Skip to content
326 Shares

brie de meaux cheese goat cheeses

This week I watched a television program on the phénomène of locavorism in France. Being a resolutely agricultural country, the French are no strangers to being connected to the earth and to farming. But those days are waning and the announcer went to a supermarket in Paris and came out with a basket containing just a couple of items in it. (One was pain Poilâne.) And when she inquired about that, she was told, “There’s not much grown on the Île de France.” (The IDF is the départment where Paris is located.)

But if she had gone to the local fromagerie, she would have likely seen several substantial disks of Brie de Meaux resting on the counter, a cheese which is made about an hour outside of Paris.

There’s a lot of cheeses in France, but if you live in Paris, our local cheese is Brie de Meaux. Brie isn’t just a cheese, but it’s a region to the east, and we who live in the French capital share a symbiotic relationship with the cheese.

ripening brie rouzaire

Because Paris has a sizable population, and Brie close by, for many years it was the cheese that was widely consumed in Paris, and was responsible for keeping the cheesemakers of Brie producing all those wonderfully crusty wheels and wedges with the gooey centers pouring out that we know and love. (Often a little too much…)

Luckily Brie de Meaux is still produced the same way as it has been for years and they’ve been able to maintain the status of the cheese as one of the great fromages au lait cru (raw milk cheeses) of France.

meaux-paris brie cave ripening

There really isn’t any cheese known as just “Brie”. Brie is a generic word and you can find Brie-style cheeses being made in such disparate places as Spain, the United States, and Germany, as well as all the way over to Asia. And to prove it, when I went to visit Fromagerie Ganot, which calls itself the oldest cheese shop in the Brie region, they pulled out a box of cheese from China with a sealed tin of something called ‘Brie’ inside of it.

The owner of this fifth generation affineur (ripener) of Brie cheeses explained that as urbanism moves in, it’s pushing out a lot of the dairy farms and in order to be called Brie de Meaux, not only must the cheese be made and ripened in the region, but the milk must be from there as well. It’s the terroir, or the specific agricultural qualities of the region, that give the cheeses produced the flavors that are impossible to reproduce elsewhere.

brie de melun

There are two kinds of Brie made in the region which are protected by the AOC certification: Brie de Meaux and the smaller Brie de Melun (above). Other cheeses from the region that are similar include Coulommiers, Brie de Nangis and Fougerus, which is notable for being draped with a fern leaf, added for a bit of flavoring.

Both Brie de Meaux and Brie de Melun are raw milk cheeses, each being aged a minimum of six weeks. Here at the affineur, the cheeses are delivered by the farms that collect and coagulate the milk, then pour it into molds, where the cheeses get salted to draw out the moisture. Ripening takes place in a cool, odorous underground cellar at 8ºC (46ºF), and the cheeses get flipped over twice a week.

The smell in there was so strong that a group of French woman who were breathing through their scarves, at one point couldn’t take it anymore and had to leave. I was in heaven.

cheese affineur with brie

What happens during the six week ripening period is a dewy crust develops with a delicate white mold on the surface. Eventually, as more moisture is drawn out, the crust (called la fleur) firms up and becomes chewy, sealing in the condensed, sticky cheese. What determines the taste of cheese, like Brie, is the thickness of the rind: both Brie de Meaux and Brie de Melun start the same way, but Brie de Meaux is thinner so it ripens faster, hence it’s less intense than the thicker, funkier Brie de Melun, which is made from milk that also gets fermented longer.

ripening brie

Nowadays only 10% of the cheeses in France are made on farms; the other 90% are made in factories and by cheese cooperatives. That’s not to say good cheese can’t be made on a large-scale basis, but it’s certainly a wonderful thing to be able to go to the farm where the cheese is ripened and stored. And to be able to taste it there isn’t so bad either.

brie ladles pierre-robert

We finished our visit to the caves, it was time for a dégustation. (Avec le vin rouge, bien sûr! Although I’m more of a white wine with cheese person than red. But I’ll deal.) The first was a cheese called Pierre-Robert, which I’d not tasted before.

