Brie was a favorite of royalty, had poetry written about it, and was even called the King of Cheeses due to its rich and buttery taste. A piece of brie with fresh fruit makes an excellent afternoon snack, and an entire brie round will complement any cheeseboard.
In this essay, we will look at the history of brie cheese and how it got to be renowned as the King of Cheeses. We also go into brie and the differences between a classic French brie, an imported French brie, and a domestic brie cheese. We also evaluate its nutritional composition and assess a selection of the finest brie cheese so you can pick the appropriate brie for you, whether for pleasure or entertaining.
Best Selection
The Eiffel Tower French brie is our favorite creamy and buttery French-style brie cheese.
Budget Selection
Our Dairy Food brie wheel cheese wedges are a low-cost brie-flavored spread produced from natural cheese, cream, and milk.
Contents
- Quick Comparison: Top 9 Best Brie Cheese for Crackers
- 1. Eiffel Tower French Brie
- 2. Dairy Food Brie Wheel Cheese Wedges
- 3. Eiffel Tower Canadian Baby Brie
- 4. Notre Dame French Baby Brie
- 5. La Bonne Vie Brie
- 6. Woolwich Triple Creme Goat Brie
- 7. Isigny French Cheese Brie ‘Mon Sire’
- 8. President Precious Plain Brie Soft Ripened Cheese
- 9. Belletoile Triple Cream French Brie Cheese
- Considerations When Purchasing Brie Cheese
- Conclusion
Quick Comparison: Top 9 Best Brie Cheese for Crackers
| Product Name | Grade |
|---|---|
| Eiffel Tower French Brie | A |
| Dairy Food Brie Wheel Cheese Wedges | A- |
| Eiffel Tower Canadian Baby Brie | A- |
| Notre Dame French Baby Brie | A- |
| La Bonne Vie Brie | A- |
| Woolwich Triple Creme Goat Brie | A- |
| Isigny French Cheese Brie ‘Mon Sire’ | A |
| President Precious Plain Brie Soft Ripened Cheese | A- |
| Belletoile Triple Cream French Brie Cheese | A |
1. Eiffel Tower French Brie
Highlighted Characteristics
The Eiffel Tower French brie is made from pasteurized milk and comes in a 2.2 pound round with rind. This creamy and buttery brie cheese is sent insulated to keep it fresh. This is a French-style brie imported from Canada rather than France, which many consumers were unaware of.
As a complete round, it may not last long before it becomes too ripe for certain tastes. This is transported insulated and expedited to reduce the chance of rotting, which increases the expense.
Pros
Cons
2. Dairy Food Brie Wheel Cheese Wedges
Highlighted Characteristics
The brie wheel cheese wedges from Dairy Food are six individually wrapped 4.3 ounce slices of brie flavored cheese spread. Several consumers have been unhappy to discover that it is a brie taste spread rather actual brie, since the labeling may not be the clearest.
Yet, as a low-cost brie substitute, this shelf-stable spread is created with natural cheese, cream, whey, milk, and salt. It also has gums and lacks the outer rind seen in authentic brie cheese.
Pros
Cons
3. Eiffel Tower Canadian Baby Brie
Highlighted Characteristics
The Eiffel Tower baby brie is a Canadian-made pasteurized French brie. This is a complete 7 oz round that is certified kosher and should be consumed within seven days after delivery. A limited number of consumers have reported that the taste is missing in fullness, and since it is packed insulated to maintain it at its finest, this adds to the total cost.
Pros
Cons
4. Notre Dame French Baby Brie
Highlighted Characteristics
The 7 ounce round of Notre Dame French baby brie was imported from France’s Normandy area. This pasteurized and creamy brie cheese is packed insulated to keep it fresh, and it is best consumed within seven days after delivery. Some purchasers believe that this brie lacks taste, and that it is much more expensive than a local brie cheese since it is imported from Europe.
Pros
Cons
5. La Bonne Vie Brie
Highlighted Characteristics
The 2 pound round of La Bonne Vie brie is prepared in the United States from cow’s milk according to a traditional French recipe. This pasteurized brie cheese has a creamy and buttery flavor and should be consumed within two weeks after purchase.
Delivered insulated, this adds to the total cost, and a tiny percentage of consumers complained about the loss of taste.
