That velvety white coat on the outside of Brie demonstrates the positive role that molds play in cheesemaking. Although many people think of mold as harmful or at least unpleasant, Brie and Camembert are cloaked in good mold. Cheesemakers want that powdery exterior to form, and they take pains to nurture it. Brie and its many relatives are called bloomy-rind cheeses because of the bloom of mold on their surface.
How does it get there? Not by chance. Modern cheesemakers add Penicillium camemberti, a desirable mold strain, to the milk, or they spray the spores on the young fresh cheeses. Under precise conditions — the right temperature, humidity and surface pH — the mold quickly proliferates, or blooms, encasing the cheese with a protective rind.
The rind limits evaporation, keeping the interior moist. And it gradually ripens that interior from the outside in, so the cheese becomes progressively more creamy. An underripe Brie or Camembert will be firm, even chalky, but as the bloomy rind does its work, the interior — known as the paste — turns supple. At ideal ripeness, a bloomy-rind cheese will be squishy under the rind but with a touch of firmness at the heart.
The mold also contributes to the mushroom aromas of bloomy-rind cheeses like Brie, Camembert and Coulommiers. So in this cheese family, mold is a hero. To judge ripeness, press the cheese gently; it should have some give. Reddish or tan markings on the rind also indicate that the cheese is maturing nicely.
In the kitchen, bloomy-rind cheeses are excellent melters. Make a grilled-cheese sandwich with Camembert or Brie to give that all-American lunch — soup and sandwich — a dash of French style.
See It Made: Grilled Camembert Sandwiches with Summer Tomato Soup
Cook's Tip: Should you eat the rind on a bloomy-rind cheese or cut it away? Some connoissseurs insist that the rind is just the "packaging" and should be removed. Others wouldn't dream of discarding it and consider it part of the cheese's appeal. If the rind smells strongly ammoniated, the cheese is over-ripe. But if it smells fine, then eat it or cut it away, as you like.
