Girolle (2 pound)

This is a must have for those who are serious about cheese! We were first introduced to the Girolle by some friends who had just returned from Europe and fell in love with it immediately. It was invented for the yummy Tete de Moine but works it's magic on many other cheeses as well, with varying degrees of success, depending mostly on the rind of the cheese. Although "lathe" isn't exactly accurate - it's the closest way of describing how this device works to bring out the best flavors of the cheeses for which it's used.Monk's head cheese, along with others like Manchego, Petit Basque, etc... are best eaten when sliced thin allowing the surface area to get air, and allowing for more surface area to hit the tongue. Since slicing these cheeses thin can be tricky, and sometimes wasteful (these are not cheap cheeses) because a thin slice is best when immediately consumed, this fabulous little tool provides much bang for the buck. It's fun to use, makes the cheese look pretty, and best of all shows off all the subtleties of delicately flavored cheeses.The blade (which isn't nearly as sharp as a knife) scrapes along the top of the cheese, a lot like a lathe, producing delightful little cheese flowers perfect to eat with the fingers or put on a cracker or bread. Caterers use these to make appealing appetizer trays, but we just set ours on the table when we open a wine that needs 'a little something to accompany it' .We also use it when we entertain, allowing friends to slice their own, and it's always fun, often quite a conversation piece. The cheese can be stored on the device by wrapping it in plastic and putting it in the fridge. When using it for some Spanish cheeses, which have more brittle rinds than the Swiss, we have found it better to remove the rind before putting the cheese on the Girolle. Whole cheese, or half cheese are necessary in order to use the Girolle, you can't use this on cheese cut into wedges.