Rouzaire Fromage de Meaux Cheese

If you're looking for the closest cheese to real French Brie, this is it. Fromage de Meaux is very similar to authentic 'Brie de Meaux', save for one difference: Fromage de Meaux is made with pasteurized milk instead of raw milk. American brie lovers might want true A.O.C. designated Brie de Meaux, but without a ticket to France, won't be eating it anytime soon. Laws in the United States prohibit the retail of raw milk cheese unless aged at least 60 days. Therefore Brie de Meaux cannot be imported.

Instead, we have the next best thing: Fromage de Meaux. The production is identical, but it can't bear the same name: the AOC protection states that raw milk has to be used to qualify for the name 'Brie de Meaux'. (Some cheeses have name protection laws just like Champagne.) Fromage de Meaux is made within the French regions of Ile de France, Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Lorraine or Bourgogne.

The large surface of this cheese area of the cheese (about 14 inches in diameter), makes it vulnerable to drying out, so making this cheese is a delicate process. This flavorful cheese is a little stinky, in a good way, and has notes of cream, mushroom, and cruciferous vegetables. It's deliciously funky and satisfying; a must-try. Savor with a baguette and some grapes.