"Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are."

Writer, statesman, fugitive and gastronome, Jean-Anthelme Brillat Savarin coined this phrase in the 1800's. Not only did this phrase go down in history, but so did his name. But, little did he know his immortality would be achieved by becoming the namesake of a cheese!

Brillat Savarin fled Europe during the reign of Napolean I and lived in the United States in exile supporting himself by giving lessons in the violin and French language. He returned home after the war and returned to his career in law as a judge. He was noted for his writings on gastronomy and his book, The Physiology of Taste was published in 1825 only two months before his death. It went on to be translated by notable food writer and critic, M.F.K. Fisher in 1949 and despite being rather wordy, is considered a prominent component in the world lexicon of gastronomy writings. But, back to the cheese...

Brillat Savarin, the cheese, originated in Normandy. It was created in the 1930's by cheesemaker Henri Androuet. This cow's milk cheese is noted as a "confection" in Steven Jenkin's Cheese Primer. As a triple cream cheese, that means this buttery delight has a 75% fat content. How could it not be delicious?! Apparently, cheese makers actually adds hot, rich milk to the vat in order to acheive the correct fat content. During it's brief aging process, Brillat Savarin is sprayed with a solution containing mold spores and placed in humid conditions. This process causes the cheese to "bloom" and is characteristically noted for having a soft, white, fuzzy coating of mold. Other cheeses that undergo this process are Explorateur, Pierre-Robert and Camembert.

Brillat Savarin is best enjoyed when young. It does not pair well with red wine. The ideal beverage pairing is considered to be Champagne or cava. Perfect for New Year's Eve! Fresh fruit is always a perfect pairing as well. If nothing to your liking is in season, investigate your preserve collection. Our pick at The Mercantile would be Oregon Growers & Shipper's Cherry Zinfandel preserves.

According to Steven Jenkins, "Brillat is meant for dessert, a cheese crying out for the sweetest, most delectable..." (Although, don't tell her I told you, but I caught Chef Samantha the other night spreading it on her warm toast to have as an appetizer before our take out Chinese food extravaganza!)

Brillat Savarin is available at The Mercantile for $17.99 per pound. It comes to us from cheese maker Fromagerie Delin in the Burgundy region of France. Please note there are a number of Brillat Savarin producers and not all of them are alike.

Cheers!
-Janea

Information for this post came from Wikiepedia, the Cheese Primer by Steven Jenkins, The Cheese Plate by Max McCalman and David Gibbons and from two of our guests, Kevin Dawson and his friend Rachel.