The short version
A soft cheese with extra cream added to the milk before it's made — legally at least 75% butterfat in the dry matter. It tastes like salted whipped butter with a bloomy rind. Serve less than you think, and always with something sharp beside it.
What it is
Double-crème starts at 60% butterfat; triple-crème at 75%. The cream goes in before culturing, so the fat is part of the paste rather than a coating. Most wear a white bloomy rind like brie, but the paste beneath is denser, whiter and far richer. Brillat-Savarin, Saint-André, Delice de Bourgogne and Pierre Robert are the names to know.
- Taste
- buttery, tangy, faintly salty, almost sweet
- Texture
- dense, silky, spoonable at room temperature
- Look
- bright white paste, thick and even, under a white rind
Saturation is the mechanism. Fat coats the tongue and stays there, which is what makes triple-crème feel luxurious for two bites and heavy by the fourth. Every good pairing here is doing the same job — stripping that coating off so the next bite lands as clearly as the first.
What it pairs with — and why
| Pair it with | Why it works |
|---|---|
| Champagne or dry sparkling wine | Bubbles and acid physically scrub fat off the palate. The classic pairing and not a coincidence. |
| Tart berries — raspberry, blackberry | Sharp fruit acid against saturated fat. The most effective contrast available. |
| Water crackers | Lean, dry, no fat of their own. A butter cracker here is fat on fat. |
| Brioche toast points | The opposite approach — match the richness instead of cutting it. Reserve for a small, formal board. |
| Cornichons and pickled things | Straight vinegar as a palate reset between bites. |
| Honey and fig jam | Sweetness balances the salt, though it makes an already-rich bite richer. |
| Marcona almonds | Salt and crunch, and something to break the texture. |
Skip it with: butter crackers and other rich bases, and cured meats — fat on fat with salt on top, and by the second bite nobody can taste anything. Also skip serving two triple-crèmes on one board.
How to prep it for the board
1. Temper 45 minutes. It should be spoonably soft, not chilled and firm. 2. Serve 1 oz per person — half what you'd serve of a firmer cheese. It's very rich and people take small amounts. 3. Cut wedges from the center out, and expect the paste to slump. That's correct. 4. Put something acidic within arm's reach — berries, cornichons, a sharp jam. This is the pairing that makes the cheese work. 5. Give it a spreading knife, not a hard cheese blade. It spreads more than it slices. 6. Place it at the mild end of the board, away from blue and washed-rind cheeses. 7. Fix: if it's weeping liquid at the cut face, it's fine — that's whey, not spoilage. Blot it and serve.
What to buy
| Product | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Delice de Bourgogne | Cheese counters, Whole Foods, Murray's | The crowd-pleaser. Rich, tangy, widely liked. Start here. |
| Brillat-Savarin | Cheese counters, specialty shops | The benchmark. Lemony and lighter than it should be for the fat content. |
| Saint-André | Grocery cheese case, Whole Foods | The easiest to find. Very rich, very mild. |
| Pierre Robert | Cheese counters | Aged longer, more savory. The connoisseur pick. |
| Fromager d'Affinois | Grocery cheese case | Technically double-crème, widely stocked, and excellent value. |
| Trader Joe's triple crème brie | Trader Joe's | Cheap entry point to the category. |
Label check: "triple crème" or "75%" on the label. Note the percentage is fat in dry matter, not total weight — the cheese isn't three-quarters fat by the scale.
Skip: buying a large format. This is a cheese people eat an ounce of. A small wedge from the counter beats a half-wheel that goes off.
Quick FAQ
What makes a cheese triple-crème? Extra cream added to the milk before culturing, bringing it to at least 75% butterfat in the dry matter.
Is it just very rich brie? Related but different. Brie gets its character from rind ripening; triple-crème gets it from added cream. Triple-crème is denser and less mushroomy.
How much per person? About 1 oz — half a normal cheese portion. It's extremely rich.
What wine goes with it? Champagne or any dry sparkling. Acid and bubbles are what make a second bite as good as the first.
Can you eat the rind? Yes, on the bloomy-rind versions. It's thinner and milder than brie's.