# What does Brie taste like?



## DampCharcoal

The first and last time I ever tried Brie was many years ago. It was creamy with a pungeunt flavor but had an extremely unpleasant acidic 'bite' at the back and sides of the tongue. Was it bad or am I a heathen?  :?


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## SierraCook

I think you must had some bad brie.  To me it has a rich creamy, mushroomy flavor.  DC, your question made me curious so I looked up brie cheese on about.com.    

What is Brie cheese?

True French Brie is a soft farmhouse cheese made of unpasteurized cow's milk and is illegal to import to the United States. Brie made of unpasteurized milk develops a natural, off-white mold on the exterior of the rounds. The white moldy rind is quite edible and is usually eaten. Those Bries made of pasteurized milk must be sprayed with artificial spores to grow the mold. The cheese takes anywhere from one to three months to ripen, depending on the size of the flat discs. When properly ripened, the center of the cheese is soft and will ooze as if warmed. 

The flavor of French Brie is rich and fruity and has a creamy texture. Bries made of pasteurized milk are somewhat milder in flavor. Ripening usually takes one to two months and progresses from outside in.

http://homecooking.about.com/library/archive/blbrie.htm


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## luvs

it might have been outdated. old brie gets an ammonia-like flavor and odor. 
all the brie i've had, although it varies from brand to brand, is pleasant, buttery, has a bit of a tang, and a good creamy, mellow flavor with a bite to it. 
it might just be that your tastebuds don't agree with the flavor of brie.


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## Rob Babcock

I don't really care much for Brie, either.  It's just a little too pungeant and strong for my tastes.  The ripest cheeses I like are probably bleu and gorgonzola.


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## DampCharcoal

Hm. The small piece of Brie I tasted had the consistency of warm peanut butter and induced a gag reflex. I do recall a strong smell of ammonia. Maybe my buds aren't up for Brie.  :roll:


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## SizzlininIN

I bought some of this on this shopping trip.  Thought it would be wonderful with slices of fruit and breads as I've heard others rave about it. Well I warmed it up tonight and the smell was aweful..............kind of like a flourie.......pasty smell.  If it can't get past my nose then its not getting past my lips.


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## kitchenelf

The ammonia smell/taste comes from the rind and means the cheese is overly ripe.  It was, at first, even hard to eat a fresh brie AND rind so I would remove the rind until I got used to the flavor.  Then eventually I would slice off a little piece to include the rind - making sure it was VERY fresh.  It's a good way to ease into it at first.

DC - see if you can find a triple cream brie - then find a really ripe cantelope and make sure you have some plain table water crackers - or the ones with black pepper or even melba toasts.  Put some of the triple cream on the cracker and mash up some catelope with a fork and top that on the brie - REALLY good.   Can't wait for ripe melons now!!!!

Side Note - There's also a cracker put out by Starr Ridge - they make an olive oil and rosemary cracker - it is absolutely the BEST with some of this brie and the cantelope - also good with a thin slice of pear.


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## Ishbel

As a 'foreigner' - I just wondered why it was not possible to import French Brie to the USA?  We have English made Brie here in the UK, but I've never tried it...   I buy only the 'real' stuff  8) 

I love Brie - it has to be runny, but not so ripe that it has that weird ammoniac smell....  I don't eat the rind, cos I hate the powdery feel in my mouth.

I love it on good french bread, with grapes and olives on the side..  or served with my home-made oatcakes.


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## DampCharcoal

Thanks, folks! Great info as always! I admit I'm a bit hesitant about combining fruit and cheese but it's worth a shot, especially since so many people enjoy it. I believe the brand sold at Kroger is "Alette" or something like that. Not sure where it's from.


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## PA Baker

Ishbel said:
			
		

> As a 'foreigner' - I just wondered why it was not possible to import French Brie to the USA?  We have English made Brie here in the UK, but I've never tried it...   I buy only the 'real' stuff  8)
> .



Ishbel, I think I remember reading something about this once and it has to do with pasturization laws in the US.


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## Ishbel

Hmmmm - thanks for the information!

No haggis, no cheeses....?    honestly, you're missing out on lots of treats     (Granted, haggis is an acquired taste....)


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## Catseye

Another thing you can do is top a small Brie with toasted slivered almonds, wrap it in foil and stick it in a slow oven, maybe 250-300, until it melts.  Crackers.  Zowie.


Cats


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## buckytom

catseye, i love brie that way. a fav restaurant serves it rolled in slivered toasted almonds, baked, and placed atop a pool of raspberry sauce, and table water crackers for scooping. yummm!


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## Catseye

Oh yeah, I'm liking the raspberry sauce idea, that's really inspired.  

What I don't remember -- do you take off the top rind before you bake it?  I want to say you don't, but it's been too long since I made it.


Cats


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## buckytom

i'm pretty sure the entire or at least most of the rind was taken off. i don't know how it stayed together, because when you broke the structural integrity of the almond shell, it would ooze out a little. i guess it had some rind, or was at just the right temperature..