Although not an AOC Brie cheese, and made with pasteurized milk, it’s a cheese that’s produced by a regional cheesemaker and it’s only ripened three weeks. I popped a little square in my mouth and I thought I’d died and gone to triple crème heaven. With a dense cream cheese-like consistency, accompanied by a touch of fermented dairy taste, I could see why my trusty French cheese guide said Pierre-Robert was “..popular with children.” I’d like to request they add “with adults” to the next edition.

(I was too polite and didn’t cut in the long line of people buying cheese after the tasting. Which was unfortunate because when it was finally my turn, they’d sold out.)

We tasted a traditional Brie de Meaux, which was milky and rich, with a far more pronounced tang that the previous cheese. Then we turned out attention to my old nemesis: Brie Noir.

brie noir

I’d come across this oddity a few years ago at the Brie market in Coulommiers, and after hearing so much about it back then, I had to try it. The wheels at the market were so funky and covered with dark gray mold, and as crumbly as a decade-old cookie, that I wasn’t sure what to expect. And when I took a bite, only because I’m so polite (and because there’s no public restrooms), did I resist my inclination to run to a sink and wash my mouth out thoroughly to remove any and all possible traces of that cheese.

brie noir-fromage coulommiers cheese

So when they offered me a taste of Brie Noir, I wasn’t all that interested in repeating the experience with the dusty wedge in front of me. But I did, and this one was more delicate than the one I had before and I was able to tolerate it. The very old Brie Noir, I learned, is best appreciated—believe it or not, dunked in a cup of coffee. They had plenty of Brie Noir by the time I reached the front of the line at the cheese counter, but I politely decided it was best to leave it for others.

It’s now said that every year, two to three raw milk cheeses in France disappear. But I pledge to do my best to make sure Brie de Meaux isn’t one of them.

Fromagerie Ganot
4, rue Cécile Dumez
Tél: 01 60 22 06 09

Guided visits and tastings given Tuesday through Saturday. Call in advance to confirm and reserve.

 

cheesemaking ladles
Related Posts and Links

Manger Local (Television program on locavorism, in French)

Honey, Made in Paris

Comté

Saint-Marcellin

Brie de Meaux

I Heart Neufchâtel

Les Tomates

Gougères: Cheese Puffs

Roquefort-Honey Ice Cream

Beaufort d’Été

Community Supported Agriculture in France

Milk from Here

326 Shares

55 comments

    • Kpgallant

    Excellent!! This is a must for the next Paris visit!! We are lucky to have access to many of the Brie varieties in SF. Merci!

    • Curry

    My husband and I just moved to Paris a couple of weeks ago. I’ve always been an avid reader of your blog but reading about Paris makes so much more ‘sense’ now that I’m actually here. We’ve already tried both Brie de Meaux and Brie de Melun. Delicious.

    Thanks for a fabulous blog!

    • Diane@2stews

    Thanks for the tour, David. I learned more than a few things for my next cheese shopping. Also, I didn’t realize that cheese farms are going the way of the boulangeries. I was at a street food market in Paris last week where a lady sells a variety of cheeses for €1.50. It makes it easier to take a chance and try different ones at that price. None were marked with the type they were. I bought a very, very soft cheese wedge covered with what looked like graham cracker crumbs, but obviously weren’t. I couldn’t interpret what the seller was explaining they were, but she kept making the drinking motion with her hand. Maybe the crumbs were soaked in Calvados….I still don’t know, but liked it anyway. I have seen some of those really disgusting looking cheeses you spoke of and know I’d never, ever give them a try. You are very brave!

    • adrian

    that last photo is awesome! a work of art. wow!

    • adrian

    oh so sad that good things like these are slowly dying out!

    • Sweet Freak

    Cheese shopping is definitely on this weekend’s agenda!

    • The Celiac Husband

    As many times, a very informative post on your Blog.

