I have tried it two times in the past. Both time it was cut from a wheel and was very soft, almost runny. Both times it tasted like urine. Yet people rave about it.
I had a hankering for some different cheese today and I spotted some Presidents Brie. Pre-packed in a nice foil wrap with almost a month to go on the “best by” date. Same taste, maybe not as strong. Yuck. Back to my Cheddar and Colby.
Dennis
I enjoy it. If you don’t, that’s cool. I certainly don’t get the “urine” flavor, though. Buttery, creamy, maybe a little bit of mushroom like-earthy funk, but not urine.
I love it. But Brie can vary. A good brie is delicious. An bad one – usually one that’s been around too long – can have that strong tang that can be off-putting.
You should visit a cheese shop* and talk to them. They could probably find you a brie that fits your tastes.
*Don’t make the rookie mistake of going to one that doesn’t have any cheese.
The mold used to produce Brie and Camembert produces ammonia. So if you take it straight out of the fridge where it’s been tightly wrapped, you’re liable to get a shot of that, which is reminiscent of urine.
Let it sit out and warm up to room temp, and it dissipates, giving you what **pulykamell **describes .
How broad is your enjoyment of cheese? Brie is somewhat mild compared to the full range of cheeses. Part of the enjoyment of the more unusual cheeses is the uniqueness of their flavors. If someone has generally only had cheddar and jack cheeses, Brie may taste unusual. Plus, the soft texture of Brie isn’t necessarily enjoyable.
Some of the more enjoyable uncommon cheeses might be gouda and asiago. They are firm, so they have a better mouth-feel, and their flavors are more straightforward. Those might be a better choice for someone wanting to branch out from ordinary cheeses.
I like a nice baked Brie warm from the oven, preferably with roasted garlic.
Unless you are prepared to shoot the owner.
Urine? Brie should be rich and creamy. And runny means ripe. And it shouldn’t be kept in a fridge. Somewhere cool yes; but not somewhere cold.
Actually, your clue should have been that best by date. Generally, the older the cheese the more flavourful. You should have left it a while.
But different people have different tastes and if you don’t like Brie that’s fine. It just means there’s more for the rest of us!
Probably not real broad. But Gouda, Asiago are just fine. I like blue cheeses in moderation. A couple of months ago I tried several different blues including Stilton and liked them. I always like them crumbled in salads, in stuffed olives, etc.
I guess ammonia is the better word for what I taste from Brie.
Dennis
The only times I’ve had it, it’s been baked, with apples. It’s tough to describe the flavor of the cheese itself, but it complemented the fruit well. Good on crackers, and one of the better dishes in the catered heavy appetizers category.
Baking probably drives out most of the ammonia.
Brie is best when warmed. There’s a restaurant I get to occasionally that has baked brie as an appetizer and its fantastic.
Brie can be used as a spread on something hardy like french bread or a bagel. Properly it should be taken out of the refrigerator an hour beforehand so it can warm up, but I can live with it cold.
I’m not much of a cheese person. Just trying out a new cheese is seldom a winner, so I understand where the OP is coming from. I lucked into brie at its best and that’s held up. If you decide you want to pursue it find a restaurant that has a brie dish and let them do the work.
I love brie with slices of fresh pear, some crisp caraway rye crackers, and a slightly fruity white wine. It is one of my favorite snacks… And yes, quality definitely matters with brie, as does handling.
I love brie, and I’ve had several varieties.
Brie has been popular in the U.S. for at least 40 years. I hardly think of it as an uncommon cheese.
And yeah, let it sit out for a few hours at least. Oh, I like it runny!
Camembert is similar, but sold in smaller rounds; I prefer it because I started my serious cheese-eating as a strong young rose in France, where it’s more prevalent on cafe and bistro dessert menus than Brie.
But I’ll not scorn a good, room temp Brie.
I think it might be runnier than you’d like, sir.
I don’t care how rucking funny it is. Hand it over with all speed.
I like to spread it on crackers. Tasty!
How do you know what urine tastes like to make a comparison? :eek:
When my parents’ lived in Kenya they once drove from Nairobi to Mombasa (an all day drive) in the heat of the summer with a whole bree in the car boot (trunk). When they arrived it had spread to occupy all the available space and had to be scraped off and put in a large bowl.
Twenty years later they still talked of how delicious it was.
I don’t like most cheese, but I do like baked Brie. I make a very good appetizer by putting chunks of Brie into filo cups (from the freezer case), topping with either caramelized onions or cherry preserves, and baking for a few minutes. I never noticed any weird smells.
Best thing to have with Brie is some figs. Fresh or preserved, either works. Or bake the brie with figs, drizzled with honey and walnuts…
Eh, what?