A brief Brie debate

When I picked up the two cheeses I want to discuss I didn't think there would be much of a debate. Both the St-Andre and the Saint-Damase are of cow's milk, so the comparison is not unfair. I thought the St-Andre Triple Cream Brie would be a no-brainer. I'd heard wonderful things about it. Whole Foods (my old Capers) sold me my 52 gram piece for $2.65 (the kilo goes for $50.90). Known for a being a truly high-fat cheese (in excess of 75% I've read), I thought the soft middle bit of this northern French cheese would be, well, creamier. Even at room temperature, it didn't get to a point where it ever would be easy to spread. If spread on a slice of baguette, it would likely tear the piece; a cracker would crumble. Best to "custom-slice" it to the piece of bread/cracker you plan on placing it on. The taste was fine, the rind was nice and pillowy.

The other cheese was from Quebec, the region of Monteregie just south of Montreal) by the manufacturer Damafro (an abbreviate of the town the cheese is made in - Saint Damase and the French word for cheese: fromage). They make over a dozen different bries and my little Capers/Whole Foods label only listed it as being "Saint Damase Cheese" by Damafro, so after looking through potential candidates on their Website at www.damafro.ca, I found one under the 'Washed Rinds' section called Le Saint Damase (pictured above) that seemed to fit the bill. My 60 gram piece was $2.93 (the kilo is priced at $48.90) and it was beyond delicious. At room temperature, the centre was gloriously ooey-gooey (in my mind, that's the technical term) and the rind was soft and mild. The data sheet on it lists 50% humidity and 20% milk fat, so in terms of calories and fat, infinitely the better choice. In terms of taste, I preferred the Saint-Damase as well. The prices are certainly comparable, but I think I'd like to save myself the calories and go with where my tummy and diet conscience would be happier: Saint-Damase.

Photo of St-Andre's Triple Cream Brie: http://www.wilsonfarm.com/inside.html

Photo of Damafro's Saint-Damase cheese: http://www.damafro.ca/en/prod_fromage-croute-lave.html