Author Topic: Creamy Blueberry Delight  (Read 11902 times)

Offline Boofer

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Creamy Blueberry Delight
« on: August 05, 2012, 07:27:40 AM »
This cheese started out as a Not-Blue, but I decided that it really didn't belong in the blue category, so for want of a better place to stick it, I'm putting it here. It will probably be somewhat of a washed rind anyway. This should be a creamy cheese with a low white Geo rind covering to protect it. Hopefully the blueberries will behave and not rot or otherwise destroy the cheese from within. Never been here before so I don't have any idea what to expect. If I make it back, I'll bring you all souvenirs.  8)

This follows the same regimen as my Fourme d'Ambert #2. I left out the LM057 because I didn't need to create spaces for the blue to grow since there is no PR being used.

I had a few questions going into this make, but unfortunately did not get sufficient feedback to proceed confidently. So I made my best guesses. I did receive some advice post-make which could be applied if I decide to try this endeavor again. Like a lot of the stuff that I post, it is here to help me down the road, but I hope it may persuade or dissuade other folks to try it or skip it, respectively.

Sailor suggested that I might have a problem with the acidity of the berries and that I might soak some and take a pH reading. I did that. The berries were quite acidic. Now what does that do to the cheese paste? I figured it must throw everything out of alignment so I figured I should soak and leach some of the acid from the berries. Over several hours (and overnight) I changed distilled water half a dozen times. When I figured that I had done enough, the berries still measured quite acidic. I rolled the dice.

I followed the FdA recipe and when it was time to fill the mould with curds, I first put in berry-free curds in the bottom. Then I sprinkled curds & berries in one layer, lightly salted, layered again, salted lightly, layered again, salted...until all the curds & berries were exhausted. Then I placed the final top layer of berry-free curd in the mould and pressed down gently so that all of the curds and berries were in the mould. With each layer of curds and berries I gently pressed them into the mould to try to eliminate air pockets. I used one tablespoon of salt with the layered curds & berries, knowing that the cheese would be brined as well.

Here's what I'm working with:
1 gallon Dungeness Valley whole raw milk
2 gallons Twin Brook Creamery whole creamline milk
1 pint Dungeness Valley raw cream
6 cubes Kazu MC (LL, LC, LD, LH), melted
1/16 tsp Geo 13
1/32 tsp KL71
1/2 tsp CACL
1/32 tsp Renco dry calf rennet
4 oz Mariani dried wild blueberries

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Offline Boofer

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Re: Creamy Blueberry Delight
« Reply #1 on: August 05, 2012, 02:32:10 PM »
I removed the cheese from the whey-brine at 1:15AM. Knit looks good, even with the blueberries on the outside. I wish there was a way to have total white berry-free curd on the outside. To do that, the curds would have to be elastic and pliable to form a outer shell inside the mould, and then pack the curds & berries inside that shell. Not going to happen here.

I followed the same procedure in brining as I did for the FdA #2. For that cheese I then air-dried it for a couple days at room temperature. Yesterday the room temperature climbed to over 80F (No, I don't have AC.) so that doesn't seem like a great idea. Today is supposed to be more of the same. So, the cheese went into the cave (@52F) where it will be monitored and air-dried.

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Susie

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Re: Creamy Blueberry Delight
« Reply #2 on: August 05, 2012, 08:52:25 PM »
Thought of you today when I was at the store, eyeing a blueberry Stilton. I wondered how it was going. Looks nice! How long will you try to age this?
A cheese for being adventurous.  ;D

Offline H-K-J

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Re: Creamy Blueberry Delight
« Reply #3 on: August 05, 2012, 09:24:51 PM »
Not a big fan of fruit in my cheeses but this looks like an edible delight  :o
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Offline Boofer

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Re: Creamy Blueberry Delight
« Reply #4 on: August 05, 2012, 10:33:20 PM »
Thanks for the cheese, Susie. I expect this will be a young cheese. Then again, if I could make it viable for the holidays that would be a nice little addition for gifting.

You know, H-K-L, I'm not too crazy about the whole fruit in the cheese thing either, but the creamy paste from my FdA gave me the idea that a Blueberries & Cream cheese (now there's another great idea!  ;)) would be both unusual and very tasty as either a breakfast snack or an after-dinner dessert. We'll see if it works out at all.

Holding my breath...and fingers crossed.

