Well, I decided to bin the balloon gouda. It had too much of a bitterness to be enjoyable. So, I decided to open the tomme. I was worried it would be quite mouldy inside as the knit was not good, and indeed, some of the wild rind has made it to the interior. However, once I removed that, the taste is very good! I bought a Tomme de Savoi (sp?) from a French cheese shop nearby (they import a bunch of raw and pasturised French cheeses - very nice) and I'm pleased that the flavour is recognizably similar. I've got a bit of bitterness from the rind wild moulds, which gets into the interior a bit because of the invasion, but nothing like the balloon gouda. If I get a better knit on this, this will be perfect. Thanks Pav for this make procedure. It's a winner by me.
- Jeff