The same cracker with cheddar or colby is also very good. Lynn once hypothesized that brie had more calories than cheddar, on the grounds that harder cheeses had less fat. But the USDA database does not agree with that idea; brie has less. Besides, a slim bit is all you need for a great taste.
Lynn prefers to put cracker and cheese on a small plate and microwave it for 6 seconds or so.
I suspect that in our search for food pleasures, too often cream and soft cheeses are forgotten. Tiramisu makes use of a soft cheese very well. Recently we bought a coffee cake with a soft cheese filling from an Amish farmer and found it delightful.
Our local Sam's Club sold brie explicitly labeled Made in France and it was delicious. But the Wal-Mart is closer and we tried what it was selling. Definitely inferior. Later, we tried again, same President Cheese Co. brand and it was just as good as Sam's. In visiting their web site, I read that they are the largest selling brie right in France.
Brie has an odd white rind that is actually a penicillin mold. Wikipedia says this:
Several species of the genus Penicillium play a central role in the production of cheese and of various meat products. To be specific, Penicillium molds are found in Blue cheese. Penicillium camemberti and Penicillium roqueforti are the molds on Camembert, Brie, Roquefort, and many other cheeses. Penicillium nalgiovense is used to improve the taste of sausages and hams, and to prevent colonization by other moulds and bacteria.[17]
--Bill
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