Ile de France Imported French Brie 0,6
Written: Mar 21 '09
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Soft, creamy and goes well with fruit. Wonderful en croute.
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: Soft, creamy and goes well with fruit. Wonderful en croute.
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| susiewho's Full Review: Ile De France Imported French Brie Cheese 0.6 lb |
This is for the French Finds Write Off for my good friend Barbara (Ifif1938) , a francophile. I'm writing a little something with a French twist (no pun intended)
My Father was born in Lausanne, Switzerland. He was multi lingual but of Russian parentage. The French influence seemed to be dominant in what we ate. At a very young age we were introduced to Brie and cheeses in general were always on the menu.
Brie is actually the name of the French province from which it came. The Ile de France brand is a lovely cheese, soft, velvety, light yellow, cow's milk in a white crust (this is edible but not everyone chooses to eat this part). It's the rind. The whit of the rind is somewhat powdery.
The longer the Brie is left to age the stronger the flavor and the darker the rind. The darkest being called Brie Noir. Noir is French for black. Brie can get overripe and then it has a strong ammonia like flavor. You can get double brie, triple brie or herbed Brie but officially there are only two types of Brie, Brie de Meaux (The King's Cheese) and Brie de Melun.
The Ile de France Brie is similar to Camembert cheese. It's nice and mild and buttery. It's one of the brands we prefer. It can be found in cheese shops but also in your local food stores.
True Brie is made with unpasteurized milk(not allowed in USA) and aged at least 4 weeks. Brie is nutrient rich it gives you protein, calcium and vitamins. It has no artificial hormones and is minimally processed.
My Mom and I would indulge as often as possible. I introduced my daughter to Brie and we have found many ways to include it in our parties, our picnics and our snacks. We love Brie en Croute. An easy to prepare and nice impressive way to serve Brie.
En Croute means baked in a crust. We use Puff Pastry or Crescent rolls. We amp this up a bit more by covering the wheel of Brie with Apricot or Raspberry Jam before putting the crust on then bake and serve. Otherwise, we just eat it at room temperature but it certainly makes a nice dessert cheese. Fantastique! It's an excellent cheese to serve with tart apple or grapes. It's rich, creamy and mild. Try it on dark Pumpernickel or very thin crackers. I must admit to also just lobbing off a hunk and eating it straight. Good wine accompaniments are Champagne, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Gris, Semillon, Gewurztraminer. It's excellent with a wine jelly on the cracker.
Brie en Croute
1 wheel of Ile de France Brie
1 pkg Puff Pastry
1 beaten egg
Roll the pastry to a 1/8" thickness and cut into a circle slightly larger than your brie round. Set your Brie on this. Cut strips as wide as the Brie wheel height. Wrap this around and pinch all edges closed. Wash with egg wash.Cover with another round and bake. 400 degrees approx. 10 minutes. You can change this up by dusting with brown sugar, decorating with apple slices on the top, or sprinkling with toasted slivered almonds.
If you are in France look for the Fromagerie, a store devoted entirely to selling traditional French cheeses.
Recommended:
Yes
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susiewho
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Member: Susie Antonelli
Location: Florida / New Jersey
Reviews written: 1029
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About Me:
I'm a Wildlife Rescue Person, artist, avid gardener, scuba diver and Nana to 5 grandchildren.
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