Trader Joe's Is Selling A Fancy Cheese In Time For Holiday Charcuterie Boards

Trader Joe's, founded in 1967 in California by the titular Joe Coulombe, is now a byword for unique and specialty items at surprisingly low price points. One of the country's most popular and beloved grocery store chains, its collection of internationally sourced items is superb for the minute square footage (compared to big box stores) each location accounts for, including pasta from Italy, bratwursts from Germany, and back this holiday season, tete de moine cheese from Switzerland (world leader in genius uses for cheese).

Tete de moine translates literally into "monk's head," supposedly for the originators of the 800-year-old recipe and the fact that the wheel from which it's carved resembles the traditionally bare head of monks. The show-stopping semi-soft cheese is carved in such a way, using a tool called a girolle (like this one here by BOSKA), that it creates delicate little rosettes that are the perfect addition to your winter holiday charcuterie boards. Pick up a package (or two, since this is a seasonal item that likely won't stick around on shelves much past Christmas) for $5.49 per 90 grams , or a little bit more than three ounces — that's almost $30 per pound!

This cheese not only looks gorgeous, it tastes sumptuous, silky and creamy, nutty, slightly acidic and surprisingly fruit-forward, basically melting on your tongue the moment it enters your mouth. You can actually build an entire charcuterie board around tete de moine, starting with other cheeses like camembert, Gruyere, and Emmenthaler. Any traditional charcuterie meats also work well, including salami and prosciutto, plus pickled vegetables, like zucchini or mushrooms, and fruity, crisp jams.

Don't forget fruits on your board, either, because tete de moine pairs beautifully with sliced pears and Granny Smith apples, as well as grapes. And speaking of grapes, if you're looking for something to wash down all this cheesy goodness, it's best served up with a pinot noir, Burgundy, Cabernet Sauvignon, or slightly fizzy Chasselas grape wines (also from Switzerland). If you have beer drinkers coming over, offer a fruity Saison ale or a wheaty Lambic ale (keeping it European).