Brie can trace its history back to Medieval times. Like wine and beer, cheese-making was an industry dominated by Benedictine and Cistercian monks. According to Charlemagne's biographer E(g)inhard, the Emperor was so enthusiastic about the cheese of Reuil in Brie that he pronounced it "one of the most marvellous of foods" and requisitioned two crates of it. Given that in these times both courses had sweet and savoury dishes, it is possible that the tradition of eating cheese as well as dessert at the end of a meal hails from this time.
Ingredients:
shortcrust pastry (frozen is fine, but it should not be sweetened; make it using lard if you want to be authentic)
pinch of saffron
20ml hot water (from kettle)
500g cheese (Brie)
5 egg yolks
75g (raw) caster sugar
pinch ground ginger
pinch salt
Begin by pre-heating your oven to 190 degrees Celcius and steeping the saffron strands in hot water until it is a deep gold. Line a flan tin with the pastry and prick the base with a fork.
Next cut the rind off your cheese, and slice into pieces no larger than two inches.
Beat with an electric mixer until creamy and fairly smooth.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale.
Then add the cheese, followed by the ginger, salt, and (strained) saffron water. Pour into the pastry case and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm or cold but on the same day.