Brie

Brie is a soft-ripened cow's milk cheese from the Brie region of France, east of Paris. It's coated in a white, bloomy rind made of Penicillium camemberti mold, which is completely edible and adds an earthy, mushroomy note. Beneath the rind, a properly ripe brie is almost liquid at room temperature — oozy, silky, and rich with flavors of warm butter, toasted nuts, fresh cream, and just a hint of barnyard. Young brie (chalky in the middle) is pleasant; fully ripe brie (soft all the way through) is transcendent.

• Champagne The classic pairing: bubbles cut the fat, the yeasty notes in the wine mirror the brioche quality of ripe brie, and the whole thing feels celebratory.
• Chenin Blanc (Vouvray) Honeyed, slightly floral, and bright — off-dry Vouvray wraps around brie's richness like it was designed to do so.
• Beaujolais (Fleurie or Morgon) Light-bodied, juicy, and earthy; a cru Beaujolais complements brie's mushroomy notes without introducing competing tannins.

• Saison Fruity, spicy, and effervescent, a good farmhouse ale echoes the earthy, rustic character of brie while the carbonation cuts through the fat.
• Hefeweizen Banana and clove aromatics in a Bavarian Hefeweizen complement brie's creaminess in a soft, approachable way — perfect for a casual gathering.
• Gueuze (Belgian Lambic) The wild, tart, funky complexity of gueuze mirrors the earthiness of the brie rind and creates a surprisingly sophisticated pairing.

• Crusty French bread or baguette The most natural delivery vehicle for brie that exists; the crunch and neutral flavor let the cheese be the star.
• Fig jam or fig preserves The honeyed sweetness and subtle seed texture of fig jam is brie's ideal companion — especially on a cheeseboard or baked into a pastry.
• Sliced almonds and honey (baked) Wrap a wheel in puff pastry or just put it in a baking dish with honey and almonds at 375°F for 15 minutes; what comes out is borderline dangerous.
• Prosciutto or Serrano ham The salt and fat of cured ham balanced against molten brie on a crostini is a crowd-pleaser that never fails at a party.

Temperature is everything with brie — cold brie is dense and characterless; room temperature brie is what the cheese was made to be. Pull it out a full hour before serving. A perfectly ripe wheel should give softly to pressure and feel almost liquid in the center when you press it. On a board, let guests scoop from the center with a knife — the rind holds everything together. If you're baking it, leave the rind on (it holds its shape) and put it in an oven-safe dish.

- **Président Brie** — The most widely available French-style brie in the US and a genuinely decent product. Look for it to be fully soft, not chalky in the center. - **Fromager d'Affinois** — Technically a double-crème, not a true brie, but it's ultrafiltrated to be extraordinarily rich and creamy — a crowd-pleasing luxury version that's easy to find. - **Brie de Meaux AOP** — The real deal if you can find it at a cheesemonger. Made from raw milk, with a depth and earthiness that pasteurized brie can't match. A genuine experience.