How to Identify Brie Cheese

Brie is a soft-ripened cheese made by removing the cheese curds from the molds as soon as they can hold their shape and inoculating the surface with peniccilliun candidum. After a few weeks, the result is a creamy, earthy-flavored cheese with an edible white surface mold.

Instructions

1. Look for brie in the specialty section of your grocery store. You'll find the cheese in wheels, wrapped in a thin foil and placed in a round container with a lid or in foil wrapped wedges. It's best to use brie within a few days because of its short shelf life.

2. Select a wheel or wedge that is plump and resilient. If the cheese is sunken and lacks fullness, it's probably beginning to go bad or has been stored improperly.

3. Smell the cheese and expect it to have a mildly earthy aroma, much like mushrooms. There shouldn't be any kind of ammonia smell if brie is fresh.

4. Observe the white surface mold rind for a clean, fresh appearance. Although there may be some hints of pale brown on the edges of the rind, no gross discoloration should be present. The rind is completely edible, but some people would rather remove it because of its slightly pungent flavor.

5. Cut into the wheel or remove the rind if you prefer not to eat it. The cheese is cream-colored and oozes out when it's at the peak of ripeness. A firm wheel probably won't ripen any further once you get it home, so choose one that is already soft.

6. Serve your brie at room temperature in its wrapper. Slice it in wedges if you are serving it with the rind or just scoop up the soft, creamy cheese with dried fruit, nuts or crackers. It's also good on burgers, sandwiches or with soups.