    Canada and it’s Cheese Mafia from down east, make good, imported cheeses cost prohibitive here.
    The punitive duties to protect that industrial cheese cartel in Quebec are in the triple digits!

    • Marie (a.k.a. Gardenfreshtomatoes)

    Do wish I could have seen the special on France 5 – do you know if it’s posted on-line somewhere? More important, is it worth watching?

    Love the new word -“farmering!”

    • Hannah

    Trust you! I’ve never been interested in brie or camembert, as I like my cheese stinky and in-your-face… but you’ve made me want to try more brie. As if I don’t have enough expensive temptations in my life already…. sigh! :P

    • Sunny

    Plus the folks at Ganot are just so darned *nice*.

    Surprised you hadn’t tried Pierre Robert before — like buttah!…if you can’t get it, there’s another one called Brie Royale that’s very similar, as well as another from Burgundy called Delice de Bourgogne…some subtle differences between them, but gives you some options in case Pierre Robert just took off with the last customer!

    • Bonnie

    I think it is SO important to buy local, wherever you are on this planet. I would buy Velveeta before I bought a cheese from China (and that’s not going to happen)! Support your local farmers or those farms will soon disappear. In the spirit of full disclosure, in the Boston area, I will occasionally go to the wonderful cheese dept at Whole Foods for my favorite – Epoisse! My affinity for the Burgundy region has much to do with the fact that any restaurant you enter will cover some dish with an Epoisse sauce; steak, chicken, potato, whatever!

    Spending much of the summer in the state of Vermont, they have a very active localvore sensibility. As a clerk at the local Mom & Pop variety store finished putting groceries in my sack she said, “everything you bought was made in Vermont”. It wasn’t a conscience decision, but the availability and quality are wonderful.

    The farmer’s markets are wonderful there as well. You can buy quality cheeses from the farmers that made them, as well as honeys, beef, pork, lamb, fruits, produce, baked goods – all local.

    I hope the French return to a strong “buy local” sensibility. It would be a shame to lose any more cheese makers.

    • David
    David Lebovitz

    Marie: I linked to the program at the end of the post plus they’re re-airing it tomorrow. Am not sure how long it will be up, though. It was interesting, but I think the topic merits a much longer discussion than the show gave it.

    Sunny: Yes, they were really nice. And I thought it was great that she brought up the whole issue of urbanization the effects it’s having, plus when I asked questions about environmental issues, she didn’t just wave them away (as often happens) but had thoughtful answers. I was given a few other addresses in Brie to visit by a friend who lives in the region and plan to hit some of them in the future (although I left her list out in the countryside!)

    Bonnie: It’s sad, but inevitable, that farmlands are being taken over by shopping malls and houses, etc, but it’s happening everywhere and farming, like cheesemaking, is a business that uses a lot of manual labor. So much of it now is being done on a larger scale.

    I avoid buying cheese in supermarkets because I’d hate to see fromageries disappear as well. Thankfully at most of them in Paris, there’s always a fairly long line. And it’s one time I don’t mind waiting!

    • devilangelyogi

    I’m not much of a cheese fiend, but these pics had me oooh-ing and ahhh-ing!

    • Abigail @ Good To Think and Eat

    Glorious post David. Thank you so much for the thorough exposition. I wonder where one can find farm-made brie in the States?

    • LimeCake

    brie noir dunked in coffee is something i’d never have fathomed until now. did you try it, David? how was it?

    • homegrown countrygirl

    Fabulous pictures and fabulous writing, as always. I really enjoy reading your posts. So, David, do you know… are cheeses and wines both kind of named for their region?

    • Jill

    I need to stop reading this blog first thing in the morning. I’ll be day dreaming about brie all day today.

    • Liz @ Butter and Onions

    I work with cheese in the States, and for awhile we were getting Brie de Meaux, but a pasteurized version. It was pretty intense, and most often by the time we got the wheels we did, they were not great. But every now and then we’d get a really good one. We also used to carry Brie de Nangis, which I looooved. Now, the closest thing we have to the smellier bries is one called Brie le Petit, which I think is pretty good, too.

