Brie is the little black dress of cheeses. Unlike its funkier friends — we’re looking at you, Camembert — Brie is always a good idea, no matter how you slice, spread or melt it. Grilled cheese? Salad? Sauce?  Appetizer? The list is endless.  But not all Brie is created equal, so how do you know you’re getting the good stuff?

Five Things to Know About Brie:

1. It’s a textbook bloomy cheese — and yes, you can eat the rind. There are three main types of rinds: bloomy, washed, and natural. Soft-ripened cheeses like Brie fall into the former category, owing their soft, white exterior to Penincillium candidum, an edible mold.
2. Don’t be afraid to squeeze your cheese. The top and bottom of your Brie will always be firm, so gently squeeze the sides instead. They should give a little when the cheese is perfectly ripe.
3. If you like your cheese mild, look for a gooey interior. As Brie ripens from the outside in, you’ll notice creamy, almost liquid edges — otherwise known as the creamline — surrounding a dense center.
4. A soft ripening cheese, it has  an exterior white mold that surrounds the outside of the cheese.  It looks beautiful and it causes the cheese to become  softer and ripen better.  Cutting into this mold stops the ripening process.  The cheese will stay as hard as it was when you cut it.  If you cut a brie too early, you will find a firm chalky central core at the center of an otherwise softer, creamier edge.  That core is now forever hardened and can no longer ripen.   But it hasn’t stopped aging.   In fact the cheese is now dying or at least that protective layer of mold is dying.  It will turn orange and begin to emit a strong odor of ammonia.  You can prevent this by wrapping the cut cheese in aluminum foil or plastic wrap.  But it will never again ripen and the core will remain hardened forever more.
5. Think outside the cheese platter. Mild and versatile, Brie is the default choice for holiday cheese platters, but it really shines when paired with something acidic, like zippy fruit preserves, to bring out its creaminess.
6. Store your cheese in plastic wrap. Really. Many a cheese lover will tell you to never, ever use plastic wrap — but a little plastic is key to protecting your Brie’s creamy interior. Wrap the cut side in plastic and then put it in a box to preserve the integrity of the rind.

How to Remove the Rind from Brie Cheese

Lots of people eat brie with the rind intact, but many find its taste and texture unappetizing. The trouble is, the soft, gooey cheese sticks to the rind like glue, making it difficult to remove the rind without taking half the cheese with it. The solution? Freeze the brie before slicing off the top, bottom and sides with a serrated knife, then let it come to room temperature (or bake it) and serve.

1. Wrap the brie tightly in plastic wrap. This will protect it from freezer burn and keep the texture and flavor fresh. Use several pieces of plastic wrap and make sure the entire rind is covered.
2. Place the brie in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. During this time the brie will harden, which will make it easier to remove the rind.30 minutes is the minimum amount of time necessary to give the brie the chance to firm up. If you have more time, it’s fine to freeze the brie for a few hours or even overnight.
3. Take the brie out of the freezer and remove the plastic wrap. If the brie still feels soft, put it back in the freezer for another half hour. This method only works if the brie is completely firm. If it feels stiff to the touch, place the brie on a cutting board.
4. Slice off the top and bottom. Stand the brie on its side and use a serrated knife to slice both circular ends off of the brie. Once you’ve made the cut, use your fingers to pry off the rind. If the brie is sufficiently firm, the top and bottom should be easy to cut off.If it’s difficult to slice through the brie or remove the rind from the cheese, wrap the brie in plastic and place it in the freezer for an additional 30 minutes, then try again.
5. Slice off the sides. Lay the brie flat against the cutting board. Use the serrated knife to cut along the edge of the brie to slice off the sides. As you cut, start pulling the sides of the rind away from the brie, bit by bit. Continue until you’ve completely removed the rind from the brie.In order to keep the brie from sticking to the cutting board, you might want to lay a piece of waxed paper or parchment paper on the board before setting down the wheel of cheese.
   If the cheese seems to be sticking to the rind, wrap the wheel in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer to harden before trying again.
6. Discard the rind and serve the cheese. Allow the cold cheese to come to room temperature before serving.

