Author Topic: Caerphilly with friends  (Read 4965 times)

tnbquilt

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Caerphilly with friends
« on: August 11, 2013, 01:50:07 PM »
I have a few friends who want to learn to make cheese, so I have arranged to have them come to the house two at a time. I have two electric roasters, two molds and two cheese presses, so they can both make a cheese and I can age it for them. We had a lot of fun. I had one friend just come by to watch.

We made 2 4gallon Caerphilly's using the recipe out of Caldwell's book. We mixed up the cultures a bit to see how the taste might change.

In one pot we used 1/4 tsp MA 4002 with 1/4 tsp Flora Danica, and in the other pot we used 1/2 tsp MA 4002. I added 1/4 tsp of Mycodore to both batches, to grow that nice mold on the outside.

Now I just have to keep them separate so I remember whose is whose.

I am going to make one for me today. I bought 13 gallons of raw milk on Friday. A friend of mine wanted one gallon to feed her kefir grains.

JeffHamm

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Re: Caerphilly with friends
« Reply #1 on: August 11, 2013, 06:24:20 PM »
Two very nice looking cheeses there!  What a great way to introduce friends to this hobby. 

- Jeff

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Re: Caerphilly with friends
« Reply #2 on: August 12, 2013, 12:42:15 AM »
. I added 1/4 tsp of Mycodore to both batches, to grow that nice mold on the outside.
Is that something that's normally part of the process?

Seems like that would be more appropriate for a rustic, earthy Tomme.

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Lstrawn

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Re: Caerphilly with friends
« Reply #3 on: August 12, 2013, 07:53:12 PM »
Hey I know that cheese! Thanks for all your help in making this one!

tnbquilt

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Re: Caerphilly with friends
« Reply #4 on: August 13, 2013, 04:18:47 PM »
Mycodore was listed as one of the cultures in the recipe in the G. Caldwell book, and also Tiarella had suggested it on one of her posts. I understand that it causes that nice brown mold to grow on the outside. I look forward to seeing what happens now.

I made another one on Sunday, and I used yet another culture combination. For mine I used 1/4 tsp MA 4002, and 1/4 tsp MD 88. I don't remember why I bought the MD 88 but it says that it will give a buttery flavor so I figured I'd try it. I had some, might as well use it for something.
« Last Edit: August 13, 2013, 04:25:54 PM by tnbquilt »

tnbquilt

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Re: Caerphilly with friends
« Reply #5 on: August 16, 2013, 08:50:49 PM »
I put the Mycodore in the Caerphilly to grow the proper mold. The cheeses have a little blue/green mold on them, that kind that means that there is too much moister and not enough air flow, so I brushed it off.

My G. Caldwell book says to pat down the mold, but don't brush it off. My Mary Karlin book says that the cheeses will start to grow mold in 10 days to 2 weeks and you should pat it down.

I think that the blue/green mold is supposed to be brushed off, and when it starts growing white/brown mold then I don't brush it off.

What do you think? I've never done a moldy rind before.

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Re: Caerphilly with friends
« Reply #6 on: August 17, 2013, 11:06:29 AM »
I'd say it's fine to either brush it off or leave it.  If you brush it off, it and other things will come again.  If you leave it there will likely be a progression of molds......

tnbquilt

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Re: Caerphilly with friends
« Reply #7 on: August 18, 2013, 02:30:19 PM »
We now have white, brown and blue/green mold. I patted it down like the Caldwell book says to do.

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Re: Caerphilly with friends
« Reply #8 on: August 19, 2013, 01:45:34 PM »
Okay, through the mist...I see poil de Chat...nope, that vision's gone. Must have been an illusion. ???

Olivia...Lamar?

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tnbquilt

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Re: Caerphilly with friends
« Reply #9 on: August 20, 2013, 11:45:28 AM »
Olivia and Lamar were the two friends who came by to learn to make cheese. I am keeping them in my cave for them, and keeping them separate since we used different cultures and are doing an experiment.

I'm watching the mold but since I added Mycodore to the cheese I was hoping that this is what is supposed to grow there. The books don't say anything about what color mold to expect, only to pat it down when it shows up.

tnbquilt

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Re: Caerphilly with friends
« Reply #10 on: August 25, 2013, 02:02:38 PM »
More pic's of the mold growth. I have included my cheese in this round of pics.

My books do not say what color the mold should be, only to pat it down, and that it will fill like felt. It is covered with mold and it does feel like felt on parts of it.

Lamar's has some rolled up pieces of mold on it where I wiped with my hands. I guess I should brush those off but I haven't bothered yet.

I don't like the blue \ green mold but I don't know why. I know that my book says not to brush the mold off, so I am leaving it alone other than patting it down and flipping every other day.

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Re: Caerphilly with friends
« Reply #11 on: August 25, 2013, 03:19:48 PM »
So far the molds look very like my non-Mycodore rinds.  I've done Caerphilly and tomme wheels that looked like that and turned out just wonderfully.  My Mycodore rinds were THICK felt.  I tried to knock ot back a bunch of ways with little success.  Even washing it with straight Braggs cider vinegar couldn't keep it down. I had been told to beware of it going too wild but I think if I ever have it that thick again I'll just let it go and see how it tastes.  I think it's supposed to get thick.  My cider vinegar washed one did tun out tasty.....I'm waiting for a better cave set up and then I'm going to make a lot of Mycodore tommes.  Oh, and my natural rind Caerphilly cheeses that I aged out longer all came out tasty.  Good luck and keep posting updates!  I want to watch the rinds to see if they grow into what mine looked like.   :D

JeffHamm

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Re: Caerphilly with friends
« Reply #12 on: August 25, 2013, 06:52:25 PM »
Hi,

I've not included mycodore in any cheese before, so I can't say what it should be like.  However, I've let all sorts of wild moulds develop on various cheeses and they turn out very nice.  I often brush them back, but patting them down as you're doing will produce a thicker rind, which I assume will given a different profile.  My caerphilly's often pick up a white mould (probably  wild geo), which is traditional.  the nice thing is, caerphilly is ready so quickly you could make a couple and have them all ready about the same time and compare different rind techniques to see how the flavours change.  Anyway, I think this is coming along very nicely.  Well done and looking forward to when you taste it.

- Jeff

tnbquilt

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Re: Caerphilly with friends
« Reply #13 on: September 07, 2013, 12:26:07 PM »
My Caerphilly's are 4 weeks old today. We are heading for the 8 week old mark.

My cheese is changing color now, the brown is starting to take over. The 1st picture is mine. Lamar's is showing the white geo mold still prominent. The blue / green and brown are still there, but it's not taking over the white. Olivia's cheese has the brown starting to out grow the blue / green now. Mine and Olivia's feel like a piece of felt but Lamar's does not.

What is odd to me is that Olivia and Lamar's cheese live in the same plastic box in the cave, but the mold growth pattern is different. Olivia's cheese had the MA 4002 culture, and Lamar's had the MA 4002 and some Flora Danica. That's the only difference that I can come up with.

tnbquilt

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Re: Caerphilly with friends
« Reply #14 on: September 29, 2013, 10:27:07 PM »
My Caerphilly is 7 weeks old today. I was trying to let it go for 8 weeks since I made it from raw milk, but I woke up today and wanted to brush the mold off. I tried to resist the urge, but this never works out for me, so I brushed it. These are before and after pictures.

The cheese has started to soften a little bit. Caldwell's book said that it would soften under the rind, but there is only spot that I can touch that seems to give a little. It is nice and wrinkly.

We are having our first cheese club meeting at my house next Saturday so I'm planning on cutting into it there. Olivia and Lamar will be picking up their cheeses that day as well.