Every one loves a good Brie. But something magical happens when they get taken a bit further, and turn into triple cream bries. The first question you might ask is: What makes it a triple cream?
Both double and triple cream cheese is made by introducing more cream to the cheeses after the curd is formed, creating the creamy, buttery texture that everyone loves. The first triple cream cheese made an appearance in approx. 1925, in Normandy, France. A triple cream must have a butterfat content of at least 75% of its dry matter content, which translates to a triple creme brie usually having between 35-40% total fat!
We always have at least two Triple Cream Bries in the store, and both are from Quebec:
Up first, LaLiberte, from Fromagerie du Presbytere, in Sainte Elizabeth de Warwick. The Fromagerie is just over 10 years old, and wins awards all over the place, in the Caseus competition in Quebec, the Canadian Grand Prix awards, and the Canadian Cheese awards, to name a few. LaLiberte is made with whole pasteurized milk, from the farms own herd of cows. It has an almost textbook perfect bloomy rind, which surrounds one of the creamiest bries you can think of. This is a milder cheese, with huge notes of mushroom for flavour, and an intense butter finish.
Second, we have La Riopelle de l’Isle, from Fromagerie de l’Ile Aux Grues, in the Chaudieres Appalaches Region of Quebec. The fromagerie started as a coop back in the 1970’s, with about 14 milk producers making cheddars. In the 1990’s, they started making finer cheeses, and now have only 4 milk producers, that have a mix of Brown Swiss, Holstein, and Jersey cows. Ripples is an unpasteurized milk cheese, with a bloomy rind and a slightly less creamy paste than LaLiberte. The mushroom and butter flavours stand out, but are accompanied by a hazelnut hint that brings just a little extra character to the cheese.
As to which one is better, we can’t decide, and wouldn’t want to anyway. We’re happy to be able to showcase both for whatever your appetite prefers!