Tomme de Crayeuse

Producer

Max Schmidhauser

Country

France

Region

Savoie

Size

10 ins diameter, 3-4 ins high

Weight

4 lbs

Website

Milk

Cow

Classification

Semi Soft

Rennet

Animal

Rind

Natural

Tomme de Crayeuse is a comparatively recent invention, having been created in 1997 by Max Schmidhauser in the Savoie region of France. Crayeuse means "chalky" in French, and in this instance refers to the somewhat chalky center of the cheese.

Crayeuse is made from pasteurized cow's milk in the style of Tomme de Savoie. The rind is gray-brown and suede-like in appearance, dotted with areas of yellow and white mold.

The interior paste is slightly off-white and chalky in the middle, extending to a smoother texture towards the rind.

Tomme de Crayeuse has gentle, pleasant earthy flavors of damp cellar and mushrooms that are underpinned by a lemony, citrus note.

This cheese pairs well with a gentle, smooth red such as a Rhône or Pinot Noir.