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opalcab

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Re: Creamy Blueberry Delight
« Reply #5 on: August 07, 2012, 06:01:25 PM »
I did a blueberry stilton,apricot crystal ginger and cranberry I add cinnamon to all Stilons, All Cheses were air dried in my cheese cave I did get some small amout of blue cheese mold on them from the cave but the cheese turned out great. The blueberry with cinnamon is almost like blueberry pie, I have not Tried the other cheese yet

Offline Boofer

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Re: Creamy Blueberry Delight
« Reply #6 on: August 07, 2012, 07:32:32 PM »
The blueberry with cinnamon is almost like blueberry pie,
Well that's encouraging.  :)

How did you handle the blueberries? Were they dried, dried & rehydrated, fresh? Sailor had added some bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) to sweeten them and reduce the acidity. Did you do anything like that?

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opalcab

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Re: Creamy Blueberry Delight
« Reply #7 on: August 09, 2012, 09:35:20 PM »
The Blueberry Stilton Was Really good But I just Tried the Cranberry Cinnamon and It Was even BETTER!
Steamed the blueberries and cranberrys back to nice and plump, lightly steamed the apricot but it seamed a little DRY
My Cheeses turned out more like a drier blue not real creamy like a Cambazoloa that I made with 4qts of cream to 2 gals of milk now that was awesome it melted in your hands and the texture was like butter with a mild blue cheese flavor
It was a happy exeperment

Offline Boofer

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Re: Creamy Blueberry Delight
« Reply #8 on: August 09, 2012, 10:18:47 PM »
Steamed the blueberries and cranberrys back to nice and plump
Okay, just dried & rehydrated it is. I feel even better with my experiment then.

Sounds like your Cambozola turned out nearer to a triple cream (creme).

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bbracken677

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Re: Creamy Blueberry Delight
« Reply #9 on: August 09, 2012, 10:39:37 PM »
My wife loves blueberries with a passion...I may have to try this recipe : )

Is it recommended to just use dehydrated berries? Or will fresh ones work?

Offline Boofer

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Re: Creamy Blueberry Delight
« Reply #10 on: August 09, 2012, 11:14:20 PM »
Unfortunately, I don't have the knowledge or experience to answer that. AFAIK there aren't a lot of threads on ANY fruit-laced cheeses on the forum. Maybe a handful. Opalcab's Stilton was done with dried berries. Sailor's Stilton was done with dried berries, if memory serves me. My make (NOT a Stilton) was done with dried berries. I'd have to say that dried berries would be favored. I think the fresh berries would bring too much moisture into play, might contribute unexpected/unwanted critters, and perhaps contribute more to a fermentative state inside the paste.

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linuxboy

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Re: Creamy Blueberry Delight
« Reply #11 on: August 09, 2012, 11:18:50 PM »
Quote
Or will fresh ones work?
Not unless you can figure out some way to encapsulate each berry and prevent it from participating in the aging process. So, no. You need to match the moisture content of the cheese, or be a little below that and let them hydrate during aging.

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Re: Creamy Blueberry Delight
« Reply #12 on: August 12, 2012, 10:25:23 PM »
The cheese is showing a little Geo now. The blueberries on the rind are compressed into the cheese cylinder and do not appear to be in danger of popping out and creating a divit. Overall, the cheese is starting to squat just a little. There isn't much  room between the cheese and the walls of its vertical minicave. In another week I expect some shelf space to open up when I wrap Reb #4 in the cheese paper and move it out of the cave. Then I'll be able to move this cheese into a larger minicave so crowding isn't a potential problem. The vertical minicave does create a more humid environment though and that's a plus.

The cheese smells great right now. It is firm but yields to slight squeezing pressure when handled during washing.

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Offline Boofer

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Re: Creamy Blueberry Delight
« Reply #13 on: August 17, 2012, 02:55:34 PM »
Today when I took the cheese out to brine-wash it, I observed that the cheese had settled/swelled so that it touched the walls of the minicave. Not good.  :( But also something I rather expected in due time.

Fortunately I had been able to locate a suitable new minicave recently and I pressed it into service. Now the Delight has lots of room to relax and do its thing.

The Geo & KL71 are going great now. They are stretching across the berries embedded in the rind. If I identify the rind environment now correctly, I will say that the "mocasse" is very apparent.

So far...so good.  8)

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Offline Boofer

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Re: Creamy Blueberry Delight
« Reply #14 on: August 19, 2012, 03:13:22 PM »
Wow, I washed this two days ago and today there is an aggressive Geo growth in play. Lots of condensation in the new ripening box (my "minicave"). Although the cylinder is firm it is also very pliable. I have to handle it gently to avoid making divits in the rind. The rind isn't a hard rind either...it's very similar texturally to what I imagine the inner paste would be. The blueberries in the rind cannot resist...they are being assimilated as the Borg Geo makes them part of the Collective rind.

Oh, and did I mention that it smells wonderful? Oh yeah!  8)

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Let's ferment something!
Bread, beer, wine, cheese...it's all good.