Description
Dongé Brie Cheese
About Dongé Brie
If you’ve come into the shop looking for Brie de Meaux PDO recently, there’s a good chance we’ve pointed you towards this instead.
Dongé Brie is made by Fromagerie Dongé, a family cheesemaker in the Meuse department of France that has been making cheese since 1930. Dongé is particularly renowned for its traditional raw-milk Brie de Meaux PDO, so when we were looking for a pasteurised alternative, going to a cheesemaker that really understands Brie seemed like a very good place to start.
At the moment, restrictions affecting certain raw-milk French cheeses mean that we’re unable to bring our usual Brie de Meaux into the UK. Dongé’s pasteurised Brie gives us a rather lovely alternative while we wait for its raw-milk cousin to return.
No, it isn’t Brie de Meaux PDO — and we wouldn’t pretend that it is — but it is a very good Brie in its own right.
From the Same Brie Specialists
Brie de Meaux PDO must be made from raw cow’s milk, so pasteurising the milk immediately means this cheese falls outside the PDO specification and cannot carry the protected name.
But that doesn’t mean Dongé has forgotten everything it knows about making Brie!
The family has been making traditional soft cheeses for generations, and much of that knowledge goes into this pasteurised version too.
The result is a large, bloomy-rinded Brie with the creamy texture, mushroomy rind and gentle earthy flavours we associate with this style of cheese, but made using pasteurised cow’s milk.
It’s perhaps best thought of not as a substitute pretending to be Brie de Meaux, but as a very good pasteurised Brie made by people who know an awful lot about the real thing.
The Make
The milk is pasteurised before cultures and rennet are added to begin the cheesemaking process.
The curds are gently handled and placed into large moulds before being allowed to drain. The cheeses are then salted and left to mature, gradually developing their characteristic white bloomy rind.
Like other Brie-style cheeses, ripening happens from the outside towards the centre. When younger, you’ll find a firmer, fresher core surrounded by softer cheese beneath the rind. Given more time, that softness works its way towards the middle.
Which stage is best?
That depends entirely on how you like your Brie.
Dongé Brie – Jen’s Tasting Notes
Dongé Brie is beautifully creamy and very easy to love.
The white rind brings gentle mushroom and woodland flavours, while underneath you’ll find a smooth, buttery paste with a delicate nuttiness and a little fruitiness.
As it ripens, those flavours deepen and the texture becomes softer and more yielding. It’s perhaps a little gentler than the raw-milk Brie de Meaux we’re used to having on the counter, but there’s still plenty going on.
And that’s exactly why I’m happy to sell it. It isn’t trying to be Brie de Meaux. It’s simply a really good Brie made by the same people who know how good Brie should taste.
How to Serve and Pair Dongé Brie
- Make sure you take it out of the fridge a good hour before you want to eat it. You’ll get far more flavour and a much softer, creamier texture.
- Classic pairings: Brie and Champagne is difficult to beat. The bubbles and acidity cut beautifully through the richness of the cheese.
- Something a little different: A light Pinot Noir is lovely too, particularly once the Brie is a little riper and its earthy flavours have developed.
- On the plate: Keep it French and keep it simple. A fresh baguette, perhaps some grapes or pear, and not an awful lot else.
- In the kitchen: It melts beautifully, so it’s great in stuffed chicken breasts or with salmon. Although, as always, if I’ve got a perfectly ripe piece in front of me, I’m probably just going to eat it.
Jen’s note: We normally stock Brie de Meaux PDO, but while current restrictions mean we can’t bring it into the UK, this is our alternative. And who better to make our stand-in Brie than Dongé — the very same family who make the Brie de Meaux we love?
Buying Dongé Brie
- Brand or Producer: Fromagerie Dongé
- Product name: Dongé Brie
- Milk: Cow
- Country: France
- Region: Meaux
- Strength: Medium
- Vegetarian: No
- Suitable for pregnancy: No
- Allergens: MILK
Sizes and Prices
- 100g wedge, £3.30
- 500g wedge, £16.50
- Whole wheel (approx. 3kg), available to pre-order
Storage Advice
- Keep refrigerated
- Wrap in waxed paper or cling film
- Remove from the fridge before serving
- Consume within 10 to 14 days of opening
Delivery and Collection
- UK wide courier delivery
- Click and collect from our Pangbourne shop
- Free local delivery available for selected postcodes
Ingredients (Allergens are listed in capitals)
MILK, salt, starters, rennet, mould cultures
