Madame Fromage

Art of Food — Produced by Monica Rogozinski

Art of Food pairs two of the most knowledgeable cheese experts in Philadelphia: blogger Madame Fromage and Di Bruno Brothers’ co-owner Emilio Mignucci. Together they put a show of cheese tasting, pairing, history and more. Tenaya Darlington takes us to her home, where she writes the popular blog Madame Fromage, then we visit Shellbark Hollow Farm to meet our area’s first goat cheese maker Pete Demchur. Lastly we land on the House of Cheese, Philadelphia’s oldest and largest cheese counter: Di Bruno Brothers. Emilio and Tenaya assemble the perfect cheese board filled with local and imported delicacies, paired with jams, chocolates, nuts and plenty of ideas to inspire any cheese lover to start a party!

The cheeses featured on the Di Bruno’s cheese board:

• Casatica di Bufala
• Harbison
• Ardahan
• Pecorino Ginepro
• Valdeon

Cheeses featured on Max McCalman and Tenaya Darlington’s tasting event at High Street on Market:

• Bliss, Goat and Red Leaf, Goat. Yellow Springs Farm, PA
• Buttercup Brie, Cow and Havilah, Cow. Cherry Grove Farm, NJ
• Red Cat, Cow and Birchrun Blue, Cow. Birchrun Hills Farm, PA

Web extra: The Di Bruno Brothers story with Emilio Mignucci

Baked Brie with Pears and Apricots

Recipe courtesy from the book Di Bruno Bros. House of Cheese, A Guide to Wedges, Recipes, and Pairings written by Tenaya Darlington, photography by Jason Varney

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SERVES 8-10

• 1 medium Bosc pear, diced
• 1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
• 1/2 cup dried figs, chopped
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup apricot jam
• 2 sheets puff pastry
• 1 wheel Brie (2.2 pounds or 1kg)
• 1 egg yolk

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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a lipped cookie sheet or baking dish with parchment paper. You can also use a 12-inch pie pan or a large springform pan. (A wheel of Brie of this size is 9 inches across, so this will give you plenty of room.)

In a bowl, combine the pear, apricots, figs, cranberries, walnuts, and apricot jam until well mixed.

Unfold the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface, and roll out both sheets of dough so that they are about an inch wider on all sides than they were originally. You’ll be able to encase the Brie between the two sheets and crimp the edges well.

Place the wheel of Brie in the center of one of the pastry sheets, then spoon the fruit mixture onto the cheese, using a spatula to spread it out in an even layer.

Drape the second sheet of puff pastry over the fruit-topped cheese, and crimp the edges shut. (You may want to trim off the corners with kitchen scissors.) Make sure you seal the puff pastry well so that the Brie doesn’t ooze out in the oven. Do not make any holes in the dough.

Combine the egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of water in a small dish, then brush the mixture over the surface of the pastry with a pastry brush.

Bake the Brie for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.