Cheese Review: Brillat Savarin

[hrj]

Hey, any excuse for content, right?

In case anyone didn't know: I am a cheese whore slut fan. Furthermore, it is my position that while it is possible for a cheese to be too aged, too runny, or too smelly, it has to really work at it.

Brillat Savarin was developed in France in the early 20th century and named after the famous 18th century gourmet. (Unaccountably, the store where I bought it labelled the cheese "Brillant Savarin", perhaps by some unconscious assimilation to "brilliant".) It is a brie-type and while it's evidently available as a fresh cheese, I bought it in a well-aged state with a very smooth creamy paste that melts on the tongue like warm butter. Usually I'm equally fond of the rinds of soft-ripened cheeses (a preference that I apparently share with Charlemagne) but this one was unpleasantly ammoniated, no doubt the trade-off for the delicious state of the interior. Mushroomy notes and a bold taste that would stand up to even a robust cracker such as rye-crisp. Not a cheese that would travel well, e.g., for a picnic, due to its softness.

Comments

[xrian.livejournal.com]

I would be more likely to blame the Demon of Autocorrect for "Brilliant", along with an operator who has never heard of Brillat-Savarin and therefore didn't know to fix it.

(Is Titivillus reinventing itself as the Demon of Autocorrect? Or do we have a brand new demon to worry about?)

[kahnegabs.livejournal.com]

Probably Titivillus. I'm sure he appreciates all the help the modern era provides!

[hudebnik.livejournal.com]

We picked up, on a whim, some Brillat-Savarin with cranberries in it. It was luscious, melt-in-your-mouth, and I didn't notice an ammonia problem. Expensive, though....

[shalmestere.livejournal.com]

I've had Brillat-Savarin with cranberries; the texture was more like silky cream cheese than Brie (but it was not aged).