Author Topic: Reblochon, finally!  (Read 4655 times)

John@PC

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Reblochon, finally!
« on: July 15, 2013, 11:01:13 PM »
I made this before I joined the forum so I don't have real good notes to share except that I made this on 6/6/13, used Mary Katlin's recipe and did a little "extra" wiping with b linens.  This is maybe the third time I've attempted a b linens cheese and finally I've got a keeper (at least I hope it is because I'm waiting for it to come to room temp before first bite).  If it tastes half as good as it looks I'll be happy.

By the way, if B linens is so abundant in the environment why the heck is it so darn expensive!!  Also can you make a mother culture with BL?
« Last Edit: July 15, 2013, 11:12:18 PM by John@PC »

FRANCOIS

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Re: Reblochon, finally!
« Reply #1 on: July 15, 2013, 11:40:47 PM »
Not easily.  They go off pretty quick.  Your best bet is to back wash from old cheeses to young.  You will find procedures that call for using bits of old rind in your new wash, but I've always felt that was pushing the food safety boundaries just a bit too far.

John@PC

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Re: Reblochon, finally!
« Reply #2 on: July 16, 2013, 12:11:25 AM »
Your best bet is to back wash from old cheeses to young.
Thanks so much Fracois.  I did cut a slice tonight and it was excellent!  I wrapped the rest in cheese paper and put in the cold fridge and will try to get a new one in the cave so I can use a piece of the "old" rind to do the washing.  Would I be stretching it to try to inoculate my milk with some of the rind?  I just hate to pay $20 or so for such a small amount of b linens.

FRANCOIS

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Re: Reblochon, finally!
« Reply #3 on: July 16, 2013, 12:13:39 AM »
Personally I wouldn't.  Linux can probably give you an agar recipe so you could culture the b linens a bit farther then freeze it.

Spellogue

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Re: Reblochon, finally!
« Reply #4 on: July 16, 2013, 01:18:48 AM »
  I just hate to pay $20 or so for such a small amount of b linens.

I agree, but a little b.l. goes a long way.  Especially once you've used it and it's invaded your realm of clean rinded cheeses.  Before long all you'll need is a brine wash to bring up some strain of it.  Often times it will come to the party brine wash or not.   In many cases though the blends that you buy will give you control and a host of other living microbes that impart a specific character to the cheese.  For home use a packet of ARN and/or PLA can carry you through several seasons of cheesemaking.  I do like propagating the ambient  stuff like mentioned above instead of dipping into a pouch of powder though.  Seems much more magical ( and thrifty).

linuxboy

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Re: Reblochon, finally!
« Reply #5 on: July 16, 2013, 01:45:26 AM »
You really don't want to be that cheap with more complex rinds. They take some careful parameters to be consistent and tasty. I would focus on the rind management.. creating the right conditions, controlling the temp/humidity parameters, etc. Yes, you can extend the life of b linens and propagate your own, but unless you already have some experience and equipment (eg, you already harvest your own yeast for homebrew). I would never add a complex rind to milk. You're just asking for trouble with that approach. Homebrew morge (and old-young smearing), fine, do what you want, but even that has its limits because high surface aW and food safety goes to hell because of listeria. 

If you want to really extend the life, you can focus on two aspects: 1) increase CFU count in the wash 2) use basic morge propagation

for 1, what you do is use a spray bottle and aerosolize the spray. For 2, you can use a tiny little bit and scale up the morge. eg, make a pint to start with a tiny pinch, then check pH, add a bit of food if need be, and then scale to a half gallon. You can quickly propagate and have enough, similar to doing a primer approach with DVI mothers. Or just spend the money and focus on quality :P

Offline Boofer

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Re: Reblochon, finally!
« Reply #6 on: July 16, 2013, 02:13:37 PM »
Or just spend the money and focus on quality :P
I've become a true believer in spending a little more on good quality milk rather than P&H industrial milk. I've also tried to do mother cultures where practical and grab a bit of commercial Blue Castello blue mold or the like when doing blues. I've always been wary of morge wash that gets a little long in the tooth, worried that listeria or similar might be lurking...waiting for an opportunity.

My perspective is that if you go to the time, trouble, and expense of making a cheese, then you have to invest to give it the best chance of being absolutely stunning in culinary achievement. There are enough factors that would work against that goal: improper sanitation, poorly-developed techniques, unconscious affinage, and/or unmonitored storage.

-Boofer-
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Bread, beer, wine, cheese...it's all good.

John@PC

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Re: Reblochon, finally!
« Reply #7 on: July 16, 2013, 10:40:16 PM »
I've become a true believer in spending a little more on good quality milk rather than P&H industrial milk. I've also tried to do mother cultures where practical and grab a bit of commercial Blue Castello blue mold or the like when doing blues.
I've settled on a low-temp pasteurized / non-homogenized milk I get right up the road for $4.75 a gal and just started using mother cultures.  Can you clarify how you "grab" the Blue Castello?  The prospects of "borrowing" cultures are interesting for my un-intiated mind.

Offline Boofer

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Re: Reblochon, finally!
« Reply #8 on: July 17, 2013, 12:55:59 PM »
Using a freshly-purchased wedge of whatever blue cheese you happen to like, I carefully slice away some of the outer cheese that has been next to the plastic wrap. I'm interested in capturing the pristine, inner blue veining. Hopefully, it will be somewhat more uncontaminated than the outer portion.

Once I find some nice blue veins, I'll take about a teaspoonful with a clean spoon and put it into a glass with clean, distilled water. This gets mashed and slurried, reducing large lumps of cheese or blue mold. This slurry is then added either to the milk or to the curds as they go into the mould.

HTH.

-Boofer-

Let's ferment something!
Bread, beer, wine, cheese...it's all good.

John@PC

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Re: Reblochon, finally!
« Reply #9 on: July 17, 2013, 09:45:19 PM »
Thanks Boofer.  One of the best blue cheeses we've had is, believe it or not, made here in SC.   We found out about it when our youngest son went to Clemson and brought some back to us.  If you click on the "history" link in the link above it explains how the origins of this cheese began in an abandoned civil war tunnel.  Based on the picture below it's clear the original sand-lapper cheesemakers kept the area very clean and sanitized  ::).  Anyway, if I cloned a cheese I'd try that one; just not sure I'd match the creamy texture.   I'll keep an eye out for Blue Castello as well!

Offline Boofer

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Re: Reblochon, finally!
« Reply #10 on: July 18, 2013, 12:33:31 AM »
You probably already have a good idea that there are a few more blues besides Blue Castillo...here...and here.

...to name a few. :D

-Boofer-
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John@PC

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Re: Reblochon, finally!
« Reply #11 on: July 20, 2013, 12:08:43 AM »
You probably already have a good idea that there are a few more blues besides Blue Castillo....
I'm aware but unfortunately like many consumers of commercial cheese I'm ignorant of the taste nuances.  From the day I was born  ;) I loved blue cheese but over the years growing up I really wasn't a connoisseur of cheeses; blue or otherwise. 

This ignorance makes it hard for me to compare "my" cheeses to really good artisan cheese.  I know what I like but then again I like Velveeta and liver-cheese :o.  Thanks for the suggestions, as I realize my "education" in cheesemaking requires good benchmarks and I need to bite the bullet and purchase more "really good" cheeses.