Description of Brija-Savarin cheese and production technology. Energy value, composition, benefits and harms when consumed. Cooking Uses and Variety History.
Brillat-Savarin or Brillat-Saveren is a soft French cheese made from pasteurized raw materials - cow's milk and cream. The sale goes to a product made only in dairy factories. Smell - creamy, sourish; after a long ripening, the taste is rich, with a touch of earth, and in young cheese it is delicate, salty, with a slightly perceptible spice, which manifests itself as an aftertaste. Texture - soft, creamy; color - white in the middle of the cut, with yellowness closer to a smooth light crust covered with a bloom of white mold. The shape of the heads is a cylinder with a diameter of 12-13 cm and a height of 3-4 cm, weight - 0.43-0.5 kg.
How is Brija-Savarin cheese made?
When preparing raw materials, pasteurized products are combined - milk and cream. The proportions are 4, 5: 0, 56 liters. Cream is needed very fat - 36-40%, it is specially separated. Starter culture: buttermilk with mesophilic bacteria (lactococcus lactis subspecies lactis, Lactococcus Lactis subspecies cremoris, Lactococcus lactis) and fungal culture (Penicillium and Geotrichum Candidum). Calcium chloride and salt are used as preservatives.
How Brillat-Savarin cheese is made:
- When mixing raw materials, milk is heated to 26 ° C, and cream - to 37 ° C. The homogenization of the feedstock is carried out during pasteurization, separately for each ingredient. Then they wait until the temperature drops to 30 ° C, pour in the buttermilk and add the sourdough. While the bacterial cultures are absorbed, the container is closed. After 2-3 minutes, you can mix everything thoroughly.
- Liquid calf rennet is added. The peculiarities of kneading at this stage are shaking the top layer. If this is not done, the kale will be two-layer - cream cheese on top, milk on the bottom. The curdling is controlled for 10 minutes, and then, when the feed begins to thicken, everything is again closed with a lid. It should be borne in mind that fermentation is long - up to 4 hours. All this time it is necessary to maintain a constant temperature.
- The curd layer is cut into large cubes (edges 2, 5 cm) and wait until the whey is released. Next, the pieces are crushed, left to separate the liquid and kneaded. If everything has cooled down, the temperature is raised again to 30 ° C, slowly, by 1 ° C for 10 minutes.
- Features of how Brillat-Savarin cheese is prepared by different manufacturers. To separate the whey, the curd mass is transferred to muslin and suspended for 30 minutes or left on a drainage table for 8-12 hours. When carrying out this process in the last way, it is necessary to ensure proper sanitary and hygienic conditions in order to avoid the introduction of pathogenic flora from the outside.
- Dehydrated cottage cheese is laid out in molds and left for a day at room temperature, turning every 3-4 hours. The initial volume is halved due to subsidence. When salting, first cover 1 side and sides with dry salt, and 6 hours later, after turning, the other.
- The heads are kept for 12 hours, and then transferred to a ripening chamber with a temperature of 14 ° C and a humidity of 65-70%, dried for a day and left to mature, changing the microclimate of the room - 10-12 ° C and 90-95%. During fermentation, it is necessary to ensure that the texture remains moist, moisture loss is minimal.
You can taste it in a week. Fresh Brillat-Savarin cheese does not yet have a crust, and the fungal culture has not had time to activate. A white moldy crust will not form earlier than in a week. The maximum fermentation time is 4 weeks.
The French prefer cheese aged for 21-28 days, but those who are just getting acquainted with a new taste try to acquire it young, after maturing for 14 days. According to reviews, a soapy aftertaste appears in mature heads.
Read more on how Huntsman cheese is made
Composition and calorie content of Brija-Savarin cheese
There is no need to be afraid of gaining weight when introducing a new product. Despite the use of triple pasteurized cream and the fat content on dry matter - 71%, the energy value is not much higher than that of similar fermented milk products.
The calorie content of Brija-Savarin cheese is 385 kcal per 100 g, of which:
- Proteins - 8, 5 g;
- Fat - 38 g;
- Carbohydrates - 2.5 g.
Of the nutrients, the high content of vitamins A, E and group B should be noted, the large amount of sodium is explained by salting. A 100 g serving can replenish calcium by 20%, by 27% by phosphorus, by 8% by calcium. However, there is no need to try to recover in this way from illness or excessive physical exertion.
The recommended daily dosage is 30-50 g. Do not forget that Brija-Savarin cheese contains fungal cultures that stimulate the growth of white mold.
Recommendations for losing weight: in order to burn the energy that the body received with the gentle "cream", you will have to ride a bike for 15 minutes, run for 10 minutes or do household chores for 40-45 minutes, without interrupting watching TV or phone calls.
Benefits of Brija-Savarin cheese
It has been noticed that those who eat this variety regularly age later. It has been officially proven that after fermentation of the curd mass with the participation of Geotrichum Candidum, it acquires healing properties - it inhibits the pathogenic intestinal microflora and prevents the development of chronic organ diseases.
Benefits of Brija-Savarin cheese
- Normalizes the functions of the hematopoietic system and stimulates the production of red blood cells, prolonging the life cycle of these red blood cells.
- Reduces the frequency of hypertensive attacks.
- Increases immunity and creates favorable conditions for the reproduction of lactobacilli that colonize the lumen of the small intestine.
- It has anti-inflammatory properties.
- Stabilizes water and electrolyte balance.
- Reduces the risk of atherosclerosis.
- Densifies bone tissue, prevents osteoporosis.
