Author Topic: Washed Curd #3  (Read 1714 times)

Offline Tiarella

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Washed Curd #3
« on: February 23, 2013, 09:43:56 PM »
I'm not going to go into detail to the degree of temps, pH (don't have a meter anyway), exact timing, etc. but suffice it to say it was a same temp washed curd made with Gianaclis Caldwell's book.  I used Kazu and  LBC80.  Double strength vegetable rennet.  2 1/2 gallons of Raw goat milk from my Dwarf Nigerian goats.  Make was 11/21/2012  it got aged 3 months. 

I mixed a bottle of Berkshire Brewing Lost Sailor Pale Ale in with the wash water and also added some beet juice, hoping to coat each curd with a pink tint that would make some lovely marbling when cut much later.  I brined it in brine tinted with yellow onion skins and that gave it a nice golden yellow color which did not last because I went with a schmear method of affinage which was wonderful at keeping all molds off the cheese but did attract some lovely but stinky B. linens.

 The schmear stage had the cheese at a lovely peachy color which eventually it lost when I got concerned that the stink would overtake the house and gave the rind a couple of washings.  The washing did damage some of the rind casing in places but I think made it more edible.  I'm still looking to learn some more steering techniques on rind development. 

The stars were in alignment for cheese tasting the other night,   ;)  at least I think so since several other members reported on cheeses the same night.  I like the taste.  The salt level is pleasing, the texture is nice....creamy, comfortable within the mouth, the flavor is nice.....okay, I know "nice" is NO help in helping you understand but it was 2 nights ago that I tasted it and I honestly don't remember.   :-[  Okay, okay, I'll stop writing and go taste some and report back.......   

Okay, I'm back....licking my chops.  The taste is fairly strong but nice to me.  I think i'd rather less B. linens flavor....my taste included the rind on purpose and it's rather strong even though it got washed back a few times.  I'll share some with my friend's NYC cheese connoisseurs and see what they think.  Now, this next comment won't help but I'll make it anyway......it tastes like cheese I've paid money for before I started making my own.  There, don't say I didn't warn you!   ;D

The last photo shows clearly how moist the paste is.  In one of two of the other photos it looks almost like a cheddar in flakiness but that is an illusion brought about by a dull knife.   ::)

Hope you enjoy the photos.  Sure wish the beet juice marbling had stayed visible.  I was so psyched to see what it looked like and was disappointed that it all came to naught!  I'm going to count this mostly as a success.  Half is vacuum packed and back in wine cellar for more aging.

What I would love to hear from others is ideas on how to minimize the flavor and stink of the B. linens.  Any other sharings about washed curds welcome.   ^-^

Offline Boofer

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Re: Washed Curd #3
« Reply #1 on: February 25, 2013, 02:54:45 PM »
Mmmm, looks to be quite tasty.

Actually, it looks like a couple of cheeses I have made in the past. Your paste looks like it could be a little over-acidified.

I have had a few cheeses where the linens were rather over-the-top and overbearing. Here is one solution. My wife doesn't care for most of the cheese rinds she encounters and she slices them off. If the linens is overblown, I too slice it off so that I can enjoy the pristine paste without distraction.

I have been using PLA quite a bit and trying to balance the linens with geo. I'm pretty happy for the most part with how that culture mix blocks an all-out unilateral assault by any one of the four components (with proper conditions, of course).  I've attached a pic with my latest Beaufort (#6) showing some of this control.

Under cool running tap water, I've washed quite a few of my washed rind cheeses. After the linens has performed its feat of magic, it's time for the linens to exit...stage left. :)

-Boofer-
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Re: Washed Curd #3
« Reply #2 on: February 25, 2013, 05:18:24 PM »
Boofer, you haven't experienced any adverse affect by washing the rind over the sink with tap water?

Offline Boofer

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Re: Washed Curd #3
« Reply #3 on: February 26, 2013, 02:20:13 PM »
Boofer, you haven't experienced any adverse affect by washing the rind over the sink with tap water?
No, Chris, the drain works fine...no clogging. ;)

Some recipes call for a B. linens rind treatment, but then call for removal of the linens under running water. As an example, check the attached document for Port Salut - Saint Paulin cheese. Right after Ripening, it calls for Brushing.

Of course, you then immediately dry the cheese well and return it to the minicave (ripening box) and pop that back into the cave to continue Ripening.

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Re: Washed Curd #3
« Reply #4 on: February 26, 2013, 06:40:08 PM »
No, Chris, the drain works fine...no clogging. ;)

Thanks Boofer... noted ;D