Galettes Briardes

Aromatic, crusty Brie-flavoured biscuits.

For 4

200 g (7 oz) ripe Brie

70 g (2 ½ oz) unsalted butter, diced

2 egg yolks

pinch salt

pinch freshly ground white pepper

pinch freshly grated nutmeg

250 g ((9 oz) plain white flour

1 tbsp milk

Trim the cheese of any hard or brown bits of rind.  Mash it in a mixing bowl, add the butter, egg yolks, salt pepper and nutmeg, and blend.  Gradually add the flour and knead everything together until a rather stiff, smooth dough is obtained.  If necessary add a few drops of cold water.  Wrap in aluminum foil and chill for 1 hour.

         On a lightly floured surface, roll out about 6 mm (1/4 in thick   Cut serrated rounds of about 7 cm (3 in) in diameter.  Arrange on lightly oiled baking sheets, score lightly in a criss-cross pattern with a fork, brush with milk and bake in a fairly hot oven (190 C/375 F/gas mark 5) for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on a rack.

From:  Peter Graham, Classic Cheese Cookery.  London, Penguin, 1988 

Home-made

Store-bought 



See also:  The Varieties of Brie (Link)

The Varieties of Brie (From The French Cheese Book)

 Major Patrick Rance

Brie à la Chiffe

Brie à la Loque

Brie au Poivre

Brie  Bleu

Brie d’Amateur

Brie de la Poste aux Chevaux de Meaux

Brie de Maquelines

Brie de Maquin

Brie de Meaux

Brie de Melun

Brie de Melun Bleu

Brie de Melun Frais

Brie de Montereau, Ville Saint Jacques

Brie de Montereau Bleu

Brie de Montfort

Brie de Nangis

Brie-en-pot

Brie de Provins

Brie de Valois

Brie Façon Coulommiers

Brie Petit Moule

Fromage à la Pie (Coulommier Frais)

Brie Fermier

Brie Laitier

Brie Industriel

Brie Truffé

From Patrick Rance:  The French Cheese Book.  Macmillan, London, 1989.    

NOTE:  Reading through Patrick Rance's vivid descriptions of the varieties of Brie, I can happily report that all of them seem interesting enough and worth trying with the exception of the penultimate entry, Brie Industriel, about which Rance writes: "There is a class of industriel cheese made from lait pasturisé standardisé which the cheesemaker virtually never sets eyes on.  [It] is only of interest to Brie lovers as a curiosity, or a candidate for the Chamber of Horrors."  Regarding Brie Truffé, Rance notes that M. Paul Corcellat of Paris will prepare this cheese to order.  It sounds fabulous and like a real September 2011 pick-me-up.

The so-called "black" Brie -- aged Brie de Meaux

Please note Major Rance's Monocle (Link).

This post is dedicated to Kevin Ayers in southwest France.

See also: Galettes Briardes (Link)