Fromager d'Affinois Red Chili Pepper

I remember the first time that I had a Brie cheese. It was at La Cave du Vin in Cleveland Heights before they moved to Tremont. They were in their original space, a place that had been around for a long time.

The kind of place that plays horror movies on a projector in a cozy brick basement. Candles lit everywhere. No overhead lighting. Serving some of the most esoteric wines that you might find. And I didn’t really even know what Brie was. My friend Chris ordered it and I took a bite.

Another angle into the world of cheeses that I wasn’t expecting at that time. This was probably close to 15 years ago by now, but I’m much more likely to order the fondue-like cheese when I see it on the menu at a restaurant these days. I don’t often get it in the store, though.

But there was a woman at Heinen’s by the cheese department. She asked if she could help me and I told her that I was on a cheese journey. She kind of laughed, not really sure if I was joking or serious.

Maybe it was my shit rat mullet that desperately needed tending to. But she entertained me anyway and walked me around the case, showcasing some of her favorites that she’s tried over her own journey. She eventually led me to one of her favorite Bries.

And just as I was about to take her recommendation into something that’s less stinky and more family friendly, I saw there in the case, laying right next to it, this red chili Brie combination. Didn’t really seem like it would work to me as easily right off the top of my head.

And I looked at her and I gave her those oo lips. This one had to be the purchase. The risk you take with these kinds of things is you never really know how spicy it’s going to be. And I’ve had some of these that are just like burn-your-lips-off spicy. Hard to enjoy and certainly not family friendly.

But digging into this one felt almost more like a pimento dip than a cheese. The exterior rind, I guess you could call it, feels more like a dough. Almost kind of bready.

The inside is meltier than I remember most Bries being, though I can’t say if that’s just an effect of this particular Brie. This was pleasant. I almost wanted it to be a little spicier than it is.

Dipping some accidentally purchased unsalted crackers or unsalted pretzels into this made the pretzels tolerable. I’ve also been using these Maui Monk pretzel sticks, which are really freaking addicting. Probably not something a cheesemonger would recommend, but there are no rules when you’re on your journey into discovering cheese.