023. To Brie or Not to Brie

Potential cheese extinction, new pairings + flower bouquets

We made it. Tonight, the clocks spring forward, granting us longer days and later sunsets. Yesterday, I spotted the first little pink flowers blooming on a tree branch in the park. SPRING IS NEAR! I understand that this weather excitement might resonate more if you live in a northern state, but in NYC hibernation is coming to an end and I'm so ready.

On Monday, I visited The Brooklyn Teacup - such a cute showroom with vintage and upcycled china. Ariel, the founder, messaged me on Instagram after seeing my post using a flimsy 3-tiered plastic stand from Amazon, graciously offering to help upgrade my serveware. As you enter the space, you’re greeted by colorful and floral-patterned plates, mugs, platters and bowls. It was truly cheese plate heaven. Stay tuned to see what I create on Instagram! This community is full of such creative and inspiring people and I’m so grateful.

---

THE CAMEMBERT CRISIS

Numerous reports have surfaced concerning the potential extinction of brie and camembert cheeses, sparking a frenzy online. It's time to embrace our inner curd nerd and dive in.

According to an article by American cheesemaker Josh Windsor in Culture Cheese Magazine, there are worries about the genetic decline of penicillium camemberti, the mold that plays a key role in creating the fluffy white rinds on soft cheeses like Camembert de Normandie. Due to human influence over time, penicillium camemberti is losing gene diversity and the ability to reproduce, which could jeopardize its future existence in cheesemaking. While technological solutions exist to reproduce this mold in laboratories, they are costly and may face challenges.

This situation as a whole raises broader questions about how we (consumers) interact with the aesthetics of cheese. Most people are familiar with the white rind of brie and fear that any other color depicts “bad mold” or a defect in product. But with the introduction of new microbes, these rinds might change from the ones you’re familiar with. Josh Windsor suggests that “We should work hard to instill poetry into how we portray what is traditionally described as browning, blue spotting, musty, moldy, etc. Reframing these sensory experiences as rustic, wild, even mystical is one way to start changing the paradigm. As we learn more about our complex relationship with the microbial world and how intertwined it is with our love of cheese, we should be prepared to correct the mistakes we have made in the past and create a better future. Simply put, free your rind and the rest will follow."“

In the meantime, if you want to taste and savor the classic Camembert de Normandie at the source while you can, join us in Normandy this August 26-31st on my France tour! We’ll be tasting Camembert among other local Norman cheeses in the area, along with many other fun activities. Spots are very limited - BOOK HERE!

Scenes from Normandy

---

THIS TASTES LIKE…

My new pairing series! I’ve been having so much fun creating my Simple Fancy Bites and decided to take it one step further to chat about the nuances of flavor pairings. My favorite way to describe a cheese pairing is to suggest a similar taste, it allows your mind to seek out familiar notes.

This Tastes Like: A Cinnamon Roll

The Pairing: Fresh Chevre + Candied Pecan + Cinnamon + Stroopwafel

The main flavors of a cinnamon roll are cinnamon, sugar and cream cheese frosting. With this bite, the stroopwafel acts as a sweet base to balance out the tanginess of the creamy goat cheese. The candied pecan comes in for some sugary nuttiness, while the cinnamon adds the spice to tie it all together.

---

$15 FLOWER BOUQUET

Weekly handmade floral bouquets have become a great joy for me over the past few years. Trader Joe’s has shockingly inexpensive florals and I love to design my own creations! It’s amazing what you can create for such a low price point.

EASY FLORAL TIPS

• Start with a base flower (I picked yellow roses) and determine an average height in your vase. Remove all leaves that are submerged in water.

• Add a funky statement floral. Here I used long wispy flowers called Veronica to add height to my bouquet.

• Add another color filler. I broke up the yellow roses with some pink sea lavender to add color and another texture.

• Finish with greenery. I tucked eucalyptus leaves around the perimeter of the vase and in the center to add a pop of color.

  ---

SPRING CLEANING

We’re cleaning out the merch store before adding some fun new items! Paid EXTRA SHARP subscribers get a 30% off discount using the code below! This applies to all items, including sweatsuits, hats and signed cookbooks.