Milk Makes The Difference In Brie Production

Cheeses from the Brie region of France have been renowned since the time of Charlemagne.

Nowadays, of course, cheeses called brie are produced in large factories on the perimeter of Paris as well as other locations around the world. These cheeses made with pasteurized milk last longer, but have a much-weakened flavor. Happily, the true cheese from Brie, made from the unpasteurized milk of local herds of cattle, is still produced in that region’s farms and small factories.

On a recent trip to Brie, I visited cheesemakers and was amazed to learn that all the regional cheeses - Brie de Melun, Brie de Meaux and Coulommiers - are the most common varieties; they begin with cow’s milk rennet and the same bacterial culture. What gives the different cheeses their personality and flavor is the amount of cream in the milk, the size and shape of the formed cheese and the length of time it ripens.

At Societe Rozaire, a small factory in the village of Fontenay-Tresigny, cheese is still made according to local tradition, although some of the production is streamlined in order to accommodate the large quantity produced.

The basic difference between farm-produced bries and those made by “artisanale” production in a small facility is the milk. Farmers make cheese from their own cows’ milk and the difference in flavor and texture, however subtle to the uninitiated, is there. Milk from one herd, grazing in low pasture, will taste different than milk from a herd grazing in high pasture. Winter milk is different than summer milk.

Societe Rozaire contracts with local dairymen whose milk is all mixed together. Think of the difference between blended and single malt Scotch whiskeys and you’ll get the picture.

At Rozaire, unpasteurized milk, not more than 18 hours old, arrives at the factory where first a “cocktail” of bacterial culture is added to start the lactic fermentation. After several hours, the milk is heated and rennet, an enzyme found in cows’ bellies, is added to curdle the milk.

The smaller Brie de Meaux is allowed only two hours’ coagulation time. Brie de Melun is made with half the amount of rennet, but the coagulation time is 18 hours. It is, as you would guess, a cheese with more personality and flavor. It’s the brie eater’s brie.

Once the milk is curdled, the curds are formed into molds. (Fromage, the French word for cheese, is a variation of “formage,” the process of forming the curds into cheese.) After about six hours, the cheeses are sufficiently drained of whey. They are unmolded, salted on both sides, sprayed with a mist of penicillium candidum and sent to a dry cellar.

During this time the penicillin flowers and covers the cheese with the familiar white fuzz. They are then moved to a more humid ripening cellar. Brie de Meaux stays from five to eight weeks, Brie de Melun for nine to 10 weeks.

“You can make a perfect cheese,” says Monsieur Bourges, the owner, “and ruin the whole thing by not paying attention to its ripening. There is no greater authority in our factory than the cheese. Here the cheese is the boss, not me.”

The rind of a ripe, well-cellared brie has white fuzz that is lined with pale yellow ridges, and probably a few stains of purple mold growing on it. The perimeter walls bulge and the top is a bit sunken because the cheese inside is runny, trying to get out.

You can smell the cheese from a couple of yards away. It’s not the acrid ammonia smell of a degraded cheese, but a perfume, as if you were sitting in a barn on a bale of damp straw, dipping slices of apple in evaporated milk.

Brie And Grape Quesadillas

1/4 pound seedless grapes

3/4 pound brie cheese, refrigerator temperature

8 (8-inch) flour tortillas

8 teaspoons unsalted butter

4 teaspoons oil

Prepared tomatillo salsa

Prepared guacamole

Halve grapes and set aside. Cut brie into 16 slices and set aside.

Place 1 tortilla flat on work surface. Place 2 slices brie and some grape halves on one half of tortilla and fold other half over to cover. Press gently to seal. Repeat with remaining tortillas, brie and grapes.

Combine 2 teaspoons butter and 2 teaspoons oil in 10-inch skillet. Place over medium-high heat until butter is melted. Cook 2 prepared tortillas until lightly golden, about 1 minute. Flip tortillas and cook other side 1 to 2 minutes longer. Remove tortillas to plate and keep warm. Repeat with remaining tortillas. When all are cooked, arrange on platter. Accompany with tomatillo salsa and guacamole.

Yield: 4 servings.

Croustade Sandwich With Brie, Chicken And Bacon

2 long French or Italian loaves of bread

1/2 pound brie cheese, refrigerator temperature, cut into 4 slices

8 slices crisply cooked bacon

1/2 pound diced cooked chicken

1/2 cup olive oil

Cut off ends of breads. Cut each loaf in half, making 4 short loaves. Using knife or hands, hollow out loaves.

Stuff slice of brie and 2 slices bacon into each half loaf. Using handle of wooden spoon or hands, stuff in chicken.

Use skillet large enough to hold 2 sandwiches and a flat lid that is smaller than the skillet. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in skillet over low heat. Add 2 sandwiches and place lid directly on sandwiches. Place 2-pound weight on lid (heavy cans will do) and cook 5 minutes. Remove lid, turn sandwiches and add more oil. Replace lid and weight and cook another 5 minutes. Remove sandwiches and keep warm in low-temperature oven. Cook remaining 2 sandwiches in same way.

When sandwiches are cooked, cut each one in half, then cut each half into 2 triangular pieces. Stand each triangle on end on platter and serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings.

Artichoke And Brie Croquettes

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1-1/2 cups finely diced onions

4 large artichoke bottoms, fresh or canned

1/4 pound brie cheese, cut into cubes

3 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Oil for frying

Melt butter in small skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook 3 minutes without browning. Remove from heat and scrape into bowl of food processor. Add artichokes, brie, flour, 6 tablespoons bread crumbs, baking powder, 1 egg, salt and pepper and pulse until artichokes are coarsely chopped and mixture begins to hold together. Scrape into bowl.

Lightly beat remaining egg in small bowl. Place remaining 2 tablespoons bread crumbs in another bowl. Drop small soup spoons of batter into egg and then roll in bread crumbs until all croquettes are formed and coated.

Heat 2-inch depth of oil to 375 degrees in medium heavy skillet. Fry croquettes in small batches until golden, about 6 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Place on cloth napkin and serve.

Yield: 18 bite-sized croquettes.