Author Topic: First Camembert: triple cream  (Read 16598 times)

bbracken677

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Re: First Camembert: triple cream
« Reply #45 on: August 30, 2012, 08:30:24 PM »
Am thinking perhaps a couple of weeks....they are softening up, but the cams are pretty thick...a bit thicker than traditional. I am also not sure how much softer they would be at room temp..

I can't wait!!!   lol

Cheese party! 

iratherfly

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Re: First Camembert: triple cream
« Reply #46 on: August 31, 2012, 02:03:14 AM »
They will probably come of age around day 28.  Many people like the center is still a bit chalky and not all the way (but not too young). It's definitely okay to have them before time.

bbracken677

  • Guest
Re: First Camembert: triple cream
« Reply #47 on: September 01, 2012, 02:34:05 PM »
Today, performing my daily maintenance (which seems awfully close to just fondling the cheese  haha) I checked the one I had wrapped and it was actually further along in development than the 2 I had left unwrapped. It is actually just days away from being ready, whereas the other 2 are probably a week to 2 weeks away.

Therefor I have wrapped the other 2 as well. My methodology was to cut parchment paper to the appropriate size and then, with a pointy knife, poked holes in the parchment approximately 3/4 inch apart throughout the sheet. I would then wrap the cam in poked parchment and then give it a 2nd wrap on the outside with wax paper. That gives the cheese a chance to breathe as well as maintain a micro-environment for it.

Also opened up some space in the cave, since I could put those in the door   :)

iratherfly

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Re: First Camembert: triple cream
« Reply #48 on: September 03, 2012, 10:05:21 PM »
If all 3 are in fairly humid conditions (90% RH +/- 5%) than the one that is wrapped may just be ammoniating faster toward the outside rather than aging evenly (which means it would be oozing towards the rind but harder/chalkier/sour towards the center of the wheel).  I would continue with the experiment and not wrap the other two. It may give you more time until you open them which is a good thing because you won't be under pressure to consume all 3 wheels at once before they spoil.

I am also not sure that this is a good wrapping solution. Perforations need to work from the outside in. The cheese needs to take in air without drying out or suffocating the rind. The wrapping on Camemberts is the final step as they are packed in a breathing wood/cardboard box and sent away to the markets. In some cases they sit in a fridge for a couple of weeks first or as they are trucked and flown from place to place so it is there to keep them alive, moist and breathing. Not as an aging helper. I only wrap mine if they are done aging (to slow them down. I then also transfer them to cold 37°F to halt any further aging without freezing them). When I do, I always use purpose made micro-perforated wrapping paper. These are very sophisticated and they create an air barrier around the cheese that mimics cave conditions on a microscopic level.  PM me if you want me to send you a couple of samples so you can play with them and see how well they work

bbracken677

  • Guest
Re: First Camembert: triple cream
« Reply #49 on: September 03, 2012, 10:15:02 PM »
I see....

The other 2 were in 41F and 85% RH conditions. It's possible the wrapping did increase humidity, and I had placed it in a lower place in the cave, so possibly a couple degrees warmer as well.

I didn't catch a whiff of ammonia at all...but good suggestion, I will return the 2 wrapped yesterday to an "unwrapped" condition to resume the experiment.

I am really excited about their progress...I went to a cheese shop yesterday and surreptitiously fondled (LOL) their camemberts and brie's to get a comparison and from what I could tell the wrapped one is very close...just a few more days likely. The other 2 are a few more days out from that..maybe 10 days at most?

iratherfly

  • Guest
Re: First Camembert: triple cream
« Reply #50 on: September 04, 2012, 05:25:46 AM »
You can raise the humidity back to 90%92% on the other ones.

Lower shelf should be a couple of degrees colder, is it not?

You should make some more! Continue the experiments!

Here's a good video for you by famous cheese monger Steven Jenkins:
How to Choose Camembert - CHOW Tip

bbracken677

  • Guest
Re: First Camembert: triple cream
« Reply #51 on: September 04, 2012, 01:13:09 PM »
Actually...the way the fridge is designed, the upper parts are colder than the lower...so I put my cooler requiring agers on the upper shelves grading towards the more warmth needing ones at the bottom.  Hence, the taleggio and cams are at the top, and the colby and butterkase are on the bottom.