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## kyles

Australia is the same with pasteurisation laws. Ishbel, I can vouch for English Brie, the Somerset one is gorgeous!!!


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## jpmcgrew

I love brie even the rind if its fresh  however if it has the slightest smell of ammonia I cant stand to eat it.

The rind should be pure white if it has some yellow or other color its way too old.


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## lyndalou

How can you tell if it's really fresh when you buy it? The only Brie I see in my supermarket is wrapped . I have tried it often and usually end up throwing it out because of the ammonia smell.


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## auntdot

You mean there are people out there who do not like Brie?

Wow.

I guess we do not have sophisticated taste buds, but we also love Limburger (can rarely find it) and Gjetost (a Norwegian cheese).

Have rarely encountered a cheese we do not like.


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## ifitfeelgoodcookit

PA ,you are right.The Brie found in most US stores is made with ultra pasteurized milk & barely aged with the result of tasting like sour plaster.You can find the real thing throught William-Sonoma,Dean Delucca & other.You won't believe the difference.


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## lindatooo

DampCharcoal said:
			
		

> Thanks, folks! Great info as always! I admit I'm a bit hesitant about combining fruit and cheese but it's worth a shot, especially since so many people enjoy it. I believe the brand sold at Kroger is "Alette" or something like that. Not sure where it's from.


 
That's NOT the kind you want to buy!  Costco has a Brie en Cruette that's really tasty you bake it....yum...those crackers the Elf mentioned are really good.


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## Barbara L

The only time I ever tried Brie (bought at a grocery store) it tasted like pure salt.  I would like to try good Brie sometime.

 Barbara


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## DampCharcoal

Hm, I guess I might have to order something decent online. Auntdot, I had a terrible experience with Brie that's hard to forget about!


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## jpmcgrew

Check expiration dates and check the bries behind the ones in front they stock the older ones before the fresher.It should be pure snow white, if not its getting old.I prefer a triple cream brie ,some brands are better then others brands.Ive had pretty good luck with the baby bries that are in a thin round wooden case you can open those and check them out for color.Also the wedges are cut from bigger rounds and wrapped at the store ask at the deli if they have any fresher in the back .Make up some excuse like your going on a week long whatever and need the absolute freshest they have.If it isnt dont buy.


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## PolishedTopaz

One of the keys to really enjoy the flavor and texture of brie is to eat it at room temp. One of my favorite ways to eat brie is to heat it in a slow oven and when melted dip with crusty french bread.................YUMMMMMMMMM!


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## shannon in KS

DampCharcoal said:
			
		

> The first and last time I ever tried Brie was many years ago. It was creamy with a pungeunt flavor but had an extremely unpleasant acidic 'bite' at the back and sides of the tongue. Was it bad or am I a heathen? :?


 
bump
Right there with ya damp, so I guess that makes me a "she-athen".  I bought some a few days ago, and was not impressed.  Reading this post is very true to my feelings, "sour plaster", "white, floury, pasty rind", "awful smell"... I sort of liked it, but had a hard time with the rind.. Think I will refrigerate it, slice off the rind, and try kansasgirl's creamy brie kisses.


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## Robo410

the brie I grew up on in the  60s in DC fromthe good gourmet grocers was imported unpastureized single cream, which when ripe, was quite runny and had quite an ammonia nose to it.  ISnce then the USA doesn't import soft unpasturized cheeses anymore so the brie we get here is double and triple cream, pasturized...very smooth, never runny, never strong it seems.  Still, a wedge of mushroom brie room temp, hot crusty sourdough bread, a chilled white, some apples pears and saucison...hmmm...a little watercress...is there a better meal?

Brie is also lovely slit in half...spread some pesto in it...then warm it in the oven or nuker for a minute...wow!


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## C.Whalen

I can honestly say I have never had the nerve to eat brie,  so as for the taste I can not say but I will tell you what it looks like......ox snot.


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## lulu

This thread made me sad for those of you who cannot get real brie.  re english brie and french brie, living IN somerset I think our brie is not real brie but another beast, (like cheddar from most other places, lol) but real brie should be soft and earthy and is not too pungent.  I prefer my brie JUST underripe, it makes a great sandwhich with seedless grapes or sliced apples.  Its intersting reading, becase I don't stat to think "pungent" until camenbert , which is a cheese I generally like less than brie.  To those struggling with ripe brie, which is gorgeous, but I echo never eat an overripe brie that smells!, may I suggest you try it slighyly underripe to taste it?


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## csalt

DH likes the potato pie I make with brie, bacon, celery and sliced potatoes, oh and sliced tomatoes to top it with.
Just cooked sliced potatoes layered with crispy bacon, cooked celery, cubed brie and a very *little *bit if stock poured over and topped with sliced tomatoes and oven cooked.


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## BBQ Mikey

Good Brie should taste pungent with a slightly nutty flavor.


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## The Little Penguin

Rob Babcock said:
			
		

> I don't really care much for Brie, either. It's just a little too pungeant and strong for my tastes. The ripest cheeses I like are probably bleu and gorgonzola.


 
Brie is too "pungent" but bleu is ok? Whoa, man!


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