Work, Life, Brie!

It's good to have options to showcase your Brie

A number of years ago I receive two Brie baking dishes for Christmas.  Before that point I had never had Brie and didn't know what to expect.  It took maybe a year before I decided to give Brie a chance and man was I glad that I did.   It didn't take long for me to become a Brie-A-holic.  

Realizing prolonged mega doses of cheese were not good for me or my arteries, I made Brie my Christmas break thing.   Why not!  The Holidays have long been my one time a year to indulge in decadence.

Each year I would look forward to the partaking of the Brie.  The anticipation would build in the days leading up to vacation and I was beyond ecstatic when I selected my inaugural wheel of Brie during the first big holiday shop for supplies.   Baked Brie, blankies and a movie became the best night-in scenario around here.  Imagine my surprise when Hello Fresh had a blueberry brie baked in phylo pastry.... I swooned!  New ways to enjoy Brie... don't mind if I do.

Sadly my love affair with Brie came to a crash and burn ending three years ago.  It was the end of holidays and I was excited to tuck into my last wheel of Brie for the season.  I popped it into the oven and waited patiently for the timer to go off.  I carried that haloed circle of goodness over to the couch and carefully balanced the dish on the couch armest while I re-cocooned in my blankets.  I tucked into the cheese, my mouth watering, anxiously waiting for the creamy tasty cheesiness explosion in my mouth.

Well it was creamy and there was an explosion but not a tasty one.  A powerful wave of ammonia fumes quickly built up at the back of my throat.  Mid-gag I accidentally swallowed the bite.  I couldn't understand what was happening.   I went back to the kitchen and re-checked the package it as a week before the best before date.  There was no mold on the cheese, it looked normal.  

Why the kitty litter taste?

Maybe the litter box needed changing and I just caught a whiff of it when I bite into the cheese.  That had to be it.   It couldn't be bad Brie?   There was nothing to do by to try another bite.  Hmmm- yummy Brieness with just a hint o' litter after taste.   The next bite was definitely more litter than yummy.  But that was quickly followed by many, many bites of definitely full-on yummy.   That convinced me that the initial taste issues had to be environmental smells not related to the cheese.   

Now a smart person would have Googled "Bad Brie" after the very first gag moment, but there are others, who like me, wait until they are done before they even think to check what the internet has to say on the matter.  The final scoop of Brie was full on putrid.  It left me retching and I could no longer blame the slight ammonia whiffs on the cat nor the litter.  I picked up the tablet and typed in these fateful words "Signs of Bad Brie".  

Three guesses as to what came up....

Yup!  Has an ammonia odour to it.  

Fan freakin' tastic I had just ate a whole wheel of rotten cheese.  Nausea and gagging ensued.  I texted a friend to let him know that if I didn't survive it was the cheese that killed me.  I called my brother to lament about my cheese disappointment.   Based on his response, he was dangerously close to peeing himself.  I'm sure my responses didn't lessen the ha ha of the situation....

Bro: "Why did you keep eating it?"

Me: "I thought the smell was coming from the litter box!  The next bite was better!"

Bro: "But after the second bite was off you didn't think... hmmm maybe the cheese was bad???"

Me:  "A little bit but the more I ate the better it got... until the last bite!!!!  Besides I couldn't waste cheese."

To this day, all you have to do is mention Brie to my brother and he laughs loud and long.  That exact moment finally cured me of my Brie lust.  I haven't had it since.  

Fast forward three years.  I receive a text from my brother with this picture and a message "Thinking of you!"

Bro's Jay-Hole message... sooooo funny!

Then for Christmas I receive this from my Mother.....

Well played Mother!

I texted my brother to ask if he told Mom and the both decided to be "funny", or if she unwittingly gave me a gag gift.  It turns out she had no idea of my painful break-up from Brie.  

When I told her, her feedback was "Maybe it's time to give Brie a second chance!".   Bro is all "Yah! I think you should!"  He went on to say "Approach Brie like you approach life and work.... explain away the dodgy bits and concentrate on the good stuff... kinda like you did the last time you ate Brie.... yummmmmm kitty litter!!!!  Work, life, Brie!!!"

So that is what I am doing.  I am grabbing the Brie by the rind and am going to give it another try. Bro thought I should invite friends over so that they could experience an epic Brie failure, but I told him "When I Brie I Brie alone!"  Who wants to poison friends.  Besides I don't share cheese well!

It's taken a few weeks to work up the nerve to jump back on the Brie train.  On the drive home from the
barn last night I was able to talk myself into buying some Brie.  I made durn' good and sure the best by date was as far in the future as possible.  By the time I got home I couldn't do it.  The Brie was shelved in the fridge.  I was telling my brother about the purchase today and he asked how it went.  My reply was "I bought the cheese I haven't made the cheese."  Always quick with the witty repartee he commented "What are you waiting for it to age more???"  

Viola!  Tonights supper Brie and crackers!

If the sniffer dogs say it's okay....

If I don't live to see tomorrow- it was the cheese, it was a yummy way to go and my dogs sniffers are broken!