Thanks for the video!  I may have some questions for you about that. Will post after I have digested the video...still early for me  :)

bbracken677

  • Guest
Re: First Camembert: triple cream
« Reply #52 on: September 04, 2012, 02:03:26 PM »
Here is a pic of my most developed Cam....I checked for an ammonia smell when I unwrapped it and did catch just a hint, but I had to get really close to the cam to smell it.

I am seriously thinking about cutting it in 2 or 3 days...it is becoming softer, not quite to the point of being perfectly ripe (as defined by the video above) but very close!

The wrinkles showing on the top are from the wrapping..mainly in the growth, not in the cheese itself. Once I rubbed the growth down, it was a bit smoother.


Offline Boofer

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Re: First Camembert: triple cream
« Reply #53 on: September 04, 2012, 02:17:58 PM »
Looks great! No, I can't smell any ammonia from back here either.  ;)

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

JeffHamm

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Re: First Camembert: triple cream
« Reply #54 on: September 04, 2012, 06:19:56 PM »
That looks very nice.  I wouldn't stretch it beyond the point you think it's ready.  Take careful observations (and write down your thoughts) about how the cheese looks, feels, and smells and write down how ready you think it is.  Then, after enjoying it, write down your impressions of how ready it really was.  Do this for a few cams as a way of keeping track of your sensory thoughts and their accuracy.  This will help guide your interpretations of what the sights, feels, and smells are telling you with respect to your inner cheese. 

- Jeff

bbracken677

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Re: First Camembert: triple cream
« Reply #55 on: September 04, 2012, 08:32:40 PM »
Trust me...lol .... I would be more likely to cut into it early than late. I am writing down my "perceptions" of the condition of the cheeses, so that when I go to repeat the process (with changes) I will know what to change, what to look out for etc etc.
I think keeping a log is the best, most important thing I have learned from this website. My memory isnt good enough to remember all the nuances!

They say that the memory isnt the first thing to go...but I wouldnt know...I dont remember what was the first thing to go!    haha

bbracken677

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Re: First Camembert: triple cream
« Reply #56 on: September 10, 2012, 03:07:38 PM »
Well...I cut my first cam, and it definitely needs more ripening. I tasted it, and the flavor was musty, but the aftertaste that lingered became quite pleasant. It was a creamy-buttery almost sweetish aftertaste, so I think I am going in the right direction. I figure I will let the remaining 2 age another couple weeks. There was only about a quarter inch at most of ripe paste just inside the rind...the center was a moist chalky sort of texture.

JeffHamm

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Re: First Camembert: triple cream
« Reply #57 on: September 10, 2012, 06:21:32 PM »
Hi,

I can see the ripened edges and the chalky centre.  Still, it's comming along nicely.  Take a few measurements (i.e. depth of ripened cheese from the edge), and write these down.  Make a chart, and each time you cut a cheese, measure how deep the ripening goes.  Plot "depth" as a function of various times (time since make, time since first mold, time since full coverage, time since wrapping, etc).  If you do this over a few batches, you may work out roughly how long it takes your cheeses in your environment to reach full ripeness!  And, it gives you an excuse to make a lot of cheese. :)

Well done.

- Jeff

bbracken677

  • Guest
Re: First Camembert: triple cream
« Reply #58 on: September 10, 2012, 06:53:35 PM »
And, it gives you an excuse to make a lot of cheese. :)

Well done.

- Jeff

Thanks!  Great idea! I do plan on coming back to the Camemberts eventually... and yes, it gives me an excuse to make more!  (all in the interest of science, no?)   haha

boothrf

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Re: First Camembert: triple cream
« Reply #59 on: September 10, 2012, 10:04:34 PM »
Very nice looking Cam bbracken! Definitely needs a little more time. At 4 weeks, this cheese tells you the moisture at hooping was good and the ripening conditions also very good. Keep it going, and keep a close eye (and hand!) on it. I have found it can be quite tricky getting it to ripen right to the center without getting over ripe on the outside and just under the rind.  Well done!  :D

By the way, if you want, you can push these two halves back together and let the PC grow over the join. It wont ripen quite as well as the uncut cheeses, but is worth a try if you don't want to eat an unripe cheese.