2012
Aged Black Truffle Robiola: A special Italian cheese you can only find in Paris!
Aged Truffle Robiola from Alléosse Fromagerie, Paris
The photo does it no justice, but it was all I had time to take before it was whisked off into my handbag in order to shoot this video below where I explain this very special cheese- my new favorite and most recent discovery.
Recently I convinced someone to show me his cheese maturation caves. This was not just anyone, and not just any old cave. We’re talking Philippe Alléosse and his coveted four caves in the heart of Paris, where over 100 varieties of cheeses are carefully, painstakingly matured and handled by himself and highly skilled staff daily.
Philippe Alléosse is by far one of the most passionate people I have ever met in the cheese business. This man knows and tenders each one of his precious cheeses like they were his own children- I’m surprised some of them don’t’ have names. He could literally point at a 3 week old goats cheese in his shop and tell you it’s life story; how it may have sunk sideways for a few days, then he gently nudged it back in place to retake its correct form. Amazing.
This was one of the last cheeses he showed me in his four caves d’affinage (cheese maturation cellars) and he certainly saved the best for last. The Truffle Robiola is of course an Italian cheese made from cow’s milk. There are delicate little flecks of black truffle throughout the cheese, which as you can imagine gives it that divine earthy truffle flavour and aroma – but Philippe’s Truffle Robiola is unique. Unlike even the Italians, who only ever make and eat it as a fresh cheese, he actually ages it. When I asked him why we can only find the aged version at his shop in Paris, his response was simply “well, I’m the only one who knows how to do it”. And that savoir-faire, my cheese-loving friends is what makes all the difference.
The aging process intensifies the truffle character, at the same time creating a nice solid rind and firmer cheese which when warmed to room temperature and eaten alone, grilled on bread or served with Italian charcuterie, is simply divine. Check out the quick video I shot below to discover the cheese in the closest way possible to having the real thing. Enjoy!
The Cheese Reporter, live video blogging about the delicious rare Italian cheese found in Paris from Alleose Fromagerie- Aged Black Truffle Robiola.