Breaking the Mold

• The rind on a Brie or similar cheeses forms naturally, as part of the ripening process. A beneficial mold, Penicillium candidum, is responsible for this powdery white coating. As the moist curd dries and ripens, P. candidum colonizes its interior and its surfaces and out-competes rival molds that might otherwise spoil the cheese. The mold helps extract moisture from the outer layer of the cheese, forming the leathery rind. It also breaks down the fats and proteins in the curd, giving the Brie its characteristically soft and gooey interior, and helps create the earthy, aromatic funk that distinguishes the best cheeses.

Eat It or Not

• If you're setting out Brie on a cheese tray after dinner, deciding whether to eat the rind or not is a personal matter. Guests who don't care for the rind can scoop out the soft center and leave the rind behind, while those who appreciate it can keep it in place. The rind adds appreciably to the enjoyment of a good brie, both as a textural contrast and because of its concentrated flavors. The mold and atmospheric oxygen combine to create especially complex flavor molecules at the surface, giving Brie a distinctively mushroom-like aroma and flavor. It's not for everyone, but those who like it like it very much.

Cook's Choice

• Deciding whether to remove the rind when you're cooking or baking with Brie is a more complicated choice. If the Brie is one ingredient in a dip, a sauce or a soup, it's often best to remove the rind. It won't melt into the dish, as the soft center does, and its texture can make it a disconcerting distraction. On the other hand, the rind acts as a natural container to hold in the soft center as it heats and melts. If you're baking a Brie, that might be reason enough to leave it in place.

Baked Brie

• Baking a Brie is one of the simplest and most appealing ways to cook it. It can be wrapped in puff pastry or another rich dough, or baked on its own, either on a sheet pan or in a special earthenware Brie baker. If the cheese will be baked without a crust, cutting off the top rind is a common option. This makes it easy to scoop the melted cheese, and if you garnish the top with fruit preserves or caramelized onions those flavors will infuse into the cheese. If you're baking the Brie inside a crust, personal preference is the rule of the day. You can trim away all of the rind and let the crust hold the Brie together, or leave it in place and count on the crisp crust to mask its texture.