Hope the New Year is treating you well in spite of ongoing challenges. Here at Cheese Journeys, we're feeling grateful for the success of our November tour to England, and we're staying warm by thinking about L'Étivaz -- a rare Swiss cheese that is still made over an open fire.
Like biodynamic winemakers, L'Étivaz cheesemakers strive to honour traditional recipes and use simple tools. That's why you see Blaise Chablaix (above) and his daughter working at a copper vat in their Alpine hut, known as an "alpage." Cheesemaking begins each morning with fresh milk from their herd, heated over a wood fire. It's a process that requires both deep attention (it's easy to scald the milk) and a love of tradition (making cheese by hand is labor intensive).
Below, I've dropped in a video so you can see the process!
Exploring L'Étivaz with Cheese Journeys
Blaise is a cheesemaker our guests love meeting on our Alpine tour to France and Switzerland. We drive high into the Alps with a photographer and guide named Teresa Kaufman to visit Blaise and his family at their alpage. When we arrive, we watch them stir curds, then we wander into the pastures to learn about the wide range of plants that grow in Alpine meadows. The plant diversity in the Alps is the key to the complex flavors in L'Étivaz.
Whether you’re joining us for the tour in September or dreaming of a future Cheese Journey, L'Étivaz is a cheese worth exploring right now at your table. Cheese shops often carry unique cheeses like this one during the winter months, so there’s a chance you might see it next time you go shopping. In fact, if you ask for L'Étivaz (lay-tee-VAZ), the person behind the counter will probably give you a huge smile; only a true curd nerd would ask for L'Étivaz.
Psstt...can't find L'Étivaz at your local shop? We spotted it online through Murray's.
Why Not Taste L'Étivaz AOP at Your Table?
What to Know
Made in the Vaud canton of the Swiss Alps, this seasonal raw-milk cheese is Switzerland's first AOP (designated protection of origin) cheese. In the 1930s, cheesemakers from a village dairy in L’Étivaz banded together to keep their Swiss heritage alive by applying for protection from the government. Today, fewer than 100 L'Étivaz makers are left.
How it Tastes
L'Étivaz is beloved for its complex herbaceous taste and notes of stone fruits and nuts. Wheels of this aged cheese can vary in taste, depending on the season, but generally it's savoury and sweet with unfolding layers of flavor. If you like Comté or Gruyère, you'll like L'Étivaz.
What to Pair
Let this cheese come to room temperature, then serve it on a board with toasted nuts and dried fruits, such as roasted hazelnuts or walnuts, dried figs, and dried apricots. If you have a sprig of thyme or rosemary, use that as a garnish to highlight the herbal notes you’ll be able to smell and taste. In the glass: try a light red or a crisp white with notes of stone fruit.
Want to eat Étivaz with us in the wild?
Check out the full itinerary for our September tour of the Alpine Regions of France & Switzerland. If you have questions, please don't hesitate to email me at anna@cheesejourneys.com.
Break out a hunk of Étivaz & watch this stunning video for a virtual Cheese Journey!
