Author Topic: My 1st Stilton  (Read 3101 times)

John@PC

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My 1st Stilton
« on: June 25, 2013, 01:30:51 PM »
I used this recipe suggested by BobE.  Everything went well but have a question.  I'm into the second day of the 4 days the recipe calls for to set in the mold at room temp and was worried that my "crevices" may be too large.  Recipe says after the 4 days to:

"Take a cake spatula or knife and smooth the sides, top, and bottom of the cheese to eliminate openings. It's also possible to reserve some of the original curd (few tablespoons) by not packing all of it into the mold, and use it to fill in pockets and openings. "

I did not reserve curd, so my question is do you think I can still eliminate the openings with a spatula if they remain this large?  I wanted to add more documentation and pics but will do that in the future.

BobE102330

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Re: My 1st Stilton
« Reply #1 on: June 25, 2013, 04:43:06 PM »
Use a warm knife and press downward on the sides.  You'll be surprised how spreadable the curds are with enough pressure.  Once you have a feel for the sides, you can judge how much pressure you can put on the top and bottom.  That said, it looks like you may have your curds a little drier than called for.  I did that the first time or two.  If you can't get the exterior completely closed it will be OK, just different.  You may find the finished result a bit drier than a true Stilton, but still tasty. 

Start another in a few weeks leaving the curds with a bit more whey (stir less).  That will help ensure you have a constant supply of blue cheese, whether Stilton or not.

John@PC

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Re: My 1st Stilton
« Reply #2 on: June 25, 2013, 04:50:01 PM »
Thanks Bob.  I thought about making a small amount (maybe a quart of milk) today and use more or less as a spackling tomorrow.  Your suggestion sounds much better and easier.  The curds didn't seem that dry when I milled them, but I did leave the curds draining a bit longer than it called for.  I'll be more careful next time.

BobE102330

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Re: My 1st Stilton
« Reply #3 on: June 25, 2013, 05:28:48 PM »
Also pay attention to the flocullation multiplier and the stirring time/intensity if you use that method.  I've had good results when 2.5 gallons of milk and a pint of cream make enough curd to fit into two regulation Camembert molds with a little coaxing if that helps judge how much whey to expel before molding. 

John@PC

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Re: My 1st Stilton
« Reply #4 on: June 25, 2013, 10:34:42 PM »
I did use the "surface gel" calculation in the recipe but it was my first time and on my first "nudge" of my little dish it had already gelled (@ 12min).  May have cut curds a bit too early @ 48 min.?  pH was where it should have been but next time I'll be more observant.  Damn this cheesemaking is hard :P, but it's worth the effort to learn, and thanks for all the help. 

John@PC

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Re: My 1st Stilton
« Reply #5 on: June 29, 2013, 08:21:54 PM »
I did follow BobE's advice and was able to butter-over the crevices even though they were rather large.  Other than over-draining the curds all else went well with Pav's recipe.

BobE102330

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Re: My 1st Stilton
« Reply #6 on: June 30, 2013, 08:00:14 PM »
Looking good! Isn't it amazing how much you can do to it and have it hold together?

Now for the fun part, watching it go wild. 

Smurfmacaw

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Re: My 1st Stilton
« Reply #7 on: July 06, 2013, 11:10:06 PM »
How's the blue mold coming along???? Pictures!  Need pictures.

John@PC

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Re: My 1st Stilton
« Reply #8 on: July 27, 2013, 08:01:05 PM »
How's the blue mold coming along???? Pictures!  Need pictures.
  I'm a little late with the first pics but here we are at exactly one month.  It cracked a little on the first piercing; should have been more careful.  I don't know what a month-old stilton smells like but this has a wonderfully strong aroma. 

John@PC

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Re: My 1st Stilton
« Reply #9 on: August 05, 2013, 09:00:14 PM »
Came back from a week of vacation and noticed there are small round "dots" of white mold on the surface.  Smell is very strong; good but strong.  Is this a good thing or a bad thing? :-\