Pros
Cons
6. Woolwich Triple Creme Goat Brie
Highlighted Characteristics
The Crème de la Crème Goat brie cheese has a grassier taste and sweetness than regular cow’s milk brie and a richer texture as a triple-crme. This goat brie is also appropriate for vegans and people who cannot digest cow’s milk. This brie comes in a 6.5 ounce round and is packaged with insulation to keep it fresh. This goats cheese will be more pungent than a regular brie cheese, and its taste will not appeal to everyone. It has more fat than a conventional double cream brie since it is triple cream cheese.
Pros
Cons
7. Isigny French Cheese Brie ‘Mon Sire’
Highlighted Characteristics
The Mon Sire French Brie is imported from France and comes in a 2.2 pound round. This creamy brie cheese was created by a small cooperative in the Jura Mountains in eastern France and was sent expedited and overnight. This brie has a classic rotten rind and is flexible, creamy, and aromatic. It is more expensive than domestic brie cheese since it is imported, and there are additional transportation fees because it is transported overnight and on ice.
Pros
Cons
8. President Precious Plain Brie Soft Ripened Cheese
Highlighted Characteristics
The six-case pack of 8-ounce rounds of President brie is kosher and manufactured with just pasteurized cow’s milk, cheese cultures, salt, and enzymes. This soft, creamy, and mild brie cheese is created in the United States in the French manner. Some purchasers think the brie and its skin to be a touch on the firm side, so you may want to allow it to mature a little longer before eating, and it may not be as ideal for cheeseboards or more formal needs as a more daily brie cheese.
Pros
Cons
9. Belletoile Triple Cream French Brie Cheese
Highlighted Characteristics
The triple cream Belletoile In France, brie is manufactured from pasteurized cow’s milk and hormone-free cream. This is a richer and greater butterfat content brie that is devoid of preservatives, colors, and artificial flavors as a triple cream cheese.
This brie, which comes in a bigger 4.4 lb. round, is more suited for entertaining, since it is best served within two weeks after delivery. Shipping will also be more expensive since item is being sent expedited and insulated. This brie cheese may also arrive hard, requiring ripening before consumption.
Pros
Cons
Considerations When Purchasing Brie Cheese
Brie is created in a variety of nations, and our domestic and imported brie may be prepared with full or skim pasteurized milk. Brie, like camembert, is a soft-ripened, off-white cheese. When the cheese is young, the middle might be chalky and white. This creamy and mellow farmhouse cheese has an edible rind and a thin white down that may be speckled with crimson spots if the brie has been cured for a long period.
A fromage au lait cru, or raw milk cheese, is a typical French brie cheese.
Brie cheese is best served at room temperature and is typically eaten with baguette or crackers. It may also be served on a cheeseboard with fruits such as fresh figs, strawberries, pears, cherries, apricots, blueberries, and apples. It also pairs nicely with steak, ham, and sausage, as well as almonds and champagne. A brie may alternatively be cooked as is or covered in pastry as a Brie en croute.
Brie, unlike many other European regional cheeses, does not have a protected designation, but the greatest brie, Brie deMeaux, is manufactured in Seine-et-Marne, near Paris. Brie de Meaux is being created artisanally in the eastern Paris Basin today. Brie de Meaux was granted the Appellation of Origin in 1980, defining the geographical region in which it may be produced as well as the customary methods of manufacturing, aging, and presenting the brie. Brie de Meaux was also granted a Protected Designation of Origin (AOP) in 1996, and the Interprofessional Union of Brie de Meaux is still working to improve standards and abilities in the production of Brie de Meaux.
Brie de Melun and Brie de Montereau are two further forms of French brie cheese. There are also more contemporary brie cheeses, such as ones containing peppers, almonds, or herbs, and blue brie, which is a combination between bleu cheese and brie. Blue brie has a milder taste than classic blue cheese and is gaining popularity among people who want the full flavor of a typical blue.
Brie cheese is made by adding enzymes and rennet to milk to help it coagulate and curdle. A culture is then added to help the rind grow. When the curd has been formed, it may be sliced and poured into molds, and the excess whey drained. The brie is then brined to balance the acidity and prevent mold development. It takes around four to five weeks to completely ripen. The taste of the brie will be determined by the components used when it is produced.
The mold is injected into pasteurized brie, and the pasteurized brie takes one to three months to mature. When a brie has ripened, the core will be soft and oozing.
Brie rind is regarded a delicacy since it is sweet and velvety, however it is really a mold (Penicillium candidum) development. Since the rind is alive, it may break down the protein and fat in the brie, causing it to become runnier as cheese matures.
