DampCharcoal
Executive Chef
The first and last time I ever tried Brie was many years ago. It was creamy with a pungeunt flavor but had an extremely unpleasant acidic 'bite' at the back and sides of the tongue. Was it bad or am I a heathen? :?
What does Brie taste like?
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SierraCook
Master Chef
I think you must had some bad brie. To me it has a rich creamy, mushroomy flavor. DC, your question made me curious so I looked up brie cheese on about.com.
What is Brie cheese?
True French Brie is a soft farmhouse cheese made of unpasteurized cow's milk and is illegal to import to the United States. Brie made of unpasteurized milk develops a natural, off-white mold on the exterior of the rounds. The white moldy rind is quite edible and is usually eaten. Those Bries made of pasteurized milk must be sprayed with artificial spores to grow the mold. The cheese takes anywhere from one to three months to ripen, depending on the size of the flat discs. When properly ripened, the center of the cheese is soft and will ooze as if warmed.
The flavor of French Brie is rich and fruity and has a creamy texture. Bries made of pasteurized milk are somewhat milder in flavor. Ripening usually takes one to two months and progresses from outside in.
http://homecooking.about.com/library/archive/blbrie.htm
What is Brie cheese?
True French Brie is a soft farmhouse cheese made of unpasteurized cow's milk and is illegal to import to the United States. Brie made of unpasteurized milk develops a natural, off-white mold on the exterior of the rounds. The white moldy rind is quite edible and is usually eaten. Those Bries made of pasteurized milk must be sprayed with artificial spores to grow the mold. The cheese takes anywhere from one to three months to ripen, depending on the size of the flat discs. When properly ripened, the center of the cheese is soft and will ooze as if warmed.
The flavor of French Brie is rich and fruity and has a creamy texture. Bries made of pasteurized milk are somewhat milder in flavor. Ripening usually takes one to two months and progresses from outside in.
http://homecooking.about.com/library/archive/blbrie.htm
it might have been outdated. old brie gets an ammonia-like flavor and odor.
all the brie i've had, although it varies from brand to brand, is pleasant, buttery, has a bit of a tang, and a good creamy, mellow flavor with a bite to it.
it might just be that your tastebuds don't agree with the flavor of brie.
all the brie i've had, although it varies from brand to brand, is pleasant, buttery, has a bit of a tang, and a good creamy, mellow flavor with a bite to it.
it might just be that your tastebuds don't agree with the flavor of brie.
Rob Babcock
Head Chef
I don't really care much for Brie, either. It's just a little too pungeant and strong for my tastes. The ripest cheeses I like are probably bleu and gorgonzola.
DampCharcoal
Executive Chef
Hm. The small piece of Brie I tasted had the consistency of warm peanut butter and induced a gag reflex. I do recall a strong smell of ammonia. Maybe my buds aren't up for Brie. :roll:
SizzlininIN
Master Chef
I bought some of this on this shopping trip. Thought it would be wonderful with slices of fruit and breads as I've heard others rave about it. Well I warmed it up tonight and the smell was aweful..............kind of like a flourie.......pasty smell. If it can't get past my nose then its not getting past my lips.
kitchenelf
Chef Extraordinaire
The ammonia smell/taste comes from the rind and means the cheese is overly ripe. It was, at first, even hard to eat a fresh brie AND rind so I would remove the rind until I got used to the flavor. Then eventually I would slice off a little piece to include the rind - making sure it was VERY fresh. It's a good way to ease into it at first.
DC - see if you can find a triple cream brie - then find a really ripe cantelope and make sure you have some plain table water crackers - or the ones with black pepper or even melba toasts. Put some of the triple cream on the cracker and mash up some catelope with a fork and top that on the brie - REALLY good. Can't wait for ripe melons now!!!!
Side Note - There's also a cracker put out by Starr Ridge - they make an olive oil and rosemary cracker - it is absolutely the BEST with some of this brie and the cantelope - also good with a thin slice of pear.
DC - see if you can find a triple cream brie - then find a really ripe cantelope and make sure you have some plain table water crackers - or the ones with black pepper or even melba toasts. Put some of the triple cream on the cracker and mash up some catelope with a fork and top that on the brie - REALLY good. Can't wait for ripe melons now!!!!
Side Note - There's also a cracker put out by Starr Ridge - they make an olive oil and rosemary cracker - it is absolutely the BEST with some of this brie and the cantelope - also good with a thin slice of pear.
As a 'foreigner' - I just wondered why it was not possible to import French Brie to the USA? We have English made Brie here in the UK, but I've never tried it... I buy only the 'real' stuff 8)
I love Brie - it has to be runny, but not so ripe that it has that weird ammoniac smell.... I don't eat the rind, cos I hate the powdery feel in my mouth.
I love it on good french bread, with grapes and olives on the side.. or served with my home-made oatcakes.
I love Brie - it has to be runny, but not so ripe that it has that weird ammoniac smell.... I don't eat the rind, cos I hate the powdery feel in my mouth.
I love it on good french bread, with grapes and olives on the side.. or served with my home-made oatcakes.
DampCharcoal
Executive Chef
Thanks, folks! Great info as always! I admit I'm a bit hesitant about combining fruit and cheese but it's worth a shot, especially since so many people enjoy it. I believe the brand sold at Kroger is "Alette" or something like that. Not sure where it's from.
PA Baker
Master Chef
Ishbel said:
Ishbel, I think I remember reading something about this once and it has to do with pasturization laws in the US.
(Granted, haggis is an acquired taste....)Catseye
Senior Cook
Another thing you can do is top a small Brie with toasted slivered almonds, wrap it in foil and stick it in a slow oven, maybe 250-300, until it melts. Crackers. Zowie.
Cats
Cats
buckytom
Chef Extraordinaire
catseye, i love brie that way. a fav restaurant serves it rolled in slivered toasted almonds, baked, and placed atop a pool of raspberry sauce, and table water crackers for scooping. yummm!
Catseye
Senior Cook
Oh yeah, I'm liking the raspberry sauce idea, that's really inspired.
What I don't remember -- do you take off the top rind before you bake it? I want to say you don't, but it's been too long since I made it.
Cats
What I don't remember -- do you take off the top rind before you bake it? I want to say you don't, but it's been too long since I made it.
Cats
buckytom
Chef Extraordinaire
i'm pretty sure the entire or at least most of the rind was taken off. i don't know how it stayed together, because when you broke the structural integrity of the almond shell, it would ooze out a little. i guess it had some rind, or was at just the right temperature..
jpmcgrew
Executive Chef
I love brie even the rind if its fresh however if it has the slightest smell of ammonia I cant stand to eat it.
The rind should be pure white if it has some yellow or other color its way too old.
The rind should be pure white if it has some yellow or other color its way too old.
lyndalou
Head Chef
How can you tell if it's really fresh when you buy it? The only Brie I see in my supermarket is wrapped . I have tried it often and usually end up throwing it out because of the ammonia smell.
auntdot
Head Chef
- Joined
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You mean there are people out there who do not like Brie?
Wow.
I guess we do not have sophisticated taste buds, but we also love Limburger (can rarely find it) and Gjetost (a Norwegian cheese).
Have rarely encountered a cheese we do not like.
Wow.
I guess we do not have sophisticated taste buds, but we also love Limburger (can rarely find it) and Gjetost (a Norwegian cheese).
Have rarely encountered a cheese we do not like.
ifitfeelgoodcookit
Cook
PA ,you are right.The Brie found in most US stores is made with ultra pasteurized milk & barely aged with the result of tasting like sour plaster.You can find the real thing throught William-Sonoma,Dean Delucca & other.You won't believe the difference.
