Brie Cheese with Chestnut Butter

March 31, 2014

Brie Cheese with Chestnut Butter

Portions of this post appeared in late 2008:

Under normal circumstances, I am suspicious of food items that purport to be created to be "paired with" another food item. Having worked for an advertising agency, I know this is a marketing gimmick. It works, though.

These chive crackers (green, yet!) grabbed my attention on a shopping trop to Fromagination in Madison, Wis. "For Brie cheese," said the box.

Brie is one of those acquired tastes for me. It was not part of my diet growing up, and even when I went off to college, Camembert on a baguette slice was the cocktail party food of choice.

But in the intervening years, I've learned to appreciate this mild, earthy cheese.

Brie is especially good when paired with something sweet. The chive crackers were perfect, but I thought they needed something more. So I scrounged around in the pantry and found a jar of Bonne Maman chestnut spread. I plopped a dollop of that atop the hunk of Brie that sat atop the chive cracker.

I was a little nervous as I slipped it into my mouth. But, oh, the taste! If France can be reduced into a cracker with two toppings, this was it. The only thing missing, I think, was a topping of crumbled roasted walnuts, sweetened with brown sugar.

Here are some other recipes with Brie that would be perfect for next week's basketball championship games:

Enjoy! Go Big Red!