📝 About This Recipe
Known as 'Le Roi des Fromages,' Brie de Meaux is a legendary French cow's milk cheese hailing from the town of Meaux in the Île-de-France region. This recipe guides you through the patient, artisanal process of creating a bloomy-rind masterpiece with a buttery, straw-colored paste and complex notes of mushroom and hazelnut. Making this at home is a rewarding journey into the heart of traditional fermentation and affinage.
🥗 Ingredients
The Dairy Base
- 8 liters Whole Raw Cow's Milk (High quality, non-homogenized; pasteurized at low temp if raw is unavailable)
- 250 ml Heavy Cream (Optional, for added richness)
Cultures and Coagulants
- 1/4 teaspoon Mesophilic Starter Culture (MM100 or Flora Danica) (Sprinkled over the surface)
- 1/8 teaspoon Penicillium Candidum (The white mold culture)
- 1/16 teaspoon Geotrichum Candidum (Helps develop the rind texture)
- 1/2 teaspoon Liquid Animal Rennet (Diluted in 60ml non-chlorinated water)
- 1/2 teaspoon Calcium Chloride (Diluted in 60ml non-chlorinated water; essential if using pasteurized milk)
Finishing
- 2 tablespoons Cheese Salt (Non-iodized) (Fine grain for even coverage)
- 120 ml Non-chlorinated Water (For diluting rennet and calcium chloride)
👨🍳 Instructions
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1
Sanitize all equipment thoroughly using a food-grade sanitizer or boiling water. In a large heavy-bottomed pot, slowly heat the milk and cream to 90°F (32°C) over a low flame, stirring gently to prevent scorching.
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2
Once the temperature is reached, sprinkle the Mesophilic culture, Penicillium Candidum, and Geotrichum Candidum over the surface of the milk. Let it rehydrate for 5 minutes before stirring in with a gentle up-and-down motion.
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3
Add the diluted calcium chloride and stir for 1 minute. Cover the pot and allow the milk to ripen for 60 minutes, maintaining the 90°F (32°C) temperature.
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4
Add the diluted rennet. Stir gently for no more than 1 minute, then use a spoon to 'still' the milk so it stops moving. Cover and let sit undisturbed for 60-90 minutes until a 'clean break' is achieved (the curd slices cleanly with a knife).
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5
Using a long knife or curd cutter, cut the curd into 1-inch (2.5cm) cubes. Let the curds rest for 10 minutes to firm up and begin expelling whey.
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6
Gently stir the curds for 5-10 minutes. The goal is to keep them large and moist; do not over-stir or the cheese will be dry.
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7
Place two Brie molds onto draining mats on a slanted draining board. Use a slotted spoon to gently ladle the curds into the molds, filling them to the top. The curds will shrink significantly as they drain.
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8
Allow the cheese to drain at room temperature (around 68-72°F) for 24 hours. Flip the cheese in the molds every 6 hours to ensure even drainage and a flat surface.
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9
Remove the cheese from the molds. Weigh out the salt and rub it gently over the entire surface of each wheel, including the sides.
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10
Place the salted wheels on clean mats in a ripening box. Let them air dry at room temperature for 24 hours until the surface no longer feels wet to the touch.
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11
Move the ripening box to a cool environment (50-55°F / 10-13°C) with 90% humidity. Wipe away any excess moisture from the box daily and flip the cheese every day to encourage mold growth.
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12
After 10-14 days, a fuzzy white mold (bloomy rind) should completely cover the cheese. Once fully covered, wrap the wheels in specialized breathable cheese paper.
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13
Continue aging the wrapped cheese in a colder environment (around 40-45°F) for another 4-6 weeks. The cheese is ready when the center feels soft and yielding to gentle thumb pressure.
💡 Chef's Tips
Use the highest quality milk you can find; raw milk provides the most authentic 'terroir' flavor. Maintaining high humidity (90%+) is crucial for the Penicillium Candidum to bloom; use a hygrometer in your ripening box. If the cheese smells strongly of ammonia during aging, increase the frequency of air exchange in the ripening box. Avoid using tap water for diluting rennet as chlorine can kill the enzymes; use distilled or filtered water instead. Be patient—the flavor profile develops significantly in the final two weeks of aging.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
Serve at room temperature (remove from fridge at least 1 hour before serving) to allow the paste to become runny. Pair with a crisp Champagne or a dry sparkling cider to cut through the rich fats. Accompany with fresh baguette slices, honeycomb, and toasted walnuts. Serve alongside fresh figs or sliced Granny Smith apples for a sweet and tart contrast. A light-bodied Pinot Noir or a fruity Gamay also complements the earthy mushroom notes perfectly.