BRILLAT SAVARIN, NOT THE MAN.

The cheese.

Brillat Savarin was the famous lawyer and gastronome from the early 1800’s often quoted for saying,”Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are.”, but more importantly, for this post, he is the man after which someone named one of the most creamy and luscious cheese experiences I have ever had.

Have you tasted Brillat Savarin, again, not the man, but the cheese? …When the rind is perfectly bloomy? When it has been sitting around for a few hours, a little droopy and defeated, feigning humility, yet taunting you to come hither?

If you have, then you know that when you have a taste of said – cheese enchantress, nothing else matters, neither the juicy steak waiting to be slapped on a firey grill, nor those perfectly ripe figs resting on your counter. These are but lifeless objects compared to this living creamy being that you transport carefully to your mouth by means of cracker, apple slice or finger. Guilt always ensues.

I touched upon my love for Brillat in an earlier post, but I felt it deserved it’s own post. Every time I put it on a cheese plate, before anyone has tasted it, they invariably ask me, “what kind of brie is this?” To which I respond, “you peasant, this isn’t Brie, this is Brillat Savarin”. (of course I don’t say that) I, too, thought it was Brie and I wasn’t too far off because it does have a white bloomy rind like brie and it is similar in color and comes from France, but other than that, one is a pearl and the other a genuine faux pearl.

What I love about Brillat Savarin is that it isn’t simply creamy and luscious. I feel that you can sense the milk and the grass that the cows ate and it feels like a dream. If you buy a little wedge of this cheese at Whole Foods or your local gourmet food store, make sure the rind is really white and bloomy. More yellow and less bloomy equals older cheese. I am not saying it tastes bad, but start with a very fresh wedge first and see what you think. I think the best vehicle for this cheese, besides your finger, is a slice of green apple. They bring out the best in each other. Enjoy

There are so many amazing cheeses to be savored, but I felt this one deserved a special mention because of the response I get from everyone who I give it to for the first time and that is “Oh My God, that is insane”.

(for those of you cheese Nazis out there… yes, this is a type of Brie and it is also a triple creme. Feel better? Oh, and it is from Normandy. I am sure I still missed something)
By |2018-10-03T15:49:15-04:00December 7th, 2010|

2 Comments

  1. […] Hazen (Vermont), Petite Basque (Fronch – seen it at Costco), Aged White Cheddar (gringo), Brillat Savarin (Fronch), Cotswald (Engish- laced with chives – a party favorite […]

  2. […] expensive cheese plate that I fashion from Whole Paycheck cheeses. The line up usually reads as: Brillat Savarin: French buttery triple cream heaven, Uniekaas aged gouda: Dutch, nutty, warm, semi hard 18 month […]

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