Brie de Meaux

This is the original Brie, the recipe that gave the whole family its name, made in big format wheels so the paste has lots of surface area to ripen against.

That large surface area is exactly what you want when you cut into one of these. The cream line just under the rind goes soft and runny, while the center stays a touch firmer and fresher, so you get two textures in one slice. The flavor leans sweet cream and butter first, with a clear mushroomy note pulling through from the rind. This cow's milk cheese is aged in cool, humid cellars, with a white Penicillium candidum bloom that the affineur watches carefully as the wheel ripens from the outside in.