind. The name translates literally to "monk's head," a nod to both the Bellelay monastery where it was first made in the 12th century and to the way the wheel is served. You don't cut Tête de Moine. You shave it on a girolle, the little hand-cranked blade that turns the paste into thin ruffled rosettes.
The paste is dense and straw-yellow, semi-hard but supple, never dry. Shaved thin and aerated by the girolle, it opens up into something much bigger than the small wheel suggests, buttery and fruity on the front of the palate, with a toasted hazelnut and brown butter middle that comes from the raw milk and the time on spruce. Underneath that sits a gentle washed-rind savoriness. The finish carries well past the swallow.
This is an AOP cheese, protected to the Jura region, and the girolle ritual is half the point. The rosettes melt on the tongue in a way a slice of the same cheese never would. Around the holidays a wheel of Tête de Moine on the table with the girolle next to it does a lot of the work for you.
Semi-hard and firm under the knife, but the paste is dense and supple rather than dry. Shaved on a girolle it ruffles into thin rosettes that almost melt on the tongue.
Bigger flavor than the small wheel suggests. Buttery and fruity up front, then a savory pull from the washed rind that carries through to a long finish.
The shaved rosettes coat the palate and the flavor lingers well past the swallow, buttery and slightly meaty.
Rich straw-yellow paste with a clean buttery cream note that reads through the savory side, especially when shaved thin and warmed by the air.
Toasted hazelnut and brown butter run through the middle of the paste, the kind of nutty depth that comes from raw milk aged on spruce.
A gentle washed-rind savoriness, almost earthy, sits underneath the butter and fruit notes without ever turning barnyardy.
Mild. A faint warm tingle on the back of the palate from the washed rind, but no real piquancy.
Washed rind
Brushed brine-washed rind, golden-brown and firm. Traditionally scraped back before shaving so the flavor stays clean, but the rind contributes the savory, slightly meaty depth that carries the paste.
Tête de Moine stands on its own, but the right partners turn a wedge into a moment. Regional pairings first — they were built for each other.
The shaved rosettes pick up everything they touch, so a light Pinot Noir or a glass of Chasselas keeps the fruit notes forward, while Champagne cuts the butter and makes the rosettes feel even lighter.
Tête de Moine is buttery and fruity with a savory edge, so it likes a little sweetness to lift it and a little crunch underneath to anchor the rosettes.
Video represents style and type of cheese - may not be an exact match in all cases.
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