    • Ursula

    I’ve seen a couple of instances recently where people at cheese counters have told me they have Brie de Meaux, but when I look at the container it’s actually Fromage de Meaux or something else that skirts the AOC requirement. I tried to explain to one person that they aren’t the same thing but gave up when it became clear that she couldn’t fathom the distinction (and this was at a cooking school, no less). I’m a big believer in trademark protection, so it bothers me to see lesser products sold on occasion as Brie de Meaux.

    • GFree_Miel

    Gorgeous photography! I love your posts. You make me want to hop on a plane to Paris and eat all the Brie de Meaux I can get my hands on. I’ve never heard of any type of cheese being dipped in coffee. I’m going to have to get out of my box and try some of these things.

    • Sissi

    A very interesting article ! I have Brie everyday in my fridge but will never look at it the same way! Cheese dunking in coffee…. It makes me think of Bienvenue chez les Chtis and dunking Maroilles in their coffee… I think, wherever we live, we should avoid buying pasteurised cheese (if there is a raw milk version of course, I was told even in Netherlands there is ONE raw milk Gouda producer!). If you taste both the pasteurised Camembert and a non-pasteurised one you see at once it’s like comparing the taste of butter and of margarine. I once saw a very interesting programme on France 5 TV about raw cheese slowly dying (Ces fromages qu’on assassine).

    According to the specialists interviewed there, non-pasteurised cheese is much much better for your health and according to the official statistics made since the 70’s, there were more intoxications with pasteurised cheese than with the raw milk cheese. They blame mainly the big industrial producers for whom it’s easier to produce with pasteurised milk and who brainwash the society.

    On the other hand, apparently the tendency of buying pasteurised – blander – versions of cheese in France goes together with the preference of less crunchy baguettes. People prefer products which have less taste… It’s funny, but here in Switzerland the most famous Swiss cheese, Gruyère, even doesn’t exist in a pasteurised version, at least I have never seen, even in supermarkets. The taste has got absolutely nothing to do with the thing called “gruyère” you can buy in France…

    • Kristin

    I can’t imagine the smell in that cellar, but I’m sure the brie was worth it! I so miss the amazing bries in France, it’s true that you just can’t reproduce them.

    • Dime Store Foodie

    It is so sad to hear that all these delicious cheeses are disappearing! Seems that farming on a small scale growing fresh wholesome food is turning into an exception and not the norm, which should not be the case. That’s why we need more locavore’s out there supporting these farms! Those pictures make me want to rush out a get a juicy pear to go with that delicious cheese!

    • Sunny

    D’oh!

    I lied (not intentionally!) That other cheese that’s similar to Pierre-Robert is ROYALE BRIARDE (duh – translates as Brie Royale, but that’s not it!)

    P-R is a little richer, but I don’t hesitate to buy Royale Briarde if that’s what the cheese guy has.

    (it’s heartening — the fromager in our town who has a storefront is in his 30s….and the busiest cheese stall in the marche was just bought by a couple in their 30s….so it passes to a younger generation. Hurray.)

    Incidentally — I taught English at a high school in France last year. One of my students had stumbled across the word “locavore” and asked me to explain the term.

    When I told them that it meant trying to eat things that were produced within 100 miles/160km of where you live, there was a shocked silence in the room.

    “But, madame,” they stammered. “Do you mean that it’s not normal to eat things from close to where you live?” These kids were shocked that there are people who never eat anything that’s grown close to where you live. It actually was very refreshing to see that these kids were so concerned about and so dedicated to the environment, and sustainable agriculture, and to eating REAL food produced as close as possible to where you are.

    And there’s LOTS of things to eat produced in the Ile de France…just wander out into the countryside and find them. Also see http://www.bienvenue-a-la-ferme.com — it’s not an exhaustive list, but a good representation of small agriculteurs and producteurs across France.

