Brother, say cheese! (4)

I believe the answer is:

brie

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'cheese' is the definition.
(Brie is an example)

'brother say' is the wordplay.
'brother' becomes 'br' (abbreviation in titles of monks).
'say' becomes 'ie' (I can't explain this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'br'+'ie'='BRIE'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for brie that I've seen before include "cheese-producing region" , "French 8 across" , "dairy product" , "French cream cheese" , "Bergamot-flavoured tea" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Times.

Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app