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<\/a>D\u00e9lices de Favi\u00e8res, Brie de Meaux, Brie Noir, Brie de Meaux Nugier, Brie de Melun, Brie Noir<\/p><\/div>\n
The main difference lies in the milk coagulation; enzyme rennet is used to make Meaux, while Melun relies on lactic acid bacteria for fermentation. Pette adds lactic ferments just after milking and leaves them to work for about 18 hours. Because lactic fermentation results in a more delicate cheese that is difficult to turn and transport, molds for Melun are smaller.<\/p>\n
\u201cOriginally we just made cheese,\u201d Pette says. \u201cThere wasn\u2019t Meaux or Melun; it was just Brie. And it was a lactic cheese.\u201d<\/p>\n
As rennet technology became more accessible, cheesemakers switched over. Waiting almost a whole day for coagulation and scooping curd by hand (moul\u00e9 \u00e0 la louche) might have been an obsolete practice by now if it weren\u2019t for AOC regulations. \u201cThe Appellation has saved the Brie de Melun,\u201d Pette says.<\/p>\n
An AOC protects the cheeses\u2019 full name, but \u2018brie\u2019 remains fair game. One of Gay\u2019s goals is to educate French consumers about how to identify and select perfectly ripe AOC Brie among countless imitations.<\/p>\n
In the cave, the difference is clear: Young Bries are full of moisture, with a white surface. Sold by the kilo in French supermarkets, non-AOC versions may be released too early, when they\u2019re heavier with water. Also, ultra pasteurized milk results in less diversity of surface flora.<\/p>\n
\u201cNever buy a Brie with an all-white rind,\u201d Gay explains. \u201cBuy the one that has some red and brown. In general that\u2019s the sign of a cheese made with raw milk, and it\u2019s a natural crust.\u201d<\/p>\n
But how can Americans follow this advice if AOC Brie is unavailable stateside? According to Tyson Danilson of Seattle importer Peterson Company, there\u2019s hope. The obstacle to finding quality French Brie stateside isn\u2019t just about raw milk, he says; it\u2019s also about supply and demand. \u201cPeople are used to Brie being inoffensive, bland, white,\u201d Danilson says, \u201cbut there\u2019s such an interest now in full-flavored cheeses.\u201d<\/p>\n
As such, Americans are creating more robust cheeses. French exporters, however, may be slower to catch on. \u201cAs an importer we run into a challenge about the image of the American consumer in the eyes of the French,\u201d Danilson says. \u201cProducers say, \u2018You want young cheeses, mild cheeses,\u2019\u201d referring to American cheese tastes in general, \u201cand sometimes it takes a lot of convincing to get them to send you the really good stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n
So Danilson teamed up with Herv\u00e9 Mons to create Brie du Pommier, a version especially for the American market that \u201cstinks so good.\u201d Milk is pasteurized (so the cheese may be imported to the US), but that\u2019s compensated for by its careful transport and handling, as well as the addition of cultures that replicate raw milk composition.<\/p>\n
Still, there\u2019s something about tasting Brie de Meaux in France that will make you nostalgic.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy, then, is it not endless, as indeed its circular form is endless?\u201d grieves Saint Amant in a Brie-inspired poem. \u201cAnd why must its full moon, eternally appealing, wane to a crescent?\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/a>Brie de Melun from Fromagerie Loiseau<\/p><\/div>\n
Stateside Suggestions<\/strong><\/h3>\nSeveral French producers now focus on producing high-quality, pasteurized-milk Brie especially for the American market. Cheese importer Alain Fran\u00e7ois suggests Fromage de Meaux<\/strong> from Fromagerie Rouzaire in the \u00cele-deFrance region, which also produces AOC versions, and Fromagerie de la Brie, which makes a three-kilo wheel specifically for US export.<\/p>\nHis favorite is Brie Fermi\u00e8re<\/strong> from Ferme de la Tremblaye, the private family dairy of Jean-No\u00ebl Bongrain, founder of one of France\u2019s largest dairy companies. Though only two pounds and made outside of the AOC region, it\u2019s a farmstead cheese that showcases the utmost respect for tradition.<\/p>\nFor Frenchman Fran\u00e7ois, these versions are just fine. \u201cA purist would say that there\u2019s a difference,\u201d he says, \u201cbut when I go to France and taste the raw milk Brie, and then I taste these, there\u2019s not much difference for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Also look for cheese from Chantal Plasse: Brie de la Brie, Brie de Montereau,<\/strong> and the mushroomy Coulommiers.<\/strong><\/p>\nTasting Notes<\/h3>\n
Brie de Meaux<\/strong><\/a>
\nFerme des 30 Arpents<\/strong>
\nFavi\u00e8res, France<\/em>
\nThe only remaining AOC-certified Brie de Meaux fermi\u00e8re (farmstead) is produced on a sprawling estate
