2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
Brie is a French cheese with a noble mold, belonging to the group of soft cheeses. Often called the "cheese queen", Bree is probably the most popular, known and loved worldwide French cheese. Its sympathetic name comes from the historic French region of Brie, located in the central region of Ile de France, department of Saint-et-Marne. It was there in the Middle Ages that this soft and fragrant delicacy was first made.
Bree is made from cow's milk, has a slightly grayish-yellow color and is covered with a noble mold, white in color. Its consistency is slightly jelly-like under the mold and has a slight spicy taste with a slight smell of ammonia and fruity nuances.
Brie has a pronounced aroma with a slight hint of nuts. This milk masterpiece matures between 2 and 4 weeks - the longer the ripening process, the sharper its taste and aroma. Its white moldy crust is speckled with beige-pink spots.
Nicknamed "Royal Cheese", in the Middle Ages Brie was one of the levies paid to French kings. The production of this specialty was concentrated only in rural farms until the second half of the 19th, but its popularity is growing, and logically the demand for Brie is gaining momentum.
The beginning of industrial production of Bree takes place in the late 19th century. It was not until the early 20th century that Bree began to be mass-produced, as we know it today.
Types of Brie Cheese
- Brie de Meaux - called "Royal Cheese" because it was among the favorites of Charlemagne, Queen Margot and Henry IV. After the Revolution acquired the nickname King of the Sirens). It is produced in the vicinity of the town of Mo from unpasteurized cow's milk. It takes about 3 weeks to ripen, and 25 liters of milk are needed for one pie;
- Brie de Melun - this type of Brie is a trademark of farms. It has a soft pasty inside under the white mold, speckled with brownish stripes. It is characterized by high fat content - about 45%, but has a unique fruity taste. One pie is made from 14 liters of cow's milk and matures for 4 weeks;
- Brie de Coulomiers - this division of Brie began to be increasingly associated only as Coulomiers and to be differentiated as a separate type of cheese.
Brie de Meaux and Brie de Melun are French trademarks and have been protected in the EU since 1980 in the list of products with a declared geographical origin in the French region of Brie. However, Brie cheese is produced all over the world, and even the American Brie wins world awards for taste and quality.
Ingredients of Brie cheese
Usually cheese Bree contains between 45 - 50% fat and 20 - 25% - protein. This French dairy masterpiece is a good source of protein and fat, so you should not overdo it. 100 g of brie can contain about 30-40 g of protein in some cases. It also contains enviable amounts of Vitamin B12 and Vitamin B2.
Approximate nutritional information per 100 g of Brie cheese:
Calories 334 Kcal; Fat 28 g; Cholesterol 100 mg; Sodium 629 mg; Protein 21 g; Calcium 18% of the required daily dose.
How is Bree made?
Brie is usually produced in cakes with a diameter between 30-60 cm and a thickness of 3-5 cm. It is believed that the thicker cakes are of poorer quality because their middle remains immature and their edges are overripe. As a rule, the fine, white mold is edible, although it has no taste. Some define the aroma and taste of brie as slightly mushroom.
The production of Bree it can be made from both whole and skimmed cow's milk, curdled with cheese yeast at the body temperature of the milk. Special sieves are used to remove the layers of drained cheese. The curd is salted and fermented with bacteria of the genus Penicillium (Penicillium candidum, Penicillium camemberti).
These are the same bacteria that are used in Camembert and the bacterium Brevibacterium linen. Brie should ripen at a temperature of 10 degrees for at least 3-4 weeks for best taste.
Brie pies are formed on a flat cake with a diameter of 22 to 36 cm. The original Brie is an unstabilized cheese, with a complex taste and aroma, which appear only when its surface becomes slightly brown. Only then is Bree mature.
Culinary application of Brie
Bree itself is so fragrant and delicious that you do not need to subject it to any culinary use. It is best to serve it in small slices at room temperature, combined with fruit or jam. Bree is often served simply with toast or bruschettas. Its fragrant aroma goes well with figs, melons, grapes, apples.
It is almost the law when served Bree with fruit, the wine, which completes the idyll of flavors, to be white (of course, goes with red). Brie goes well with champagne and sparkling wines, as well as Chardonnay Pinot Noir, Chateau Clark, Traminer, Muscat.
The unique taste and generous aroma of Bree they make it often used in various sauces. In addition to fruit, this French soft cheese achieves a taste symbiosis with meat and vegetables. Combines well with nuts.
Selection and storage of Brie
The good cheese Bree you can recognize by its non-thick size, smoky yellow soft interior and white noble mold with slightly darker shades. You can recognize the overripe Bree by the browning of the mold and the strong smell of ammonia.
Usually a cut Brie pie stops the ripening process and from there its life cycle goes backwards. The cut Brie pie does not have a long shelf life - usually only a few days. A whole Brie pie with intact integrity can withstand refrigeration and temperatures up to +4 degrees.
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