Pedigree:
Created in the 1930's, this cheese is named after the famed violinist, capital punishment advocate, magistrate, food writer and wanted man Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin. It's de rigeur at this point to quote one of Brillat-Savarin's famed culinary one-liners, so let's go with: "A meal without some cheese is like a beautiful woman with only one eye." He loved his cheese, so it makes sense that a versatile triple-creme, Brie-ish cheese like this — which is easily worked into a variety of dishes and serving styles — should bear the man's name.Brillat-Savarin is made from cow's milk and comes in fresh versions and slightly aged styles that develop a natural, soft rind.
Taste:
If brie, Philly cream cheese, fresh chevre, and farmhouse butter engaged in unholy procreation, they would spawn a cheese like Brillat-Savarin. It is intensely rich, but with just enough zing to fool you into forgetting that you're ingesting a massive amount of fat. Think Boursin, but refined, without all those fussy herbs and seasonings.
Uses:
Fresh Brillat-Savarin is one
This article appears in Oct 15-21, 2009.