    • jocelyn

    Great post! How do you know when a cheese rind is edible?

    • Will

    Brie de Meaux Rouzaire is one of the most popular cheeses at our little shop. I usually send out a weekly newsletter highlighting a “Cheese of the Week”, but with your permission will just link to this post instead.

    Your reaction to Brie Noir reminds me of my initial reaction to Munster Gerome. Also my second and third reactions (after that I just quit trying to like it).

    As far as the disappearing French cheeses, I’m afraid the number is probably higher than just two or three a year. Cheese making is hard work for little reward.

    • Lynn in Tucson

    J’habitais a cote de Melun!

    • Linda

    Meaux has a really great festival with costumes every year too. They also make a great mustard there. Do you cut the rind off of your cheese before eating it? I know many people do. I’m not one of them. I love that give when you bite into a piece.

    • suedoise

    Thank you for your delicious writing on that smelly heaven of cheese.
    I cannot enough stress the importance of unpasteurised milk in the product.
    And this can be found also in la grande surface such as Monoprix.
    Every Monoprix by the way has its distinct character and I am glad that mine has a special cheese counter where indeed they regret that the assortment of unpasteurized cheese is diminishing. However living in Paris one does also have
    independent cheese shops – I have three nearby all with utterly discriminating customers meaning the shops offer only highest quality and this mind you to people whose grandiose knowledge of cheese is not fed by affluence in money or position.
    It is here I patiently wait for the season for the king of cheese, the BEAUFORT ANCIEN, hideously expensive but worth every gramme.
    It is in these cheese shops that I buy a heavenly crème fraîche of at least 50 percent fat content. For the British delicacy “double cream” one must go to
    La grande épiciére at Bon Marché very far away. Animal fat is as science now shows very good for you and does not make you fat. (Sugar does)

    • suedoise

    I forgot to mention the bourgogne bliss called EPOISSES which should be from the
    BERTHAUT company using a method inherited from monks in the 10th century (yes) takes absolutely ages to make with special – unpasteurized of course – milk demanding intense care with a great deal of manual labour. Try the EPOISSES AU MARC. Expensive yes in comparison to other soft cheese.

    • Paris Paul

    Fabulous pictures. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Brie Noire before so I appreciate the tip. Brie is a little too mild for me (though I realize it’s possible to seek out stronger versions); I’ve always been more a fan of old comté or very old chantal. Thanks for the post, David.

    • Anne-Sophie

    Hi David,
    I just love your post, and i DO agree, we did not have time to speak about cheese and particularly Brie in the television program, but that’s true, this is a good option for cheese addict who practice locavorism:-)
    Best and congratulations for your blog!
    Anne-Sophie

    • Cookin’ Canuck

    What a fascinating post about one of my favorite topics. Your photos are lovely! It breaks my heart to think that the small cheesemakers are disappearing. All the more reason to increase my cheese consumption – maybe I can single-handedly put them back in business.

    • cathy

    would like to visit any public transportation to the area???? Suggestions on how to get there??? Good place to try types of cheese in 11e???Which market??
    Usually serve this during holidays with walnuts and apricot preserves in puff pastry..
    heated and served with good crusty bread….Almost eat the whole thing myself.
    What wine would go good with this….Any new serving suggestions for the holidays??

    • Elodie

    A little shop opened recently at Arts et Métiers, it’s called “L’Echoppée Locale” (237 rue Saint-Martin) and only sells groceries and produce from the Ile-de-France region.

    I was stunned to discover how much is actually produced in the Paris region, and even if some prices are outrageous, it is a great place to buy little gifts and souvernirs from Paris – my overseas friends have become a little bored of macarons and honey from the Opera house (can you can believe it?)

    • Marlene

    Absolutely spot on @suedoise! I know exactly what you mean.

