Author Topic: Boofer's Fancy  (Read 18346 times)

iratherfly

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Re: Boofer's Fancy
« Reply #15 on: October 07, 2012, 03:44:05 AM »
Yes, Rimon is a good one. All the other ones are just cocktails of mixed vodka and pomegranate juice. This one is a true pomegranate wine.

Offline Boofer

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Re: Boofer's Fancy
« Reply #16 on: October 22, 2012, 01:52:40 AM »
I decided after some consideration that today would be a good day to begin washing this cheese with liqueur. I had originally considered two Italian liqueurs which my wife and I have enjoyed over the years. I poured small samples of each of those this morning (before breakfast...hic!) and reconsidered. After tossing around a few other ideas, I decided why not try one of the four fruit liqueurs I fashioned this summer? The name of this cheese is "Fancy" and I really like raspberry, so that's the one I chose. Time will tell if it's an agreeable choice.

The cheese itself is very "poofy", indicating some trapped gas under the rind. Perhaps I should have used Holdbac to help reduce that hazard. :-\

I will try to repeat the wash regimen every third day for a month. This liqueur is relatively low in alcohol (17%), but the fruit character is very prominent.

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

iratherfly

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Re: Boofer's Fancy
« Reply #17 on: October 24, 2012, 03:23:24 AM »
She's a looker!

Offline Boofer

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Re: Boofer's Fancy
« Reply #18 on: October 24, 2012, 01:37:51 PM »
Today was washday again and the Geo is really persistent. I wondered if the liqueur wash would slow it down or kill it. Nope. It seems to like the whole affair.

Still curious about that poofiness though. The raw milk has a role in what's going on.  ;)

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

Offline Boofer

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Re: Boofer's Fancy
« Reply #19 on: October 30, 2012, 02:53:27 PM »
The rind is definitely taking on the raspberry color and it smells really nice at this point.

There is a creaminess as the linens and geo mix with the raspberry liqueur. I'm leaving it on wet to better absorb into the cheese. It does eventually dry and the geo/linens come on again.

There is still a little poofiness from generated gas.

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

Offline Tiarella

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Re: Boofer's Fancy
« Reply #20 on: October 30, 2012, 09:41:56 PM »
Beautiful rind!!  I'm envious and happy for you.  Is that side view photo an illustration of the battle of the bulge?  Does your cheese have a beer belly?    :D  Okay, now I want to try some sort of wash like you did.  I wonder what flavor to choose.  Does it need to be a sweet type liqueur?  how often did you do the wash?  And was the frequency mainly so you had an excuse to open the bottle?   ;)  My honey with leaves cheese got a coat of olive oil and I'm curious how that will turn out.  I wonder about washing with brandy on my drunken goat cheese.  I could imagine a goat starting with wine and then switching to brandy.  I think mine will eat almost anything that is obvious food.

Offline Boofer

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Re: Boofer's Fancy
« Reply #21 on: October 31, 2012, 04:46:44 AM »
No, not a beer belly. I like to think of it as voluptuous* cheesy curves.

My washing regimen is every third day. Last wash was Saturday...then again today...next is Friday. I don't need an excuse to open the bottle (watch it, george! :D). The two commercial liqueurs I was contemplating were pretty sweet. My raspberry has some sweetness, but also has a higher acidity level. I'm not sure, but I think that is preferable. So far, the geo & linens seem to live okay with it.

I've previously washed with Moscato and Vouvray. Epoisses is washed with brandy (marc de Bourgogne). Other cheeses are washed with Sauternes, pear mash, grape must, ale. Imagination, hope, and a sense of adventure are prerequisites in this pursuit.

* (vo·lup·tu·ous (v -l p ch - s). adj. 1. Giving, characterized by, or suggesting ample, unrestrained pleasure to the senses)

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

george

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Re: Boofer's Fancy
« Reply #22 on: October 31, 2012, 11:03:23 AM »
I don't need an excuse to open the bottle (watch it, george! :D).
  LOL.  I'm innocent, I tells ya!

Offline Boofer

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Re: Boofer's Fancy
« Reply #23 on: November 03, 2012, 06:05:47 AM »
The raspberry liqueur was still a little moist on the flat faces of the cheese. I'll have to try not to leave it so moist this time.

The raspberry color and aroma is very evident, as is the Geo that continues to rise above the washing. The gas bump is very prominent. I think it travels through the cheese when it's flipped, appearing on the opposite side. Still watching it. I'm afraid it will split the rind.

-Boofer-

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

Offline Boofer

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Re: Boofer's Fancy
« Reply #24 on: November 08, 2012, 03:33:39 PM »
Uh oh, starting to get a little extreme softness in the rind. I may have to back off on the raspberry liqueur wash. I've been doing it every three days and the Geo has been coming back between washes. This latest development may not be good.

The gas production also threatens the rind, pushing outward on it, making it more sensitive to the wash.  :-\

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

Offline Boofer

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Re: Boofer's Fancy
« Reply #25 on: November 18, 2012, 07:41:30 AM »
I stopped washing about a week ago. That helped to stabilize the rind so that it wasn't so sticky. It was threatening to pull off every time I lifted it from the netting that it rests on. Not a problem now and the rind seems pretty decent at this point. In another week or so I may have to trier it to see what the inside is doing. Very intriguing cheese at this point. Soft to the touch without being squishy.

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

Offline Tiarella

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Re: Boofer's Fancy
« Reply #26 on: November 18, 2012, 12:22:05 PM »
Boofer, the suspense is intolerable!  Will you choose a trier placement to possibly hit the gas bulge?  And did you ever try burping it?   I haven't tried a cheese like this and had forgotten (thanks to storms, readying for winter, etc.) until you posted about this one again.

Offline Boofer

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Re: Boofer's Fancy
« Reply #27 on: November 18, 2012, 09:30:52 PM »
Ah yes, the suspense.... :P

When I trier it, I imagine that there will be small pockets of gas throughout, so it probably won't matter. And, no, I wouldn't dare burp it. I'm handling it as little and as gingerly as I can. It's an amazingly plush cheese. Wonder what's "under the hood"?

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

Offline Tiarella

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Re: Boofer's Fancy
« Reply #28 on: November 19, 2012, 03:30:35 AM »
Ah yes, the suspense.... :P

When I trier it, I imagine that there will be small pockets of gas throughout, so it probably won't matter. And, no, I wouldn't dare burp it. I'm handling it as little and as gingerly as I can. It's an amazingly plush cheese. Wonder what's "under the hood"?

-Boofer-

Looks like a V8 under the hood at least!!

Offline Boofer

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Re: Boofer's Fancy
« Reply #29 on: December 01, 2012, 04:59:24 PM »
I decided to check the progress inside this cheese last Sunday. The rind was a little tough to pierce and once I extracted the core, the results were a little disappointing. What I withdrew from inside was moist but crumbly.

I concluded that the cheese would benefit from continued aging, so I patched up the hole as best I could and returned it to its minicave. The flat surfaces remain slightly moist/tacky. The PLA is still in play but not really developing the paste as I had expected.

Patience. A)  A little more ripening should produce the results I expect.

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