Let me share my amazing Pickled Brie Cheese recipe, inspired by the famous Czech cheese called Hermelín. This delightful cold cuisine appetizer involves layering creamy cheese with garlic, paprika, and onion, then soaking it in a rich pickling oil made with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, fresh rosemary, and spices. It is the perfect make-ahead dish that needs just a bit of resting time in the refrigerator to fully develop its deep, savory flavors.
Tom the Chef Founder
Let’s talk about important parts of the recipe before you start…
I am so excited to share my Pickled Brie Cheese recipe with you all today. As a chef who loves cold cuisine, I have always been fascinated by traditional European appetizers, especially the famous Czech cheese called Hermelín. The original Hermelín was created in the Czech Republic as a fantastic alternative to popular white mold cheeses, and my version captures that incredible essence. I have developed this recipe to bring those authentic flavors straight into your kitchen. By carefully preparing the cheese with grated garlic, a touch of paprika, and fresh onion, and then immersing it in a beautifully spiced pickling oil featuring Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Fresno chiles, I create an appetizer that is truly unforgettable. It takes a little patience to let it rest, but I promise the results are well worth the wait. Let’s dive into making this wonderful marinated cheese!
The first critical step in my Pickled Brie Cheese recipe involves getting the cheese ready to absorb all the wonderful flavors. I start by taking two pieces of cheese, each weighing about seven to eight ounces, and carefully cutting them horizontally to create four halves in total. If you cannot find the standard size, as a modification that is not part of the base recipe, you could use a larger sixteen-ounce piece or substitute it with Camembert, but you would just need to adjust your cuts accordingly. Once I have my halves, I use a handy silicone brush to evenly distribute grated garlic over the cut sides. I then sprinkle a pinch of salt, black pepper, and ground paprika onto each. This ensures that the beautiful garlic and paprika flavors penetrate deep into the center of our cold cuisine dish, rather than just sitting on the outside.
After seasoning the halves, I move on to building the flavorful core of my Pickled Brie Cheese. I take a large, peeled, and sliced onion—I usually prefer a red onion or a combination of red and yellow, though any onion will do—and I place a generous layer about half an inch thick onto two of the cheese halves. Then, I take the remaining two halves that do not have any onion on them and place them on top, creating what I like to call a cheese sandwich. This specific technique is essential because it traps the sharp, fresh bite of the onion right against the seasoned garlic and paprika center. As it sits, the juices from the onion will meld with the cheese, recreating the authentic taste you would expect from a classic Hermelín preparation.
One of the most practical tricks I use when making this Pickled Brie Cheese is the strategic placement of toothpicks. Before I even attempt to cut my newly formed cheese and onion sandwiches into smaller portions, I carefully insert four toothpicks into each one. Only after securing them do I take my chef’s knife and cut the sandwiches into even quarters, giving me eight neat triangles in total. I do this to greatly simplify handling the cheese later on; otherwise, the slippery layers might slide apart when submerged in the pickling oil. I always remind my guests and readers to be extremely careful not to hurt themselves with the sharp part of the toothpick during any time of the preparation or when serving this delicious appetizer.
The true magic of my Pickled Brie Cheese lies in the liquid it rests in, which I refer to as the pickling oil. In a medium mixing bowl, I pour one cup of basic oil, like canola or sunflower, and combine it with one cup of rich Extra Virgin Olive Oil. To build an incredible flavor profile, I add four more cloves of grated garlic, two teaspoons of paprika, whole peppercorns, whole allspice, and a half teaspoon of salt. I take my piano whisk and stir this mixture thoroughly for about a minute until it is fully combined. Then, I gently stir in the leftover sliced onion, five fragrant bay leaves, and two sliced Fresno chiles. If you prefer less heat, a modification that is not part of the original recipe is to substitute the Fresno chiles with drained, pickled pepperoncini peppers. This spiced oil is what transforms the ordinary dairy into a spectacular marinated cheese.
Assembly is a very visual and satisfying process for me. I start by pouring about one-third of my spiced pickling oil, making sure to include an even amount of the vegetables, straight into the bottom of a regular pickling jar. Next, I carefully place four of the cheese triangles into that layer of oil, making sure the toothpicks are pointing straight up. For a stunning visual effect, I slide two whole fresh sprigs of rosemary down the sides so they touch the glass. I follow this with another third of the oil and vegetables, place the remaining four cheese triangles on top, and finish by pouring the last of the Extra Virgin Olive Oil mixture over everything. It is incredibly important that the cheese and vegetables are completely covered with oil; the only things that should peek above the surface are the tips of the toothpicks. If I need to, I just top it off with a little extra basic oil.
The hardest part of my Pickled Brie Cheese recipe is the waiting, but I assure you it is absolutely necessary. Once my jar is tightly closed with a lid, I place it in the refrigerator to rest. To let the complex flavors of the garlic, onion, and spices fully develop and permeate the cheese, I let it rest for at least one week, though two weeks is my absolute preference. This extended resting time allows the Hermelín inspired dish to achieve its signature soft, spreadable texture and robust, savory flavor profile. If you are in a massive rush, you can let it rest in your refrigerator for at least overnight, but giving it that full week truly elevates it into a masterpiece of cold cuisine.
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