Savoy Tomme with Brown Bread
A slice of Savoy tomme with its grey rind, placed on brown bread with a few walnuts and a pear: the keepable snack, made for the knapsack and the long mountain walk.
A slice of Savoy tomme with its grey rind, placed on brown bread with a few walnuts and a pear: the keepable snack, made for the knapsack and the long mountain walk.
They reproach me for my frugality as a flaw; I see it as my wealth. A wedge of tomme from our alps, a slice of brown bread, a handful of walnuts: that is enough to satisfy a free man for a whole day's walk. The cheese that the shepherd lets ripen in his cellar keeps and carries without fuss. I tell you without shame: I have been happier with that meal, sitting on a bank, than the lords are with their feasts.
- •Savoy tomme — a good wedge (keeping cheese)
- •Brown bread — a thick slice (base)
- •Walnuts — a handful (accompaniment)
- •Pear — one (fruity freshness)
Savoy Tomme with Brown Bread
A slice of Savoy tomme with its grey rind, placed on brown bread with a few walnuts and a pear: the keepable snack, made for the knapsack and the long mountain walk.
Why this dish? Rousseau preferred dairy and bread to any meat; tomme, the keeping cheese of the Savoyard alps where he lived, placed on a slice of brown bread, sums up his frugal table and his praise of simplicity.
They reproach me for my frugality as a flaw; I see it as my wealth. A wedge of tomme from our alps, a slice of brown bread, a handful of walnuts: that is enough to satisfy a free man for a whole day's walk. The cheese that the shepherd lets ripen in his cellar keeps and carries without fuss. I tell you without shame: I have been happier with that meal, sitting on a bank, than the lords are with their feasts.
Ingredients (period version)
- Savoy tomme — a good wedge (keeping cheese)
- Brown bread — a thick slice (base)
- Walnuts — a handful (accompaniment)
- Pear — one (fruity freshness)
Ingredients
- Savoy tomme — 120 g (keeping cheese)
- Rye or country bread — 2 slices (base)
- Walnut halves — a handful (accompaniment)
- Ripe pear — 1 (fruity freshness)
- Butter (optional) — a little (spread on bread)
Method
- Choose a well-aged Savoy tomme with a grey, flowery rind.
- Slice the brown bread fairly thick; butter it lightly if desired.
- Place a handsome slice of tomme on the bread.
- Serve with walnut halves and pear wedges.
- Wrap in a cloth: everything keeps and travels easily for a walk.
How it was made : Savoy tomme, a pressed cow's milk cheese with a grey rind, originated from peasant economy: it was made from skimmed milk after the cream was taken for butter. Low in fat and long-keeping, it nourished shepherds and travelers. Brown bread and cheese formed the basic meal of mountain dwellers in the 18th century.
The contemporary twist : Arrange as a board: tomme, walnuts, pear slices, and a drizzle of mountain honey — the "Solitary Walker's Plate".
Sources : Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Les Confessions (1782-1789)
Jean-Jacques Rousseau · Charactorium