via @CheeseSchoolSF, the San Francisco Chronicle reports on a new “Brie”, designed to make the most of the limitations imposed by America’s nonsensical raw milk laws. I’ll be curious to try it, and in the meanwhile keep dreaming of proper Brie…
…The truth is, we’ll have to go to France to find a Brie that would please a connoisseur. But in the meantime, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by Brie l’Original, a new cheese from a large French producer.
Two years of research went into its development, with the aim of creating a non-stabilized wheel in the classic 3-kilo size (roughly 6 ½ pounds) that would achieve peak ripeness at about six weeks, the time it takes to reach American cheese counters.
Compared with stabilized Brie, which relies on a lot of rennet for quick coagulation, the Brie l’Original recipe uses minimal rennet. Instead, the cheese makers depend on carefully chosen cultures to ferment the milk slowly, producing lactic acid and replacing the flavor-generating enzymes lost when milk is pasteurized. The cheese is matured for 12 days at the dairy, then it begins its three- to four-week journey to the United States.
Brie l’Original does have cream added to boost the milk fat, giving it a more luscious, supple texture than classic Brie.
What I admire so much isn’t the texture but the room-filling mushroom and truffle aroma. In the two samples I tried, the rind wasn’t ammoniated, and many Brie lovers would probably have eaten it. I cut it away, but it’s no faux pas to keep it intact.
Photo ©2012 San Francisco Chronicle
Notes
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