Cheese of the Week: Brie

Brie

© photo 2008 Getty Images/Rosemary Calvert licensed to About.com, Inc.

Most all of you, I'm guessing, have had an encounter with Brie - that lovely, creamy cheese from France. It is a very close cousin to Camembert, but not to be mistaken with a cheese like Saint Andre, which is a triple-creme, not Brie.

All Brie imported into the United States from France is pasteurized. You will usually see several brands at a store and to be honest, they are all going to taste pretty much the same: mild, milky, maybe slightly mushroomy. Look for wedges that are bulging every-so-slightly out of the rind, but not overly runny. Brie ripens from the outside in, so if you look at a wedge you'll notice the edges are often cream-colored and soft, and the middle still white and firm.

A brand of Brie called "Brie de Meaux" is what cheese stores often tout as the closest approximation to "real" (that is, unpasteurized) Brie. Brie de Meaux has a more yellowish paste than other Brie you might buy. The flavor and aroma are more pungent, almost grassy.

Brie and Mushrooms

© photo 2008 Jennifer Meier licensed to About.com, Inc.

Brie is a cheese you will always want to bring out of the refrigerator twenty-minutes or so before eating. This way, it will be more flavorful and the texture will be softer. I like to warm Brie up a little bit in the oven, just until the edges are soft and bubbly, then add a topping. These recipes for Brie and Pesto and Brie and Mushrooms can almost turn Brie into a meal.