Author Topic: Caerphilly #1  (Read 1834 times)

Offline kdttocs

  • Medium Cheese
  • ***
  • Location: San Diego, CA
  • Posts: 38
  • Cheeses: 4
Caerphilly #1
« on: April 02, 2013, 08:22:19 PM »
New to hard cheeses, somewhat new to cheese (13 makes so far).

After reading other versions of this cheese, I'm curious about a couple things:
-I used Flora Danica versus general Meso
-My CaCL and Rennet amounts seemed high but I followed the bottle instructions
-Floc time seemed quick. Does slower or faster floc times change the end result?

My mold wasn't large enough (4.5inch) so I sadly had to toss about 1/2 cup of curd away. I plan to get a larger one next time.


2 gal PH Cow milk
87F
3/8 tsp Flora Danica (1/4 + 1/8) - less than recommended on package
30 minute ripe
Add CaCl 1/2 tsp (according to bottle)
Add Rennet 1/2 tsp (according to bottle), stirred 1 minute
12 min Floc (12x4=48min) (seems quick)
1/4" curd cut
60 min stir and heated to 90F
10 minute curd rest/settle
Drained in cheesecloth and twisted 2 turns over 24 minutes
Cut and stacked for 10min, restacked for another 10 min
Milled curd to thumbnail size with 2tbsp salt
Pressed:
10lbs for 30 min flipped
10lbs for 30 min flipped, salted
16lbs for 60 min flipped, salted
16lbs for 60 min flipped, salted
23lbs for 12 hours- flipped at 9 hours and removed cheesecloth except for top and bottom

bbracken677

  • Guest
Re: Caerphilly #1
« Reply #1 on: April 02, 2013, 11:28:34 PM »
She's a beautiful looking cheese!  Congrats and well done!

Offline Tiarella

  • Old Cheese
  • *****
  • Location: Chester, MA, US
  • Posts: 1,748
  • Cheeses: 81
  • Default personal text
    • Farm Blog
Re: Caerphilly #1
« Reply #2 on: April 03, 2013, 01:55:55 AM »
I agree with BBracken!  What a lovely cheese!  Tall and upstanding!   ;D  Keep us posted about how the aging goes.  What are your plans for aging?  Keeping rind clean?  Going natural?  Waxing or paracoating?  Caerphilly is a wonderful cheese to play with because it doesn't need to age for long.   :D

I posted some Caerphilly rinds on "The Lounge" board under a thread titled something like "Anyone up for recreational posting of cheese photos".  The photos are labeled so you can see a natural rind Caerphilly and one coated with Smoked Paprika/Olive oil. 

Offline kdttocs

  • Medium Cheese
  • ***
  • Location: San Diego, CA
  • Posts: 38
  • Cheeses: 4
Re: Caerphilly #1
« Reply #3 on: April 03, 2013, 10:00:02 PM »
Thanks all!

My plan is to go with natural rind. I have to get my cave in order, as it's currently holding 5 gallons of Chinook IPA. :)

After a day of drying though I'm getting a bit of furniture disease (chest in the drawers).

Should I expect this with such a tall slender version and the moisture content of this style or is my curd way too moist? I kind of like the shape but not if it's a sign of a poor make.

Offline Tiarella

  • Old Cheese
  • *****
  • Location: Chester, MA, US
  • Posts: 1,748
  • Cheeses: 81
  • Default personal text
    • Farm Blog
Re: Caerphilly #1
« Reply #4 on: April 07, 2013, 03:19:01 PM »
I had a similar problem with a recent Tomme make.  I don't remember where that thread is but it's pretty recent and either under Questions/Problems or the Tomme section (whatever that's called....Hard, rennet coagulated or something?). People with more experience than I gave some good advice about the seasonal impact upon milk and how to adjust for it.  I'd say your curds got too developed and didn't release enough moisture, hence the slump.  Mine was a wider cheese with more pronounced softening but the shape is neat. I ended up "icing" it with a thick layer of cocoa powder/olive oil although I wish I'd thought to use coconut oil instead of olive.

Offline kdttocs

  • Medium Cheese
  • ***
  • Location: San Diego, CA
  • Posts: 38
  • Cheeses: 4
Re: Caerphilly #1
« Reply #5 on: April 27, 2013, 09:44:05 PM »
Just an update. I cracked open my first hard cheese, my 3 week old Caerphilly.

I had really no idea what I was doing with this one but it actually turned out pretty good. Not sure exactly what to compare it against to know how far off from the mark it is but the important thing is it's edible and tasty. My 2 1/2 year old daughter loves it which makes me even happier. :)

I would note that it seems saltier than it probably should be. I had issues figuring out how to age a natural rind so the first half of aging I used a saturated vinegar solution. I think that not only bumped the salt content but also inhibited the rind to naturally develop beyond just hardening.

I definitely plan on making more of this with it's quick turnaround.

Thanks all for your help!

bbracken677

  • Guest
Re: Caerphilly #1
« Reply #6 on: April 28, 2013, 04:20:08 AM »
Good job! A cheese for your success!

You could probably get by, for the  rind, with a simple saline solution.

Typically Caerphilly should be a bit salty. There is a higher salt content in Caerphilly than a typical cheddar.

JeffHamm

  • Guest
Re: Caerphilly #1
« Reply #7 on: April 28, 2013, 06:23:15 AM »
Hi,

That looks like a very good caerphilly, well done.  And yes, caerphilly is a bit on the salty side.  You can ease back on the salt if you want and it's still a good cheese.  Your floc of 12 minutes is in the sweet spot (you want it between 10 and 15 minutes), so you're good there.  And you're 2 1/2 year old likes it, so, basically, this appears to be a success.  A cheese to you!

- Jeff