Making a Brie Bowl

1. Wrap the brie tightly in plastic wrap. This will protect it from freezer burn and keep the texture and flavor fresh. Use several pieces of plastic wrap and make sure the entire rind is covered.
2. Place the brie in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. During this time the brie will harden, which will make it easier to remove the rind.30 minutes is the minimum amount of time necessary to give the brie the chance to firm up. If you have more time, it’s fine to freeze the brie for a few hours or even overnight.
3. Take the brie out of the freezer and remove the plastic wrap. If the brie still feels soft, put it back in the freezer for another half hour. This method only works if the brie is completely firm. If it feels stiff to the touch, place the brie on a cutting board.
4. Slice off the top. Place the brie on a cutting board and use a serrated knife to slice the top off of the brie. Once you’ve made the cut, use your fingers to pry off the rind. If the brie is sufficiently firm, the top should be easy to cut off.Slicing off just the top leaves a “bowl” for the creamy cheese to be scooped from when eating or preparing to serve. This same method can be used for a pie slice of brie as well. If preferred all the rind can be removed before cooking or serving.
   Use caution to remove as little of the creamy cheese as possible and only remove the white dry rind.
5. Bake the brie bowl. Put the brie in a baking dish and bake it for 15 to 20 minutes at 300 degrees. It should be shiny and creamy when done.
6. Top it with preserves or marmalade. Tart, sweet berry or orange jam perfectly complements the creamy, salty brie.

Cold Brie

Brie will love just about any flavor you add to it.  Top it with sweet or savory and it will be an appetizer or dessert.   You can use one small brie with one topping or several with different toppings.  Use a bigger Brie and go half and half.  It really looks more impressive that the work involved!    One show off appetizer is Teddy’s Brie.

Hot Brie

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Place Brie in a small baking dish.
2. Bake at 350° until warm and just softened, but not runny (about 10 minutes).
3. Transfer Brie, in the dish, to a plate.

Hot Brie in Puff Pastry

1. Thaw the pastry sheet at room temperature for 40 minutes or until it’s easy to handle.
2. Heat the oven to 400°.
3. Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork.
4. Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface.
5. Roll the pastry sheet into a 14-inch square.
6. Spread the the topping of choice into the center of the pastry square.
7. Top with the cheese round.  (You can cut off the rind or not)
8. Brush the edges of the pastry with the egg mixture.
9. Fold two opposite sides of the pastry over the cheese.
10. Trim the remaining two sides of the pastry square to 2-inches from the edge of the cheese.
11. Fold the sides up onto the cheese and press the edges to seal.
12. Place the pastry-wrapped cheese seam-side down onto a baking sheet.
13. Brush the pastry with the egg mixture
14. Decorate the top with pastry scraps.
15. Brush the pastry with the egg mixture.
16. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the pastry is deep golden brown.
17. Let stand for 20 minutes.
18. Serve with the crackers.

Hot Brie in Phyllo dough – 3 ways

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Place on sheet of phyllo on your work surface.
3. Brush with 1 tablespoon of olive oil or melted butter.
4. Lay a second sheet on top of the first, and brush again.
5. Place the third sheet on top.
6. Place the brie towards the middle of one of the narrow edges of phyllo dough and roll up.
7. Fold the ends of the phyllo under the bri,.
8. Place onto a baking sheet, and brush again.
9. Bake in preheated oven until phyllo is golden, about 15 minutes.
10. Place onto serving platter, and spoon the topping over top.

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Unroll the phyllo dough and lay one sheet of dough onto a large cutting board.
3. With a pastry brush, brush the dough with melted butter. It’s OK if it tears a bit – as you use more layers of phyllo dough, the tears will be covered.
4. Wrap phyllo around the brie (you can use more butter to get the folds to stick to the round of brie.)
5. Take the next sheet of phyllo dough.
6. Brush it with melted butter.
7. Place the wrapped brie fold side down in the center of the phyllo sheet and wrap around the brie.
8. Repeat until you have wrapped 5 sheets of phyllo around the cheese, always turning the cheese over each time so that the folds are on the bottom.
9. Brush a generous amount of butter on your 6th sheet of phyllo dough.
10. Then spread the topping across the top of the cheese wheel.
11. Gently place the phyllo over the jam, butter side down, being careful not to tear the dough.
12. Finish wrapping the brie with the dough, folding the edges underneath the brie and using additional butter as needed to smooth the phyllo folds around the cheese.
13. Brush additional butter over the top.
14. Place in a round baking pan or on a cookie sheet.
15. Bake 15 minutes in a 425 degree oven or until lightly brown.
16. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving with crackers

Hot Brie in Crescent Rolls

1. Heat oven to 350°.
2. Unroll dough; separate crosswise into 2 sections.
3. Pat dough and firmly press perforations to seal, forming 2 squares.
4. Place 1 square on ungreased cookie sheet.
5. Place cheese on center of dough.
6. Place remaining square on top of cheese round.
7. Press dough evenly around cheese.
8. Fold bottom edges over top edges.
9. Gently stretch dough evenly around cheese.
10. Press to seal completely.
11. Brush with beaten egg.
12. Bake 20 to 24 minutes or until golden brown.
13. Cool 15 minutes.
14. Serve warm.

Source:  the internet and Pepperidge Farms, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker