La Fête du Fromage - Brie de Montereau

This wedge of Brie de Montereau may have been a bit too ripe and runny by the time we ate it, but it tasted absolutely dreamy!


The flavor of Brie de Montereau is richer than the lusty Brie de Melun, but slightly milder than Brie's extrovert cousin, Coulommiers.
The 4-6 weeks of affinage result in a well balanced and intensely flavored cheese. It is lusciously, melt-in-your-mouth smooth, with flavors of creamy butter, hazelnuts and mushrooms, and a bit of salt. Truly captivating!

It is produced from unpasteurized cow's milk during the months of March to July, in the area surrounding the town of Montereau, in the Seine-et-Marne département.
If you enjoy Brie with some élan and a bit of moxie, then you'll love this one.


A glass of red wine from Burgundy or a Côte du Rhône are both good matches. I also think a glass of Champagne would be perfect with Brie de Montereau. Pin It

La Fête du Fromage - Brie de Nangis

When I go shopping and want to pick up some cheese to have around the house to nibble on, Brie is not one that I usually go for. I like Brie just fine, but living in the land of hundreds, some say thousands, of varieties of delicious cheese, I tend to go for more something a bit more interesting.

Then I spotted a big wheel of Brie de Nangis on offer at the cheese counter of our little local grocery store.
Hmmm...a Brie I've never seen before. How is that possible?


This is a delectable cheese!
It is lush with the taste of sweet creamy butter, and is packed with rich, but not too rich, mushroom flavors. It has a smooth, luscious texture and a pleasant, chewy mouthfeel that is wonderful with a crispy baguette.

Originally from the town of Nangis in the Seine-et-Marne département (home of Disneyland Paris, the Château de Fountainbleau, Brie de Melun and Brie de Meaux), this unpasteurized cow's milk cheese almost disappeared into obscurity until a lone artisan producer revived its production.

Brie de Nangis is charming and friendly and oh-so-easy to fall in love with.
Please try it. I promise you won't be disappointed!


A glass of fruity Beaujolais or crisp, summery Sauvignon Blanc would pair well with this cheese. Pin It

La Fête du Fromage - Brie de Melun

Brie de Melun is not your average Brie.

It achieved AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) status in 1980 along with Brie de Meaux and is produced in the same area as Brie de Meaux, about 50 kilometers outside of Paris in the Île-de-France region, but that is where the similarities end.

Brie de Meaux is soft, Brie de Melun is robust.
Brie de Meaux is refined, Brie de Melun is lusty.
Brie de Meaux is perfumed, Brie de Melun is heady.
If Brie de Meaux were Jackie O, then Brie de Melun would be Marilyn Monroe.

The difference in flavor has to do with the method of production. Whereas Brie de Meaux's production uses rennet to achieve coagulation in a mere 30 minutes, Brie de Melun relies on lactic fermentation, which takes at least 18 hours.
Seven to eight weeks of affinage* produce a dense, pale yellow colored interior and a bloomy, white rind that is brushed with reddish-brown streaks. The flavors are fruity, salty, slightly sour and rustic. I also tasted hints of mushroom and hazelnuts.

Brie de Melun is absolutely fantastic!



Serve with red wine such as Sancerre, Bourgogne or Gaillac.



* the process of maturing and ripening cheese




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