Author Topic: Geotrichum only - Sheep's milk  (Read 1989 times)

kshathra

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Geotrichum only - Sheep's milk
« on: April 28, 2013, 04:59:05 PM »
Hi all,

I wanted to get some feedback on this cheese I have going. It's my third make ever and it's looking/smelling a little weird. This cheese is modeled after Camembert protocol, so it is rennet coagulated, but it uses only Geotrichum because I don't have any pen. candidum (long story). A hiccup occurred when I discovered that the racks I was resting the cheese on were not, in fact, stainless steel, resulting in badly rusted racks and dark staining on the cheese (visible in the first bloom picture). Let me break the make down for you..

2 gal HTST Sheep milk from Cozy Cow Dairy (ordered online)
pinch of MM100 (diacetyl-producing blend)
pinch of Geotrichum

30 min ripening at ~90F
~3/8 tsp liquid rennet - coagulate for 90 min (this was made before I knew about the flocculation procedures)
spoon curd into moulds, draining and drying for a day
store at ~58-62 F until bloom showed
wrapped in double ply bloomy rind paper, stored at ~45-48F.

After about 9 days I unwrapped and saw that the surface looks much darker/wetter than the last make I did which was Geo only as well. The smell was very pungent but not yet ammoniated. I moved the more wet and pungent of the two large cheeses, along with the three smaller ones which are much drier, into a little cheese mini-cave and put them back into the cool box. I will be comparing the still wrapped cheese with the tupperware-stored cheese when I eventually cut them. I just want to see if anyone has any thoughts on this surface, as the last Geo cheese I made was more classically recognizable: lighter in color, wrinkled surface, less intense smell, etc.

Cheers
-J

kshathra

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Re: Geotrichum only - Sheep's milk
« Reply #1 on: April 28, 2013, 10:28:28 PM »
For reference, here is the previous cheese I made. Granted, it was a very different make (it was semi-lactic rather than rennet set), but the milk, cultures, mold, and storage conditions (up until the unwrapping of the new cheese) were identical.

kshathra

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Re: Geotrichum only - Sheep's milk
« Reply #2 on: April 29, 2013, 04:21:14 PM »
One more follow-up. Ammonia has definitely hit, so I've cracked the box open, turned the fridge temp down to 45F, and started praying that it softens a little before the ammonia gets too bad. Right now it is probably not ripe at all in the center. Shame! At least the little ones are still okay. I wonder if the wrapped on will be totally inedible.

douglas

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Re: Geotrichum only - Sheep's milk
« Reply #3 on: May 07, 2013, 07:21:40 PM »
Well, I haven't tried this one, but I plan to give this a try this weekend.  But I've been doing brie with cows milk consistently since the start of the year.  I had a problem with ammonia also, and I found this came from ageing in a sealed container and the cheese being too damp.  I "fixed" this putting it in a container, but leaving the top off, or only half covered most of the time.  If any moisture pools in the bottom of the container, then I leave the top off until everything has dried out, then put the top back on.  Repeat as needed.  That has been working well.  Not that I know that well, but I would suggest that you needed to let the cheeses dry out for another day or two in the beginning.  Maybe leave them longer before wrapping also...  But I think ammonia means it needs more air, and less damp.

kshathra

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Re: Geotrichum only - Sheep's milk
« Reply #4 on: May 27, 2013, 04:07:14 PM »
Final reveal. The large cheese ended up fairly good but could have been softer. The strange thing is its twin, the one I cut a few weeks ago and stored in the fridge, ended up very creamy, sharp, and delicious. In contrast, the one I left in the cave didn't ripen very much at all. It sharpened a little but remained stiff even at room temp. The smaller cheese was fantastic! Great sheep flavor, creamy, and delicious. I am definitely making these again.