\nowned by billionaire banker Benjamin de Rothschild. It\u2019s the friendliest Meaux we\u2019ve tasted: rounded, savory, and salty with a slight spiciness and notes of almond.<\/p>\nNugier Brie de Meaux<\/strong>
\nSoci\u00e9t\u00e9 Fromag\u00e8re de Raival<\/strong>
\nRaival, France<\/em>
\nIt\u2019s clear when tasting this cheese, produced at a Lactalis-owned dairy, that despite the AOC stamp no two Meaux are created equal. Texture is firm and a thick crust dominates flavor with tonguenumbing intensity.<\/p>\nDong\u00e9 Brie de Meaux<\/strong>
\nFromagerie Dong\u00e9<\/strong>
\nCousances-l\u00e8s-Triconville, France<\/em>
\nThis third-generation family dairy employs a slow maturation of six to seven weeks, well beyond the four required by the AOC. The cheese has a thick rind and a yellow paste that is creamy and earthy with distinct forest floor notes.<\/p>\nBrie de Melun<\/strong><\/a>
\nFromagerie Loiseau<\/strong>
\nAch\u00e8res la For\u00eat, France<\/em>
\nFromagerie Loiseau has been aging Brie since 1921, specializing in the more elusive Melun. Flavor is strong and musky, reminiscent of wet leaves in autumn, with a spicy kick on the back of the tongue and a lingering finish.<\/p>\nBrie de Melun<\/strong><\/a>
\nLa Ferme de Juchy<\/strong>
\nLizines, France<\/em>
\nLactic and slightly sour with a chalky white center, Jean-Claude Pette\u2019s cheese is \u201ccloser to ch\u00e8vre than Camembert,\u201d he says. We agree: Produced by Fromagerie Loiseau, it\u2019s firmer and milder than Melun, with a salty, rounded taste.<\/p>\nBrie Noir<\/strong><\/a>
\nFromagerie Ganot<\/strong>
\nJouarre, France<\/em>
\nFromagerie Ganot ages some wheels for up to two years, until they\u2019re dark brown with crust completely chewed up by cheese mites. The taste of a one-year-old version is strong but pleasantly surprising; it\u2019s still creamy, with aromas of porcini mushrooms and roasted nuts. Scrape off some of Brie Noir\u2019s rind before eating, and try dunking a slice in coffee.<\/p>\n
His favorite is Brie Fermi\u00e8re<\/strong> from Ferme de la Tremblaye, the private family dairy of Jean-No\u00ebl Bongrain, founder of one of France\u2019s largest dairy companies. Though only two pounds and made outside of the AOC region, it\u2019s a farmstead cheese that showcases the utmost respect for tradition.<\/p>\n For Frenchman Fran\u00e7ois, these versions are just fine. \u201cA purist would say that there\u2019s a difference,\u201d he says, \u201cbut when I go to France and taste the raw milk Brie, and then I taste these, there\u2019s not much difference for me.\u201d<\/p>\n Also look for cheese from Chantal Plasse: Brie de la Brie, Brie de Montereau,<\/strong> and the mushroomy Coulommiers.<\/strong><\/p>\n Brie de Meaux<\/strong><\/a> Nugier Brie de Meaux<\/strong> Dong\u00e9 Brie de Meaux<\/strong> Brie de Melun<\/strong><\/a> Brie de Melun<\/strong><\/a> Brie Noir<\/strong><\/a>Tasting Notes<\/h3>\n
\nFerme des 30 Arpents<\/strong>
\nFavi\u00e8res, France<\/em>
\nThe only remaining AOC-certified Brie de Meaux fermi\u00e8re (farmstead) is produced on a sprawling estate
\nowned by billionaire banker Benjamin de Rothschild. It\u2019s the friendliest Meaux we\u2019ve tasted: rounded, savory, and salty with a slight spiciness and notes of almond.<\/p>\n
\nSoci\u00e9t\u00e9 Fromag\u00e8re de Raival<\/strong>
\nRaival, France<\/em>
\nIt\u2019s clear when tasting this cheese, produced at a Lactalis-owned dairy, that despite the AOC stamp no two Meaux are created equal. Texture is firm and a thick crust dominates flavor with tonguenumbing intensity.<\/p>\n
\nFromagerie Dong\u00e9<\/strong>
\nCousances-l\u00e8s-Triconville, France<\/em>
\nThis third-generation family dairy employs a slow maturation of six to seven weeks, well beyond the four required by the AOC. The cheese has a thick rind and a yellow paste that is creamy and earthy with distinct forest floor notes.<\/p>\n
\nFromagerie Loiseau<\/strong>
\nAch\u00e8res la For\u00eat, France<\/em>
\nFromagerie Loiseau has been aging Brie since 1921, specializing in the more elusive Melun. Flavor is strong and musky, reminiscent of wet leaves in autumn, with a spicy kick on the back of the tongue and a lingering finish.<\/p>\n
\nLa Ferme de Juchy<\/strong>
\nLizines, France<\/em>
\nLactic and slightly sour with a chalky white center, Jean-Claude Pette\u2019s cheese is \u201ccloser to ch\u00e8vre than Camembert,\u201d he says. We agree: Produced by Fromagerie Loiseau, it\u2019s firmer and milder than Melun, with a salty, rounded taste.<\/p>\n
\nFromagerie Ganot<\/strong>
\nJouarre, France<\/em>
\nFromagerie Ganot ages some wheels for up to two years, until they\u2019re dark brown with crust completely chewed up by cheese mites. The taste of a one-year-old version is strong but pleasantly surprising; it\u2019s still creamy, with aromas of porcini mushrooms and roasted nuts. Scrape off some of Brie Noir\u2019s rind before eating, and try dunking a slice in coffee.<\/p>\n