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Serving a variety of cheeses before dinner, after dinner, or as horsdoeuvres, makes an elegant and tasty snack. With very little preparation, a chees...More

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Two for you, Brie for me! (For the love of Brie Cheese)

Submitted by Resident Cheesemonger

As cheeses go, I just can't get enough brie. It's delicious at room temperature, divine when baked, and perfect before dinner, with dinner, or as the much-sought after dessert. As such, I felt the need to devote an entire article to the wonders of brie, its history, characteristics and many scrumptuous iterations. Let's dive into the wonderful world of brie cheese!

Brie is a soft cheese made from cow's milk which is traditionally served at room temperature. It's pale yellow with a slight greyness and a white, thin, edible rind. Brie's flavor incorporates a delightful creaminess with a savory, salty blend, and a hint of ammonia (which gets stronger the longer the particular cheese is aged).

A French cheese, brie is traditionally produced in the Seine-et-Marne region, just south of Paris. Legend has it that Charlemagne fell in love with brie in the eighth century and it's been a French favorite ever since. Brie cheese is traditionally and optimally made with unpasterized milk. In the US, which does not allow the import of cheeses made with unpasteurized milk, the available bries tend to have a milder flavor.

France officially recognizes two varieties of regional brie cheese (granting them the government's AOC), Brie de Meaux and Brie de Melun. While quite similar, Brie de Meaux is the more refined, light and sweet, cheese with hints of hazelnut and fruit. Brie de Melun, on the other hand, tends to have a more robust, stronger, saltier flavor. It is generally a darker colored cheese and the whole cheese is physically smaller than its counterpart.

Due to its understandble popularity, brie cheese is now available in a broad range of ways, made with both cow's and goat's milk, and often coated with nuts, mushrooms or spices. Brie en croute is also quite popular. It's a wheel of brie covered in pastry dough, often with a layer of fruit jam between the cheese and outer pastry shell. This makes a simple, but beautiful and delicious appetizer for any occasion. You can easily place some decorative raspberries or hazelnuts on top to really cinch the presentation. You can also do this to baked brie without the pastry crust.

On one additional note, I have recently discovered a fabulous variant of brie cheese called Brie le Chatelain. It has an extremely buttery flavor with less of a hint of ammonia. It's soft and creamy and I would recommend you check your local cheese shop to try it out as soon as possible!

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