Author Topic: Goat taleggio #1  (Read 4359 times)

Spellogue

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Goat taleggio #1
« on: September 22, 2013, 06:17:26 PM »
I'm finally getting around to posting some details on this make.  I'd used my new taleggio mold for other styles, but figured a proper taleggio was in order.  This is as close as I got so far on the first attempt.  Looking back at the notes it would seem I went hog wild.  Must have been feeling exceptionally adventurous that day:


CA139a. Goat taleggio
9/9/13

3 pts goat milk clabbered 18 hrs
3 pt refrigerated goat milk
Set  2 hrs 15   min 2:40 pm
18 pts refrigerated goat milk 4:55
Bring to 84F
1/16 Aroma B
1/64 TA61
Pinch ARN
Yeast dregs slurry from a bottle of omegang BPA
6:14. Set.  32 min
1/16 tsp calf rennet
 6:46        Floc. 6:51   5 Min.X4.    20  Min
7:06 Cut into 1/2-3/4 in diamonds/cubes
Heal 5 min. 7:11, stir 5 min 7:16
Ladle into divided taleggio mold.


The curd didn't settle beyond an inch or so below the lip of the mold.  I had to carve out the divider and ended up with four cubical cheeses.  I set two in saturated brine and dry salted the others.  The dry salted cheeses flattened to a good form factor for the style.  The brined ones are still blocky.

With ARN in added to the vat I've been washing with a straight 3% brine, but wonder if I should innoculate the brine too.  No sign of b.l. gowth yet. The cheeses are pretty soft and the surface is rough from the grooves in the form, so they're pretty delicate. I've been 'mopping' more than washing.  Little bits have been breaking off of the surface.  They are delicious. 

I think I was planing to add the beer yeast to the wash morge, but I spaced and dumped it into the vat.  I thought I blew this cheese up by doing that.  I was determined to forge ahead.  The curd was a hint spongy and I noticed a slight 'fishy' smell once they were in the mini-cave container for a bit.  The fishy odor is gone now and the cheeses are settling nicely.  Can't wait for some color to show up. 

Offline Al Lewis

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Re: Goat taleggio #1
« Reply #1 on: September 22, 2013, 06:26:41 PM »
I used a mixture of annatto coloring and b-linens which I mixed in a spray bottle and misted the cheese each day at the start and then about every three days after a week.  Didn't use the divider but did buy an extra bottom so I could flip it.  Turned out great.  Check my avatar.  Good luck with yours.  They look great!!  I have to wonder how the goats milk will compare in flavor to the cows milk one I did.
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Spellogue

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Re: Goat taleggio #1
« Reply #2 on: September 22, 2013, 07:32:16 PM »
Thanks for the encouragement.  I've been admiring your taleggio already.  Nice work.

So, just keeping them damp did it for you.  I won't worry about applying any abrasion then.  I think i will innoculate the brine.  If I don't start to see some color soon I might add some colorant too.  I love that rosy hue that a true taleggio has.

I've never eaten an actual taleggio, so I don't have a benchmark for myself as of yet.  I have to drive over an hour to get to a half decent cheesemonger.   I do plan to work with some cows milk later this year if time permits.  If so, I've got taleggio on the short list to try again.

Smurfmacaw

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Re: Goat taleggio #1
« Reply #3 on: October 06, 2013, 01:35:54 AM »
Mine has been getting an awesome schmeir.  The gooey layer is amazing so far.  The smell is fairly under control but it's definitely got Alps "scary" schmeir going on.  This one may take a while due to the thickness but the other smear ripened cheeses I've done have come out fairly well so far.  Not as gooey as I'd like but definitely in the realm of soft cheese.

This one has been slowly but surely been developing a very light orange color.  I don't think the BL I used gets really dark but I think for this experiment I'll just let it go and see what happens.

Mike

Spellogue

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Re: Goat taleggio #1
« Reply #4 on: October 08, 2013, 06:38:08 PM »
I haven't seen much color arise on mine yet other than a hint of an ivory shade.  I decided not to innoculate the morge on this one after all.  The ARN in the make seems to be doing the job.  The rinds are very sticky-wet and the aroma is nearing a crescendo I should hope.  I've made about a dozen washed rinds to date and this my be the strongest smelling one so far.   I can usually count on ARN for a bright orange to brown colored rind.  Still hoping it will lean toward rose on this one.

  I'm washing once or twice a week now.  Some tiny isolated bits of blue are forming in a few of the crevices.  I'm mopping a bit more agressively on those spots to retard their growth, but in generall I'm not worrying about the blue too much.  I understand a few streaks of blue are traditionally common on taleggio.  I had a few round dark spots surface, I suspect from the yeast, but they've disappeared in the wash.

I've tasted a few tiny morsels that have fallen off while washing and they are delicious.  I might begin to sample one in as soon as two weeks.

