A long time ago this Swiss gourmet cheese was invented by the monks of Belleray Abbey in the Swiss Jura Mountains. They made this small cylindrical cheese, called Tete de Moine (head of the monk - monk's head); when you use a girolle or curler or shaver and thinly shave the top off the cheese you will expose the bald spot.
Tete de Moine is cheese made from raw cow's milk and is only about 2 pounds; most Swiss mountain cheese is much larger, think about the huge wheels of Emmental and Gruyere cheese weighing 70 lbs. or more. The rind of the Tete de Moine is slightly greasy, and sometimes a little rough and brown in color. The paste is firm and creamy to straw-yellow in color, darkening as it ages. The flavor is sweet and tangy, with musty wood mold and nuts. The cheese also has an aroma that some call stinky.
The best way to enjoy the wonderful flavors of a Tete de Moine is to shave the cheese is the traditional way, using a cheese curler or girolle. The thin slices will bring out the flavor in the best way.
Ingredients:part-skim cow's milk, cheese culture, salt enzymes.