Jul 14 2026
Restaurants›The Smoking Goat Restaurant›Tomme De Savoie Recipe

Tomme De Savoie Recipe

Inspired by The Smoking Goat Restaurant
Time48h
Serves8

sheep · semi-soft · France

Jump to Recipe

Was this page helpful?

Help improve this recipe for others.

Send this recipe to your inbox.

We'll email it straight to you - plus weekly cooking inspiration.

Ingredients

Some product links may be affiliates. If you buy through them, you're supporting the site and Pekin may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Milk & Cultures

Salting & Washing

Equipment (included so component steps match)

Method

Milk & Cultures

  1. 1

    Prepare milk

    Warm 10 liters of sheep's milk slowly in a large stainless steel pot to 30°C (86°F). Stir gently to maintain even temperature and avoid scalding.

  2. 2

    Add calcium chloride (if using pasteurized milk)

    If you used pasteurized sheep's milk, add 5 ml of 10% CaCl2 diluted in a little cool water evenly across the milk and stir for one minute.

  3. 3

    Inoculate with starter cultures

    Sprinkle 1 tsp mesophilic starter evenly over the surface; let rehydrate 2 minutes then stir gently to distribute. If using a small amount of thermophilic culture for acid balance, add 1/4 tsp now and stir.

  4. 4

    Ripen the milk

    Hold the milk at 30°C (86°F) for 45–60 minutes to allow the cultures to acidify the milk. Stir gently every 10–15 minutes to keep temperature uniform.

  5. 5

    Add rennet

    Dilute 3 ml liquid rennet in 30 ml cool non-chlorinated water. Stir the milk gently for 1 minute while adding the rennet dilution, then stop stirring and allow milk to set undisturbed.

  6. 6

    Coagulation

    Allow the milk to set until you have a clean break, about 45–60 minutes depending on rennet strength and milk. Test for a clean break with a knife.

Cutting, Heating & Draining Curd

  1. 7

    Cut the curd

    Using a long knife or curd cutter, cut the curd into roughly 1–1.5 cm (3/8–5/8 in) cubes. Let the cut curds rest 5 minutes to begin syneresis.

  2. 8

    Stir and heal curds

    Gently stir the curds for 10–15 minutes to help expel whey, keeping the temperature steady at 30°C (86°F).

  3. 9

    Cook the curds (slight heating)

    Over 20–30 minutes, slowly raise the curd temperature to 34–35°C (93–95°F), raising temperature no more than 1°C every 3–5 minutes while gently stirring to prevent matting. Maintain this temperature for 20–30 minutes until curds firm slightly and expel more whey.

  4. 10

    Allow curds to settle

    Stop stirring and let curds settle to the bottom of the pot for 10–15 minutes so whey can be drained cleanly.

  5. 11

    Drain curds into mold

    Line the cheese mold with a double layer of butter muslin or cheesecloth. Ladle or pour the curds into the mold, filling and allowing whey to drain. If space allows, transfer curds in stages to avoid trapping whey.

  6. 12

    Pressing (initial)

    Fold the cloth over the curd and apply light pressure (about 2–4 kg) for 30 minutes to expel whey. Turn the cheese in the cloth, rewrap, and increase pressure to about 6–8 kg for 2 hours.

Pressing, Salting & Aging Prep

  1. 13

    Pressing (firm)

    Unmold, rewrap in fresh cloth if needed, and press at higher pressure (10–15 kg) for 12–16 hours, turning the cheese once or twice to ensure even whey expulsion and shape. Aim for a firm, but slightly springy paste typical for semi-soft tomme.

  2. 14

    Drying the rind

    Remove cheese from press and cloth. Air-dry at 18–20°C (64–68°F) with moderate humidity (60–70%) for 1–2 days until the surface is tack-free and a light rind begins to form.

  3. 15

    Salt the cheese

    Option A: Dry-salt — rub all surfaces with approximately 10–15 g of fine non-iodized salt per kg of cheese (about 40–60 g for a 4–5 kg wheel). Option B: Brine — prepare brine (about 20% w/v) and dip or brush the cheese for several minutes. For small tomme-sized wheels from 10 L milk you will typically use 100–120 g salt by total; adjust to taste and wheel size. Rub salt evenly over the entire surface.

  4. 16

    Initial maturation (warm)

    After salting, place the cheese in a warm, humid environment (12–14°C / 54–57°F, 85–90% RH) for 2–4 days to encourage rind development and mild acidification.

Aging & Rind Care

  1. 17

    Move to aging room

    Transfer cheeses to a cool cellar or aging refrigerator held at 10–12°C (50–54°F) and 85–95% relative humidity for long-term aging.

  2. 18

    Turn and brush

    Turn cheeses by hand every 1–3 days for the first two weeks to promote even moisture distribution. Gently brush the rind with a soft brush or cloth to remove unwanted bloom and redistribute any brine or surface culture residue.

  3. 19

    Wash the rind (optional)

    For a traditional Tomme de Savoie lightly washed natural rind, once or twice weekly wipe the surface with a lightly salted water solution or with a weak brine (1–2% salt) to control mold and encourage a rustic grey-brown rind. Use a clean cloth or sponge; do not over-wet the cheese.

  4. 20

    Monitor and maintain humidity

    Keep relative humidity high (85–95%) to prevent excessive drying. If the surface becomes too dry, light misting or placing in a higher-humidity box for short periods can help.

  5. 21

    Aging duration

    Age the Tomme for a minimum of 6 weeks for a mild, semi-soft texture typical of young tomme. For more developed flavor and firmer texture, age 2–6 months. Traditional Tomme de Savoie is often consumed at 2–3 months when a rustic, earthy rind and slightly tangy, nutty paste have developed.

  6. 22

    Final finishing

    Before serving, wipe the rind clean and allow the cheese to come to room temperature for 1–2 hours. The paste should be semi-soft, slightly springy, with small, irregular eyes and a mild sheep-milk tang.

More from The Smoking Goat Restaurant