Smurfmacaw

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Re: Goat taleggio #1
« Reply #5 on: October 08, 2013, 10:12:45 PM »
I'm about the same stage as you.  I'm seeing the occaisional bit of blue hiding in the crevasses but a good dose of brine and they seem under control.  Starting to soften at the surface and color up a bit.  Next time I'm going to just make the traditional square.

Offline Tiarella

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Re: Goat taleggio #1
« Reply #6 on: October 08, 2013, 11:10:32 PM »
Spellogue,  what do you know about what causes that sort of spongy with holes appearance that I see on the photo of them in the mini-cave?  I've recently had several cheeses including Mozz have that sort of spongy look and I don't know whether it's a yeast contamination?  or something worse?  Or about the time of year/lactation?  Do you have any clues?  Anyone else?   ???

Spellogue

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Re: Goat taleggio #1
« Reply #7 on: October 11, 2013, 02:30:42 PM »
Spellogue,  what do you know about what causes that sort of spongy with holes appearance that I see on the photo of them in the mini-cave?  I've recently had several cheeses including Mozz have that sort of spongy look and I don't know whether it's a yeast contamination?  or something worse?  Or about the time of year/lactation?  Do you have any clues?  Anyone else?   ???

In this case they are mechanical holes.  The curd was firmer than it probably should have been and it didn't compress much, being an unpressed cheese.  I'll go for a more tender curd and use a smaller volume of milk on my next Taleggio. 

The curd on this make, before and after the cut, was quite smooth. It didn't exhibit any gas holes going into the mold.  Funny too, because I might have expected some sponginess to the curd in this make having clabbered a quarter of the milk and adding beer yeast in the vat. 

I usually end up with a spongy curd mass floating in the whey in my lactic makes.  I can't say for sure what the isolated sources of those gasses might be.  It could be the MM100, or I suppose more likely natural flora in the raw milk, or ambient contamination (lots of yeast floating around my kitchen from all the other projects from kefir to sourdough.)  I haven't found the sponginess of the curd mass in those makes to present any real problem in the finished cheeses.  In the softer lactic coagulations the ladled curd normally compresses under its own weight for me in the mold, and they've generally tasted quite good.

Seems I have seen a bit of sponginess in the cut curd of rennet coagulated makes here and there, but I don't know that I would have recorded that in my notes well enough to make any conclusions about it.  I plan to review my notes thoroughly this winter in planning next season's make list.  That review might reveal something.

I've only ever used raw milk in my cheeses.  Perhaps pasteurizing the milk before a make might provide some insight.  I might try that next season.

Spellogue

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Re: Goat taleggio #1
« Reply #8 on: November 17, 2013, 04:27:26 AM »
Here at the 2 month mark This goat milk taleggio has really turned.  It's been giving off an ungodly pong for about a month now.  Definitely the stinkiest cheese I've made so far.  The stench isn't pleasant by any means.  I can only describe it loosely as nasty wet dog with decaying overtones.  I'm thinking this can't be right. 

I've been keeping the faith and continuing to age the cheese, and today I decided to cut into one.  The flavor profile isn't horrible, the aftertaste five minutes after a bite is actually somewhat pleasing, but the nasty aroma taints the few positive aspects in the tasting. 

I pushed through a third bite, but I don't think I can go on with this cheese. I'm a very adventurous eater, but this one is just too much for me.   Even the Belgian Triple I'm drinking with it won't bolster my confidence enough to continue tasting.  Whew!!!

I've got close to three pounds of this still aging.  I'm debating tossing it to the hogs in the morning, wondering if they'll even eat it.  That is unless anyone suggests that I might expect improvements with further aging.

I'll attempt a taleggio again someday, but I'll definitely use a more orthodox recipe. 

Geodyne

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Re: Goat taleggio #1
« Reply #9 on: November 17, 2013, 08:14:41 AM »
Spellogue, that's so disappointing! I've not made Tallegio, but I've eaten plenty. I've always found it to be a mild, nutty-tasting cheese. If it's that strong then I suspect it has indeed turned.  :( :(

Digitalsmgital

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Re: Goat taleggio #1
« Reply #10 on: November 18, 2013, 01:59:23 AM »
OMG that looks so good! Sorry to hear it's inedible  :(

Spellogue

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Re: Goat taleggio #1
« Reply #11 on: November 19, 2013, 07:57:47 PM »
Perhaps not strikingly beautiful, it wasn't an ugly cheese but for the stench.  A stench that totally infected the flavor.  And I do love a properly stinky cheese.  I've had a few go pear-shaped on me, but this was perhaps the most abject failure to date.

The dog and the chickens ate it rather enthusiastically anyhow. 

I've yet to dispose of the other 3, but expect that they can't possibly improve.

Offline Tiarella

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Re: Goat taleggio #1
« Reply #12 on: November 20, 2013, 12:34:48 AM »
I'm embarassed to report that I've had some that the chickens refused to eat!   :P