The variety is especially useful for women who have already entered menopause. Thanks to the delicate taste, the mood rises, depressive thoughts do not bother, the general emotional state improves, insomnia recedes. Weight gain is slowed down by accelerating metabolism at the cellular level. If you allocate very little time for active sports, you can not only prevent the formation of a fat layer, but also avoid the appearance of cellulite.
Contraindications and harm of Brija-Savarin cheese
Despite the absence of microbiological danger, because the raw materials are pasteurized, this variety should not be introduced into the menu for pregnant women, people suffering from digestive problems, and children under 16 years old. Despite the fact that the amount of penicillin in the daily portion is much less than in 1 tablet of the active substance of the antibiotic of the same name, use can provoke the development of dysbiosis.
Brija-Savarin cheese is harmful to people with inflammatory or chronic kidney disease - there is too much salt in it. For the same reason, you should temporarily abandon the delicacy in case of hypertension, gout, during an exacerbation of bronchial asthma.
With obesity, abuse of cheese is harmful. If you eat no more than 30 g per day, you can not be afraid of weight gain.
Read more about the dangers of Mascarpone cheese
Recipes with Brija-Savarin cheese
This variety can be enjoyed on its own and used as an ingredient in a variety of dishes, from salads and hot dishes to desserts. It is deep-fried, marinated, mixed with flavorings. Despite the fact that even in restaurants fortified red wines are often offered to it, you should ask for white alcoholic drinks, mostly dry. The taste of red grapes "kills" the original taste.
By the way, young cheese is rarely eaten by itself. If you plan to put it on a cheese plate, fill the head with truffles in advance. Expensive mushrooms are boiled in broth along with a lot of spices until cooked, put on a sieve to dry. At this time, cut the head of Brija-Savarin in the middle, carefully remove the most delicate core with a knife and mix with pieces of truffles. Then the cheese is collected again, placed in a sealed shrink bag and left for 2-3 days at a temperature of 10-14 ° C and a humidity of 90-95%. A cellar is perfect for this. It is impossible to leave the head without a shell - fermentation may resume, and the expensive product will turn sour.
Recipes with Brija-Savarin cheese:
- Baked potato … The tubers are wrapped in foil and baked in the oven until tender, along with the peel. Readiness is checked by piercing with a knitting needle. Mix the cheese, cutting off the crust, with finely chopped green onions. An incision is made at the tops of the potatoes and the middle is very carefully removed through it, getting edible cups. If it is difficult to cope with such a difficult operation, the tubers are simply cut in half. First, chopped smoked bacon or brisket is fried in a pan. And then on the allocated lard, pieces of boiled potatoes are brought to a golden color. If there is not enough fat, add butter, just a little. The whole roast is mixed with cheese and onion salad, filled with "cups", baked for 5-6 minutes in the oven at 210 ° C. Served with sour cream.
- Hot snack … The small pumpkin is peeled, cored and cut into portions. Grease a baking dish with olive oil and lay out pumpkin, chopped green onions, crushed walnut kernels, pieces of cheese in layers. You can make 2-3 layers, only a thick layer is not needed. Salt and pepper. Bake until the pumpkin is soft and the Brillat-Savarin melts. Serve until it's cold.
- Baked zucchini … Small zucchini, 2 pieces, cut into medium-sized slices and boil in salted water until soft, but so as not to crumble. They are thrown back on a sieve and allowed to dry a little. Preheat the oven to 200 ° C. Separately fry the chicken liver until tender in sunflower oil and season with salt, honey and pepper. Zucchini are laid out in one layer in the oven and poured with an egg and cream, stirring in 30-40 g of cream cheese. Bake so much so that a golden crust forms on top, and spread on plates, cutting into pieces. Top - fried liver. For taste, add a little celery, chopped in a blender, and sprinkle with dry thyme.
- Spicy dessert … In a blender bowl, beat 210 g of creamy cheese pulp without a crust with 4 raw eggs (they should first be soaked in water with dissolved baking soda so as not to provoke salmonellosis) and thick cream - 0.5 liters. Add pepper and salt if needed. Allow to solidify in the freezer, whisking every 40 minutes so that large crystals do not form. Ice cream is served with cheese mousse: this time the bowl of the blender is filled with 250 g of cheese, 100 g of cream and 4-5 tablespoons of elderberry liqueur. Beat, cool, but already on the shelf of the refrigerator. To get an exquisite taste, the dish is decorated with self-made caramel based on sugar and the same liqueur. The lollipops should turn brown after hardening.
It is not necessary to remove the crust when eating a gourmet product.
Interesting facts about Brija-Savarin cheese
This variety began to be produced only in 1930. Interestingly, Androuet Henri, the cheese maker who developed the recipe, gave the name not to the name of the region where he lived and worked, but in honor of the public figure of France in the 18th century - Jean Anthelme Brija-Savarin. He not only took an active part in numerous political movements of the time, but also studied gastronomy. One of his statements became winged: "Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are!"
Interestingly, the patent changed owners several times. In 2006, the variety was released under a different name - Bograin, and in 2016 it was returned to its "native name". In the same year, 1400 tons were produced for domestic consumers and for export. The application for PGI status was considered for a long time. It was filed in 2013, and the certificate was issued only in January 2017.
Now the variety is made by dairies located in the province of Ile-de-France. Brillat-Savarin is presented as a triple cream cheese. He competes with dignity in the domestic market with the Norman Excelsior. Consumers are offered another version of a delicate creamy product called Pierre Robert. It is made according to the same recipe, but the aging period is 6-8 weeks.
When purchasing, you should pay attention not only to the expiration date, but also the month when the head went on sale. Gourmets and lovers of the variety prefer the cheese made from April to October. Winter Brija-Savarin is for amateurs.
