Brillat Savarin Cheese with Walnut Praline and Polenta Crackers
“Dessert without cheese is like a beauty with only one eye” Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin”
And just like that here is dessert and cheese in one go.
Brillat Savarin with Praline & Sour Amarena Cherries in balsamic syrup
This cheese was first produced and named in honour of the famous “gastronome” and cheese lover Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin and it’s on my short-list of cheeses you must try. A thin bloomy rind contains the creamy lactic twist of this totally addictive and almost whipped creamy white cheese, made from pasteurized cows milk all year round in Normandy, France
I often turn up with this cheese because it is a great size at 500 gm ( although they do come in both larger and smaller) and will always make everyone happy. Unfortunately most cheeses of this size and appearance are mistaken for Brie or Camembert in Australia and I thought you might like to know the differences between these cheeses, before I tell you how you can make crunchy little polenta crackers and salted walnut praline to go with pretty much any creamy cheese.
Brillat Savarin
So, just like wine, chocolate or coffee, cheese depends on variables such as origin, country, climate and seasons. Milk varies between each season and so the sweet grass buds and flowers of the spring move on to the stronger more sun resistant grasses of the summer, flavouring the milk. Some cheeses are best made in spring and others like this Brillat can be made all year round due to the blending of milk and cream.
Naked is Brillat!
To cut a long story short and to not get into a minefield of information, a Brie (traditionally made in Brie, northern France) is a white mould cheese just the same as a Brillat Savarin and a Camembert ( Normandy). Their differences lie in the milk used to make them and the region they are made totally dictates their taste. Both Brie and Camembert are made in moulds that are not as deep as a Brillat Savarin. Bries’ and Camemberts’ are usually about 45% butter fat and a Brillat Savarin is about 72-75%. Cream is added to the milk before moulding. This and the deep mould and the differences in salt and milk flavour ( regional) is what makes this cheese taste so completely different to Brie.
Cheese and praline
Just one last thing, some Bries can also have extra cream added, making them triple cream Bries, though much creamier than a 45% fat content Brie, they still have a thick shiny yellow pate that should be quite runny as it ripens.
So dessert anyone?. Strictly speaking you could of course have this before lunch or dinner. The salty walnut praline makes this a bit of a special idea for a dessert
Brillat Savarin with Walnut Praline & Polenta crackers
Ingredients
- 200 gm Brillat Savarin or other cheese.
Walnut Praline
- 100 gm caster sugar 1/2 cup
- 20 ml water 1 Tablespoon
- 2 drops drops of lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 50 gm roasted walnuts or hazelnuts
Polenta and Olive Oil Crackers
- 25 gm very fine polenta I used white
- 120 ml hot water 1/2 cup
- 40 ml olive oil 2 Tablespoon
- 5 ml honey 1 teaspoon
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 300 gm plain flour 2 cups
Instructions
- Have all the ingredients prepared and close. A lined flat tray and the toasted nuts
- Toss the salt with the nuts
- Put the sugar and the 1 Tablespoon of water and the drops of lemon into a heavy bottomed pot on a medium heat.Swirl the pot a couple of times to spread the water and saturate the sugar without stirring. Once the sugar starts to heat swirl again. If the sugar colours on the edges just swirl gently. This syrup will start to boil and will start to quickly colour. Let it colour to a deep golden before adding the nuts. The deeper the colour the better ( be careful black doesn't taste good. Don't forget it will keep cooking when taken off the heat
- Pour straight onto a tray. and tip to spread . DO NOT TOUCH THE CARAMEL.
Crackers
- Set the oven to 180/350 for
- Put the polenta and hot water into a small bowl and stand for a couple of minutes.
- Add the oil and salt and stir. Pour this ad the flour and BP into the food processor and blitz. it will not come together until tipped onto the bench. push together with your hands, wrap in plastic and sit for 20-30 minutes.
- Use a rolling pin to roll out small pinches of dough . Roll as fine as you possibly can on a bench . You wont need flour.
- lay each wafer thin piece onto a lined baking sheet
- Bake 12-14 minutes or until golden. Cool
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- Mixing the dough in the processor
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- This is what it will look like when mixed
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- Press it together
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- Wrap on plastic
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- Roll out to paper thin
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- bake till golden
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- Swirl the praline till the sugar dissolves
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- Boiling
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- The sugar starting to colour. Swirl to spread the colour
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- Darkening to past golden
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- when at bitter dark caramel
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- Add the nuts
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- spread onto a tray
Check here for more hints and tips on making Praline
Want to buy a Brillat Savarin?. Any good cheese shop can order you one in. Or try Formaggi Occello Darlinghurst .
Brillat- Savarin with walnut caramel
Le Tamerici Balsamic Amarena cherries from Lombardy Italy
I am a total dessert fiend but this cheese looks brilliant especially with the combination of those salty crackers and sweet nutty praline
Thanks for the cheese lesson. I was wondering about this cheese when I saw it on the Thomas Dux website just this morning, and then I clicked on the bloghop and there it was again! I think I’m going to have to try it now and impart my new knowledge of the differences to my cheese loving hubbie.
Tania, this cheese sounds gorgeous, and I love the idea of adding some crunch and sweetness with the praline. We’ve just had a little local IGA stock itself with over 150 types of cheese – I’ll keep an eye out for it!
What a wonderful way to present cheese Tania! Will have to remember this for another dinner party 🙂 Now I want to see if my local grocer stocks some of this cheese 🙂
I’m not so much of a cheese girl, but that looks divine 😀
I hardly ever have cheese in the fridge so when we go out and there’s cheese we absolutely hoe into it!!! Love the walnut praline with the cheese. Gorgeous photos too.
75% fat!!! That sounds like an amazing cheese, T! Your dish looks absolutely stunning as always, you have such a deft touch! xx
What great info, thanks! It’s been great bumping into you lately, hope you’ve enjoyed the events, can’t wait to make these crackers!!
Thanks JJ.
Gorgeous photos! I love this cheese…no wonder now I know the butter fat content!
A gourmet appetizer! The walnut praline and crackers go so wonderful with the cheese.
What an amazing cheese/dessert/ or as I like to call it- snack! What yummy extra goodies to go with it too Tania- delicious xox
I LOVE IT! If I saw this on a dessert menu I would stop reading and order it right away, although I’d have to opt for the hazelnut option as walnuts don’t agree with me.
Thanks for joining the hop!
I’m not quite on board with the ‘dessert without cheese…’ saying, but I would be very on board with these crackers and praline!
Ohh this looks heavenly, the combination of the soft cheese and praline is making me drool!
I have eaten numerous Brillat in my life but never with my beloved praliné. Brilliant idea to put them together!! And those crackers are so moorish! Perfect Cheese-dessert!
Looks delicious.
Saving this one for when bub arrives and I can eat soft cheese again!
wow. oh my god. i have no words.
Absolutely gorgeous and so delicious! I love this cheese and how you’ve paired it. 🙂
I’d love to try those cherries. And the cheese sounds amazing – love the fat content. I’ve never made my own crackers. I should definitely give these a try xx