Brie cheese for a sandwich

[Mr. Delicious]

I am serving a roast beef and brie sandwich with roasted cherry toms onion, dijon mayo... The sandwich rocks it however with the price of cheese its just damn expensive, and not easy to cover the whole sandwich, is there a way to make a spread that wont lose the flavor of the brie, and that will make it more cost effective. Right now I just slice the cheese to order since you cant preslice brie. The sandwich has been super popular and I dont want to change the flavor at all. Any suggestions.

[DTBarton]

Warm the brie up just a bit and you can spread it on the bread.

[PopsicleToze]

Have you tried blending it with butter? It would make a good spread and you can heat it a bit to spread it on the bread.

[fiftydollars]

I wouldn't mess with a good thing. If the customers like it, as is, keep it that way. I would personally prefer to pay a little extra rather than have the recipe changed to lower the price. As far as making it easier to cover the whole sandwich... maybe buy larger rounds and slice them sideways?

Anyway, your sandwich sounds delicious!

[Peter the eater]

Sounds like you do have a good thing going, maybe keep it - but add to the menu a similar sandwich with a stronger cheese or lesser mayo?

I had a bison/camembert/mayo sandwich months ago that I still remember.

[Qwerty]

You can also try whipping it to make it more spreadable...also you can cut it with a very mild cheese, like ricotta or even cream cheese. Just be careful not to overwhelm the brie.

[Dr. Teeth]

Smaller slices of bread?

[Rebecca263]

What I'm hearing is that you're having a bit of difficulty swallowing the cost of your delicious creation. There are only 2 ways to go, a smaller sandwich or a higher price. It is what it is- hopefully ALL of the food you serve 'rocks it', and, let's face it, we don't charge by the flavor, we charge by the cost, whether it's labor, location or product. Here, it's product. Go for it! It's YOUR costly sandwich and it's a delicious costly sandwich, it will still sell.

edited to add: Have we ever wondered, what, exactly is this 'it' that the sandwich is rocking?: I'm getting dizzy thinking about a sandwich rocking a baby to sleep or some silly thing like that!

Edited June 12, 2008 by Rebecca263 (log)

[chezcherie]

my suggestion is to really chill it--i hesitate to suggest freezing, until you can grate it. flavor is still there, but goes farther.

[pounce]

however with the price of cheese its just damn expensive

←

How much? Maybe there is still an opportunity to cut your cheese costs.

[Fat Guy]

Most of the Brie available in the US is not very good, so whatever it is about the sandwich that rocks it's probably not specifically the amazing, complex flavor of AOC Brie. The cheese is probably contributing creaminess for the most part.

So . . . why not play around with some Brie alternatives that may be cheaper per pound? There are several Brie knockoffs from Canada and the US, as well as various non-Brie soft European cheeses that might cost less per pound.

Or you might be able to find a cheaper source of Brie than whatever you're using. Most generic Brie is equally bland so switching shouldn't make a huge difference. President Brie is pretty cheap.

[maggiethecat]

I agree with Steven -- President is OK. If there's a Trader Joe's near you, check out the Brie there.

[CaliPoutine]

Most of the Brie available in the US is not very good, so whatever it is about the sandwich that rocks it's probably not specifically the amazing, complex flavor of AOC Brie. The cheese is probably contributing creaminess for the most part.

So . . . why not play around with some Brie alternatives that may be cheaper per pound? There are several Brie knockoffs from Canada and the US, as well as various non-Brie soft European cheeses that might cost less per pound.

Or you might be able to find a cheaper source of Brie than whatever you're using. Most generic Brie is equally bland so switching shouldn't make a huge difference. President Brie is pretty cheap.

←

I used the President for a Spinach, Strawberry, and Brie salad I made for a catering job. I got the Brie for 3.59 for a 15oz package( 40% off because it was expiring w/in a day but it was still good). I bought 2 packages, but ended up using only one. I did cut the rind off, because I hate it. I'd think you'd be able to get about 10 servings at least from one package of that. What about making a panini w the sandwich. When you melt it, it usually looks like you're getting more.

[Mr. Delicious]

I blended it with butter and wow does it spread easily, the taste is not lost either. Thanks for the suggestion!

[ermintrude]

Have you thought about just aging the brie, most stuff has been chilled and has no taste, leaving the brie out for a few days at a cool temperature can do wonders - don't know if that with work with the food inspectors where you are, but perhaps a small fridge set to a higher than normal temp could work. Ok you get a few days before you can use the brie but the taste of a ripe brie means you can use less.

Don't spoil a good thing, up the price or reduce the size. If you think that price would be a killer then see what happens if introduce another lower priced version "with brie butter or mayonaise" and see what the customer goes for.

If you weren't in the USA you could use 1 teaspoon (or drop) of ripe Epoise per pound of butter or mayonnaise ;-)

Edited June 16, 2008 by ermintrude (log)