    Once I was the lead driver (aka mini-tour director) heading out of the city of Semur-en Auxois when I spotted a directional sign for Epoisses at the round-about, my sharp right turn must have come as quite the surprise to our friends in the car behind—but they gamely followed my speeding vehicle and its many twists and turns later to pull up next to me in front of Berthaut!

    Omighosh! The aroma of the cheese!…we all left with several rounds, the traditional and the ash-covered ones. It is indescribably good. It is my favorite cheese.

    @Bonnie, – sorry to tell you, the Epoisses they ship here to the States just ‘ain’t’ the same!

    On the other hand, it certainly offers more taste to cheese lovers than the usually-cardboard flavored cheese we find here.

    Question for anyone in the U.S.: Where can I find an absolutely fabulous really REALLY SHARP Cheddar made here? Believe me, I’ve looked and tasted, all are too bland. I can remember eating Cheddar(s) years ago when the sharpness was so intense it almost made your lips bleed! Now, that’s what I call sharp!

    • tim hartzer

    So much better to read about French brie than the ridiculous strikes over the retirement age. As much as we love la belle France, the unions et al. are making it difficult to sustain that warm feeling.

    • Renee

    Thanks for the definition of affineur. I could never get anyone in US or France to give me aclear meaning for d’affinois. I’m assuming it means ripe?
    Renee

    • D&D

    Most days, I feel lucky to be in San Francisco (your old stomping grounds) and then I see a post like this and feel maybe a smidge less lucky. Although I run around to new hot spots, fine dining restaurants, and food trucks (a craze here right now) to report about on my blog, cheese tours are minimal and while I love Cowgirl Creamery, there is only so many times a girl can eat Mt. Tam or Redhawk (usually by myself, which accounts for the imposed ingestion limitation). Thanks for the great cheese shots and introducing me to brie noir, which is probably one of the only cheeses that might rightly not be allowed on a plane back to the States, it sounds like…

    • paule caillat

    David,

    Seine-et -Marne is not the most popular week-end destination for parisians but because, as you know, we had a country house near Coulommiers for years and went every sunday to the market there, where we always bought “Coulommiers” rather than Brie and certainly not Brie noir, I am delighted that you are giving it justice.

    A few facts :
    Eurodisney (sorry, Disneyland Paris) changed the scenery some 20 or more years ago, I saw it all happen, farms disappearing to leave way to l’autoroute and disrupting the countryside. It is before la Brie, but touches it. Who is to blame, them or the Conseil General who could not turn down the opportunity to bring jobs, tax money etc… to the region ? And what will happen now that Disneyland 2 has been voted ?

    Who has made raw milk cheese so marginal ? Bruxelles, “l’europe” as we say, voting laws to protect the population against bacteria, and allowing chocolate to contain palm oil, and still be called chocolate ?

    Sorry if I am being political, but aren’t politics responsible for all this ?

    But we les français, we fight back, l’INAO does its job, and Coulommiers, the little cousin of brie, is on its way to getting an AOP (the new european terminology : Appellation d’Origine Protégée)

    And there is more interest and media coverage everyday here for our “patrimoine alimentaire”, cheese being at its epicenter, and encouraging “locavore” choices even in the supermarkets.

    En tout cas, merci, perhaps I will not hear anymore visitors from the US asking me, everytime they see a round cheese, if it is Brie ?

    A bientôt,

    Paule

    • Bonnie

    Marlene; you are so right that Epoisse isn’t the same in the states, even tho’ I buy Berthaut in the little round wooden box at Whole Foods – when they have it!

    For amazing American cheddar (without orange dye!) try http://www.ShelburneFarms.com. They have cheddar aged from 6 months to 3 years. The longer it is aged the sharper the taste. Wonderful!

