Tomme des Pyrenees - Great Taste In Black Or Gold

Oct 09 2024

Appearance is one of the biggest factors in French cheeses, and one of the most distinctive features. French cheeses stand out from the crowd because they combine all the major features; taste, colour, smell, texture and appearance, but sometimes a cheese appears which has a standout feature which sets it apart from all the others. Tomme des Pyrenees is one of those, but there is a paradox involved in that, because what makes it distinctive is the coloured rind, which could be either black or gold.
Fundamentally, Tomme des Pyrenees is a smooth and creamy, pasteurised cow’s milk cheese with PGI status, which also extends to the milk being collected from within the PGI region of the famous French Pyrenees. Tomme des Pyrenees is known as a rustic cheese, and it has a unique salting process which is undertaken pre-ripening and which gives it a strong but very palatable flavour, and which makes this cheese particularly versatile for cooking.
The difference between the black and gold rind of Tomme des Pyrenees comes from the ripening process, which resulted in a subtle change in flavour that deserved a visual distinction to be made, even if the cheese is essentially the same in all other respects.
Tomme Noire – is ripened for a minimum of 21 days and has a milder and fresher taste. This is given an artificial rind which, as the name suggests, is black.
Tomme Dorée – is ripened for a minimum of 45 days and therefore has a stronger, more full-bodied taste. This process forms a natural rind which is gold in colour.

Recipes using Tomme des Pyrenees

Tomme des Pyrenees has an array of qualities which lends itself to being paired in various different ways, but its texture means it can be melted easily into sauces and works well with cream to form a lovely indulgent paste for pastries, breads and souffles. Here are two wonderful recipes which show Tomme des Pyrenees in all its glory:

Spinach & Tomme Dorée des Pyrénées waffles – This is a luxurious breakfast, brunch or lunch treat using whipped cream with grated Tomme Dorée. Use spinach and dairy products to make a waffle mix and when the waffle maker has produced its magic, pipe in your cheesy cream and enjoy with salmon for pure indulgence.
Spring Foccacia with melted Tomme Noire des Pyrénées – Ideal as a starter or as a tasty lunch, you can form dough balls for four Foccacia bread mixes. Then combine sliced courgette, onion, olives and chopped anchovies with grated Tomme Noire and place on top of the bread mix. This combination melts together wonderfully in the oven for a taste sensation fifteen minutes later.

How Sodiaal can supply your UK restaurant with Tomme des Pyrenees

Contact our team at Sodiaal to talk about how Tomme des Pyrenees can be used in even more recipes, and how we can supply you with consistent, high quality Tomme des Pyrenees, which has stayed faithful to the historic production methods to produce the distinctive taste and appearance that makes this cheese a popular choice the world over. Our team can supply Tomme des Pyrenees direct to your UK restaurant, as and when you need it, so enjoy the various qualities of this famous cheese and get in touch today.