WORTH A SPOT: An A-List Find

Each month, I share something I’ve discovered, loved and think you’ll find worthy of a spot in your kitchen, your home—or your life.

This Month: The Girolle

This month’s Table Find is one of those kitchen gadgets that makes people stop and say, “Wait—what is THAT?”

And then, about thirty seconds later, they want one.

It’s called a Girolle—pronounced roughly zhee-ROLL—and it may be the most charming way I’ve ever found to serve cheese.

It’s a small wooden platform with a spindle running through the center of a round of cheese. On top is a blade with a little handle. You turn the handle around the cheese and, instead of cutting off a slice, the blade gently scrapes the surface into these gorgeous, paper-thin, ruffled cheese rosettes.

Yes. Cheese flowers.

Need I say more?

The original Girolle was invented by Nicolas Crevoisier in Switzerland 1982 specifically for Tête de Moine, a Swiss cheese traditionally served by scraping rather than slicing it. His idea was to pierce the cheese through the center and rotate a blade around it. The invention took off, and more than three million original Girolles have now been sold around the world.

And there's actually a reason those pretty curls aren't just for show. Scraping the cheese into thin, frilly layers creates more exposed surface area, helping release its aromas and changing the whole eating experience. Scientists have even studied the physics behind how those distinctive cheese flowers form.

Traditionally, a Girolle and Tête de Moine are a match made in heaven. But I also want you to have some fun with this gadget, which brings me to a cheese I think is absolutely worth knowing: P’tit Basque.

P’tit Basque is a French sheep’s-milk cheese from the Basque region. It’s semi-soft, wonderfully approachable and has that lovely combination of mild, creamy and nutty flavor that makes sheep’s-milk cheese so delicious. It has enough personality to be interesting without being one of those cheeses that clears the room when you unwrap it. Even French chefs single it out for its delicate texture and distinctive nutty character.

Dorothy Lane Market carries it and I hope you’ll give it a try. DLM is also the kind of place where discovering something delicious feels like part of the fun. If you don’t have time to trek to their new store in Mason, they can ship it to you, too.

And here’s an idea: put your Girolle right on the table and let your guests make their own rosettes. Add sliced pears or apples, toasted nuts, a little honey or fig spread, some good crackers and a glass of wine. Suddenly, cheese becomes an activity.

And that's exactly why I love this month's Worth a Spot item. I’m always looking for those little things that make gathering feel more special—not more complicated or formal, just a little more memorable.

The Girolle does exactly that.

It turns a wheel of cheese into a centerpiece, gives everybody something to talk about, and produces an edible flower in the process.

Beautiful, delicious and okay, just a tiny bit unnecessary—which is sometimes my favorite kind of kitchen gadget.

Find the Girolle (here’s a link to one on Amazon) , grab some P’tit Basque, invite a few people over and start turning.

Because sometimes making an evening feel special really can be as simple as a little curl of cheese.