Author Topic: Walliser Raclette - Another Cheese for you  (Read 6769 times)

Alpkäserei

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Walliser Raclette - Another Cheese for you
« on: March 21, 2013, 10:13:17 PM »
Many are familiar with Raclette, a washed curd type cheese produced in the Swiss Alps. A certain variety of Raclette is produced only in the mountains of the Canton Valais (or Wallis in German) and it is one of Switzerland's 11 AOC-protected cheeses (note that Appenzeller is not AOC protected)

One difference here between Walliser Raclette and other cheeses is that the added water is not hotter than the curd, but that the whole cheese is then heated to the final cooking temperature. This follows methods similar to the production of Emmentaler AOC, the difference being the lack of PS.

Here is a basic recipe, later I'll adapt a small recipe with amounts if wanted.

Use standard Alpine thermo cultures, TA and LH types.

After the cultures have been added, the milk should be slowly heated to 32 C and allowed to ripen another 15 minutes past this point.
Rennet is added, and it should coagulate for 35 minutes
The curd is then cut over a period of 10 minutes and stirred over a period of 15 minutes. Curds are the size of a grain of corn
10% water is then added to the cheese at a temperature of 32 C. Note that whey is not removed, and the water is not hot.
The curd is then heated over 20 to 25 minutes up to 40 C.

Then remove to press, pressing for at least 6 hours.

This cheese is ripened at least 2 months

shotski

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Re: Walliser Raclette - Another Cheese for you
« Reply #1 on: March 21, 2013, 10:29:08 PM »
Thanks for posting the recipe Alpkäserei. What would be the closest cheese to Raclette that I  recognize? Thanks

Offline Al Lewis

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Re: Walliser Raclette - Another Cheese for you
« Reply #2 on: March 21, 2013, 11:49:09 PM »
Thanks again Alp.  I bought the wife a Raclette a couple of years ago but she's never used it.  Now I can make a cheese to christen it with.  ;D
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shotski

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Re: Walliser Raclette - Another Cheese for you
« Reply #3 on: March 21, 2013, 11:50:34 PM »
Thanks for posting the recipe Alpkäserei. What would be the closest cheese to Raclette that I  recognize? Thanks

I googled it and found what I was looking for . Thanks

Alpkäserei

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Re: Walliser Raclette - Another Cheese for you
« Reply #4 on: March 22, 2013, 12:10:08 AM »
An easier way to make Raclette is to add hot (say 45 to 50 c) water, replacing some of the whey, and not reheating to cook the curd. Like you would do most washed curd types. But it won't be quite the same.


As far as recipes go, this would be close to a traditional Swiss Emmentaler, but not flavor wise.

As for flavor, hard to say. Similar to something like a gruyere or Appenzeller type.

Offline NimbinValley

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Re: Walliser Raclette - Another Cheese for you
« Reply #5 on: March 22, 2013, 12:24:49 AM »
Alp how much rennet (200IMCU) are you adding per 100L of milk? 

Thanks.

NV.

Alpkäserei

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Re: Walliser Raclette - Another Cheese for you
« Reply #6 on: March 22, 2013, 12:34:46 AM »
one thing I have says 13 to 16 ml per 100 liter milk, which is more than we use for Alpkäse -1 ml per every dl milk (which would be 10 ml per 100  L)

The strength I am not sure of. Rennets we use here in the states are measured differently and I know their ratios in teaspoons per gallon, etc.

Alpkäserei

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Re: Walliser Raclette - Another Cheese for you
« Reply #8 on: March 28, 2013, 06:46:24 PM »

elkato

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Re: Walliser Raclette - Another Cheese for you
« Reply #9 on: April 06, 2013, 03:39:28 AM »
Thank you for the recipe
It says RA 401 for culture. would MA4001 work?
I have the same recipe but in french (my french is not that good) that is why I used MA4001, removed 10% whey and replaced with 32c water before heating the curds to 40c
The cheese is in the cave I wonder how it will turn out?

Offline NimbinValley

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Re: Walliser Raclette - Another Cheese for you
« Reply #10 on: April 07, 2013, 10:01:18 PM »
I think the only difference between MA 400 and RA is that the MA has a thermophile (S.thermophilus) in the mix.  Not sure about the acidification curves for each - if they are the same or similar there shouldn't be much difference.

NV.

elkato

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Re: Walliser Raclette - Another Cheese for you
« Reply #11 on: April 09, 2013, 02:23:30 AM »
Actually the manufacturer of the culture is Agroscope a Swiss company that provides the AOC cheese makers
here is a fragment of the text that describes this culture.

"Culture mixte liquide, composé à 50 % de culture thermophile (mélange non défini de lactobacilles et de streptocoques, isolé d'une culture de petit-lait) et de 50 % de lactocoques mésophiles. Aspect: liquide visqueux (év. séparation des phases) légèrement brunâtre avec une odeur et un goût frais et acide.
Composition
eau, poudre de lait maigre Bio

Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. lactis
Streptococcus thermophilus
Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis

env. 108 ufc/ml (pas de critère de contrôle)Pour la fabrication de culture acidifiante. Utilisée principalement pour les fromages à pâte mi-dure au lait cru (raclette), fromage d'alpage, fromage de montagne et Emmental."


here is the website
http://www.agroscope.admin.ch/kulturen/index.html?lang=fr

Here is a link to the same booklet given by the Swiss government to the AOC Raclette and tomme makers in the Swiss region of Valais.

http://www.vs.ch/NavigData/DS_68/M29692/fr/Fabrication_fromage_à_raclette_valaisan_AOC.pdf

It also describes the recipe for tomme using the same meso/thermo mix culture.

Offline Boofer

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Re: Walliser Raclette - Another Cheese for you
« Reply #12 on: April 09, 2013, 01:46:33 PM »
Your link for the booklet was broken.

Here is the corrected link: :)

http://www.vs.ch/NavigData/DS_68/M29692/fr/Fabrication_fromage_à_raclette_valaisan_AOC.pdf

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Alpkäserei

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Re: Walliser Raclette - Another Cheese for you
« Reply #13 on: April 18, 2013, 07:04:24 PM »
The cultures used are basically the same blend as is used for most of the Alpine type aoc cheeses.
The culture itself is passed on through the whey, and the starter powder is never added directly to the milk, but first incubated into a yogurt-like culture.

The proper procedure, as I learned it, is to make this yogurt culture and add it to the milk, holding over a portion of it. Then the whey from the first cheese is held over and reinforced with a little of the yogurt culture, this is repeated 2 or 3 times, and from that point on the culture can be maintained strictly from the whey. I like to take 2 whey cultures, and incubate them at different temperatures, then combining them together to inoculate the cheese.

To mimic the culture without the original Agroscope powder, you can use anything that contains Streptococcus Thermophilus and any variety of Lactobacillus

Flound

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Re: Walliser Raclette - Another Cheese for you
« Reply #14 on: March 28, 2014, 08:53:28 PM »
Okay, this is one cheese I seriously want to make.

As a former manager of a Swiss Wine Bar in Lake Louise, aptly named the Walliser Stube, I've had a long love affair with serving and eating Swiss cheeses.

To this day, a cheese fondue of Gruyere, Swiss and Emmenthal with Fendant, Kirschwasser, garlic and cracked black pepper makes dinner guests rave. And yes, I'd love to use my own cheeses to kick it up a notch.

However, Raclette was always my favourite and honestly, as soon as I started drifting towards making my own cheeses, I knew this puppy was big on my list.

If a small amount recipe is kicking around (12L/3gallon), I'm all eyes and ears.