    • Kris Chambas

    Dear David,
    I read your blog faithfully and really enjoy it. I am from Wisconsin and will be in Paris for 5 weeks (middle of November – middle of December) doing the Base Intensive pastry course at Le Cordon Bleu. I know you don’t like it when people want to meet you when they are in Paris, but, I’m going out on a limb here and asking anyway. I’d love to meet you while in Paris- go for coffee, anything. I first heard about you a couple of years ago when I spent 2 weeks with Kate Hill at Camont. I was there with my son who ended up returning to France for six months to live at Camont and work for Kate. As an incentive, I will bring you a 6 piece box of Gail Ambrosious Truffles- fresh from her shop in Madison. She is a chocolatier here and makes lovely truffles. Her chocolates were just featured on the Food Network as “the best little box of chocolates” in the U.S. If you flat out say NO, I won’t be offended- thought I’d give it a shot.

    • Wei-Wei L

    I’ve actually never had brie cheese before. Of ANY sort! Black brie looks scary and I wouldn’t try it myself, but I really do want to try an apple/brie sandwich.

    • Nidhi

    Thanks for the address. I’ve been looking all over Paris for Pierre-Robert cheese, with no luck. I first had some when I lived in Antibes, and it’s one of my favourites – heavenly, as you say.

    • tobias cooks!

    One of my favorites. I envy you.

    • Marlene

    Bonnie: thanks for the reminder! I can recall visiting friends in West Dover, Vermont
    and that we did buy a quite good Cheddar at one of the roadside markets.
    Could have been a Shelburne Farms product—maybe younger in age! I checked the Web site and the three-year old Cheddar sounds promising…more intense and somewhat crumbly!

    • Rianne

    I love reading your blog David. Brie is my absolute favorite. You just made my day :-)

    • parisbreakfast

    Is pastry and chocolate ‘locovare’?
    It seems it should be in Paris…
    I will def pop into Patrick Roger’s for some of those honey chocs.
    Merci for the reminder and lovely Fall newsletter…
    Feeling rather pleased that I did not remind you, your site was down.
    It’s always up and ready when I come by anyway.
    I wonder if you ever go to SIAL?
    So far away and I feel so lazy…ahem
    Thanks David for all you give us.
    I wish I’d walked into the kitchen when I was at Chez P. with Catherine B.

    • emiglia

    Never heard of Brie noir, but when I lived in the North we dunked Maroilles in coffee too!

    • Lisa@bakedinmaine.com

    I love brie and now I love it even more thanks to you David!

    As a matter of fact, I’m buying some now….

    Now do you have some new brie/pastry recipes for us to try please, lol???

    Lisa
    xo

    • Amanda

    Love this post. Until recently, my experience with Brie was very limited- baked brie topped with honey, nuts, etc. at holiday parties, mostly. But I have to share that I made a pizza on Monday topped with chunks of brie and it was heavenly… (Also had caramelized onions, baked apples, thyme, and sweet apple chicken sausage).

    • Shaheen {The Purple Foodie}

    Love this post, and all your posts on cheese. I swear I dream of your baked brie sometimes. I’ve bought brie on three occasions with the intention of making it, but it somehow always ends up on crackers!

    • Carmen (chocri)

    Oh god, how could you not be in heaven!!! This makes me very, very envious, although I just went to Europe a week ago. Do you usually take brie back with you to the States? I find it really hard to find real cheese in New York that hasn’t been frozen for the transport, but I’m not sure if I’m allowed to take it with me when I travel. But it’s so good!

    • zafer cetinoz

    Thanks for the tour, David. I learned more than a few things for my next cheese shopping. Also, I didn’t realize that cheese farms are going the way of the boulangeries. I was at a street food market in Paris last week where a lady sells a variety of cheeses for €1.50. It makes it easier to take a chance and try different ones at that price. None were marked with the type they were. I bought a very, very soft cheese wedge covered with what looked like graham cracker crumbs, but obviously weren’t. I couldn’t interpret what the seller was explaining they were, but she kept making the drinking motion with her hand.

A

Get David's newsletter sent right to your Inbox!

15987

Sign up for my newsletter and get my FREE guidebook to the best bakeries and pastry shops in Paris...