Brique Des Flandres - Le Cheese Course

by Max Shrem, Posted Jul 14th 2009 @ 1:00PM

Brique Des Flandres. Photo: Max Shrem

This summer, Slashfood blogger Max Shrem is apprenticing at renowned Paris cheese shop Fromagerie Trotté. For the next two months, in 'Le Cheese Course,' Max will share his impressions and opinions of French cheese à la francaise!

While many French cheesemakers tend to stick to age-old techniques, numerous others break away and establish new methods. The quirky, hard-to-place Brique des Flandres is a result of an innovative process that involves a mixture of two well-established cheesemaking methods: the one that produces stinky Livarot (pronounced lee-vah-ROH) from Normandy and that of Dutch-inspired Mimolette from the Calais region.

Brique des Flandres is a raw cow's milk cheese featuring the same washed rind as a Livarot and an identical bright orange interior paste to Mimolette. After the jump, I'll explain what sets it apart from both.

Brique des Flandres is also produced in the same region as Mimolette, and shares its texture -- somewhat. It resembles that of a young Mimolette or Edam -- simple and semi-firm. That said, its bouquet is much more like that of a fragrant (but more creamily textured) Livarot, as is its not-too-sharp taste. So although fans of either Mimolette or Livarot might go wild for this hybrid of a cheese, much of the flavor (what many fromage-lovers seek) comes from its Livarot-inspired rind.

Despite this inventive combination of techniques, Brique des Flandres is a straightforward, relatively mild food. It's possible that longer aging would produce a more interesting flavor or that a more unctuous consistency would bring it to a broader fan base. Nevertheless, this two-in-one cheese is definitely worth a try.

Brique des Flandres, aged in the renowned Parisian caves of the cheese shop Alléosse, located at 13, rue Poncelet, is occasionally available stateside at places like Zabar's.

Filed Under: Ingredients
Tags: brique des flandres, BriqueDesFlandres, cheese, cheese course, CheeseCourse, fromagerie trotte, FromagerieTrotte, le cheese course, LeCheeseCourse, max shrem, MaxShrem