Brie is a sort of cream cheese with two layers. This indicates it contains between 60 and 75% butterfat. A triple-crme or triple cream cheese has the same quantity of milk as a double cream cheese plus an additional part of cream. This boosts the butterfat content to 75% or more. A triple cream cheese is not only richer in taste, but it also has a buttery flavor that comes through. Bloomy-rind cheeses include double and triple cream cheeses, as well as camembert and other goat and sheep milk cheeses.
The Distinction Between French and American Brie
Since traditional French brie cheese is created from unpasteurized cow’s milk, it cannot be imported into the United States. If a brie was allowed to mature for the 60 days required for an aged cheese to be imported, the brie would be too ripe to eat. Imported French brie available in the United States has been stabilized, which means it has a longer shelf life and is not vulnerable to bacterial contamination. In the United States, a limited number of artisan cheesemakers are currently manufacturing soft cheeses like brie from unpasteurized milk.
Le Roj de Fromages, Royalty, and Revolution!
Brie de Meaux was first created by the monks of the Priory of Rueil en Brie in the Middle Ages and was brought to Emperor Charlemagne’s notice when he stayed at the Priory in 774. Charlemagne was so taken with the Brie de Meaux’s rich and creamy taste that he had it transported to his castle in Aachen on a regular basis.
King Phillipe-Auguste loved brie so much that he gave 200 rounds of Brie de Meaux to everyone of his court members as New Year’s presents in 1217.
Brie de Meaux is the only decent thing to come out of this nation, according to the French satirical poet Eustache Deschamps, who was also a diplomatic envoy traveling around Europe on behalf of Charles V.
Brie de Meaux was not just relished by French aristocracy; King Henry IV discovered it in 1594 when Queen Margot presented it to him at the medieval castle of Meaux. After this, Henry IV was believed to choose brie with his wife over his favorite mistress at the moment!
Duke DEnghien celebrated his victory against the Spanish army at the Battle of Rocroi in 1643, one of the latter engagements of the Thirty Years War (1618 to 1648), by bringing brie to the after-battle meal.
Louis XVI was reported to have been killed for eating too much brie! During the French Revolution, he was apprehended in Varennes after pausing to eat a Brie de Meaux pancake with red wine while escaping Paris on his route to Austria. According to legend, Louis XVI’s last and dying request before being killed in January 1792 was for a final taste of Brie de Meaux.
Brie cheese was especially popular during the Revolution, with one revolutionary remarking that the Brie, which was adored by both the wealthy and the poor, preached equality before anybody imagined it conceivable.
When ambassadors from over 30 countries convened in Vienna in 1815 to split up countries following the Napoleonic Wars, the French diplomat Talleyrand proposed a break from the business of the Congress to have a cheese contest! Approximately 60 notable cheeses were presented to the competition, including Strachino from Italy, Stilton from England, and Gruyere from Switzerland. The Brie de Meaux was saved until last, after which the members complimented French cuisine, voted for the Brie de Meaux, and crowned it Le Roj de Fromages, or King of Cheeses.
In 1825, the poet Verfele penned a sonnet about Brie de Meaux, extolling the cheese and how it is best eaten with Epernay wine!
Brie Cheese Storage
Brie should be refrigerated in its original container until ready to consume. It may then be left on the counter for about an hour to develop its greatest taste and texture as it heats up to room temperature. If you need to ripen a brie cheese more before eating it, leave it out on the counter for a longer period of time.
When you cut a brie round, you should normally utilize it within five days or as directed by the maker since its quality starts to deteriorate once sliced.
Brie with a pinkish or ammonia hue should not be ingested, and if brie develops a mold patch on it, it should be discarded since, unlike hard cheeses, mold development on a soft cheese will harm the whole piece.
Brie Cheese Nutrients in a Potion
A one-ounce serving of brie cheese has 7.9 grams of fat, more than half of which is saturated. It is heavy in salt as well as saturated fat, accounting for around 8% of our recommended sodium consumption. The piece also provides 94.9 calories and 5.9 grams of protein as a protein source.
Brie cheese provides just under 9% of our daily need of vitamin B12 and just under 8% of our daily requirement of vitamin B2 (riboflavin). It also contains calcium, phosphorus, and selenium, which accounts for 5% of our daily needs.
Conclusion
We looked at how brie cheese is manufactured and the distinctions between French and American brie cheeses in this post. We’ve also discussed the importance of brie in French history, as well as some of the different ways to eat brie cheese and how to preserve it so that it stays at its finest.
Whether you’re searching for brie cheese for your cheeseboard, to flavor your sandwich, or to take center stage on a cheeseboard, we hope our evaluations of the finest brie cheese have helped you find the perfect buttery brie for you.