Author Topic: Crottin Piemontese  (Read 2421 times)

meyerandray

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Crottin Piemontese
« on: April 19, 2013, 02:01:32 PM »
I made my first attempt at Crottin de Chavignol, based on Jim Wallace's recipe on cheesemaking.com.  I could only get 3 liters of goat's milk so:

3 liters goat's milk, which I pasteurized

14:05  Brought milk to 25.1 celcius
pH 6.43
14:14  added a little less than 1/4 tsp Flora Danica and small pinch Geo
waited 5 minutes, stirred in well, then added 4 drops of rennet diluted in 3mL of water
stirred in well
14:23  Left to coagulate, temp was 24.2

Next day
9:50 temp 19.9 c pH 4.31
drained into cheesecloth, tied and hung up to drain
18:30 mixed curd and re-hung up to continue draining
22:00 put in forms and added 1/4 tsp salt per form (the recipe said to wait 2 hrs after putting in forms, before adding salt, but I was too tired

Next day
8:00 flipped cheeses added 1/4 tsp salt to each form
15:00  un-molded and put on rack to dry (pic 1 and 2)

I put them in the cave yesterday, after 2.5 days of drying at room temp, and when I picked them up, I could feel that the Geo was starting to bloom.
Today I went to turn them, and they feel like they are lightly covered with Geo, but the tactile feeling is like the camembert i just made.
(pic 3 and 4)
My question is whether or not these will turn into crottin?  Meaning, will they mature to develop a bumpy rind and rich paste in the center, or will they mature like a camembert, and become liquidy and stay this smoothish white?  My intention was to age these 21 days circa (from yesterday), but if I messed something up and they are going to age in the wrong direction, I would rather eat them now, especially because the curd fresh was delicious!! and also because I found someone who is finally ready to sell me some goat's milk on a consistent basis!!
I am really hoping to master these crottin, partly because they are my favorite cheese, and partly because my Dad grew up not too far from Chavignol, and he too LOVES crottin, and would be oh so proud if his daughter could make a good crottin-he is a tough critic.  Anyway, pointers, tips, comments please!!
Thanks, Celine
« Last Edit: April 22, 2013, 06:36:48 PM by meyerandray »

meyerandray

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Re: Crottin Piemontese
« Reply #1 on: April 22, 2013, 07:49:42 PM »
I cut open the first one tonight, only after a short 7 days in the cave, but I did find a consistant source for goat's milk, who sold me 10 liters tonight, so I justified my impatience with the fact that I can make more!!
The paste was exactly what I expected, it has a tangy, but not too tangy flavor.  It really tastes like the 8-10 day crottin that I buy.  It was primarily covered (well, completely and exclusively) in Geo, which I had innoculated in the milk.  I was hoping for that wormy yellow and white rind, but this was delicious just the same.  My first cheese that I am 100% please with, I have another 10 liters in the make as we speak!!
I am going to leave the other one to age for another 2 weeks, and can't wait to taste how it develops!!

kshathra

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Re: Crottin Piemontese
« Reply #2 on: May 06, 2013, 12:47:11 AM »
Nice looking cheese! I just put a crottin together yesterday but when I went to hang the curd I discovered I was out of cheese cloth. Had to spoon them directly into the moulds but I think they should be okay. My last attempt dried out too much to develop any geo coat so I'm hoping that I nail the moisture level this time. How was the well-aged cheese?

meyerandray

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Re: Crottin Piemontese
« Reply #3 on: May 07, 2013, 06:08:04 PM »
It was good, but a little pasty for some people's tastes, almost unanimously I was told that it was better after 8 days.  I like the "pasty" version, I find it very rich.  The flavor didn't seem to change much though, I was expecting it to develop a little bit more than it did. 
I do think that my PC contamination may have altered how the cheese aged and developed though.  I have totally sanitized every plastic container, inside and out, my fridge, my drying mats, even the thermometer/hygrometer that is in the fridge, so I am hoping to have eliminated any stray spores, and am hoping that my geo will grow on this batch (I have 10 liters slowly acidifying/coagulating as we speak).  I will let you know how it turns out.
I think if you have warmer temps in your drying area, and maybe the help of a fan, putting the curd directly into the forms shouldn't be a problem.  It may even allow for your cheese to not become "pasty" if you age it for 21 days, if you don't have too much moisture that is.  Let me know how it turns out!
Celine

kshathra

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Re: Crottin Piemontese
« Reply #4 on: May 21, 2013, 03:09:45 PM »
Just cut one of the crottin-likes the other day. This is probably my favorite cheese I've made so far. There is a bit of blue contamination due to a nearby Stilton-like, but the flavor is unaffected. Very creamy, tangy, and a bit of mineral-chalkiness from the geo. The salt level is a little high so next time I'll reduce it. Damn good overall! Did your geo grow on the new batch?