Opened a Tomme from May 8th

[Tiarella]

So it's only about 5 months old but some folks are coming by to see/buy some goats and we're pretty far from stores so if I want to give them some lunch to keep their strength up I need to create it myself.  Hence, I decided to make bread and open a tomme.  I chose the one that I had done a little leaf/coconut oil decoupage on.  I'll post a photo of how it looked months ago before it did the weathering and started to look like an artifact found by an archeologist. 

I cut it and found small holes.  The taste is a bit sharp like a cheddar and at first I wasn't sure how much I liked it.....mostly because it wasn't what I was expecting.  But I notice I keep wanting to walk back to the kitchen and have some more so I think I'll do okay with it.

Cultures used were KAZU. MVA and LBC80    Enjoy the photos!

[Denise]

Definitely a cheese for that!

What are the leaves, how did you stick them on, and what effect do/did they have on the taste of the cheese?

[hoeklijn]

An other piece of cheese art, worth a cheese !

[Geodyne]

I'm going to add to those cheeses. That is a thing of beauty, and makes me want to take a nibble!

[Tiarella]

Wow!  Thank you so much everyone!   .

Further details that I didn't think to add last night.  Before I opened it I brushed and washed blue molds/yeasts off of it....all wild stuff.  I think this cheese would have stayed pristine except that I've started using a small chest freezer for my cheese cave and haven't yet got the humidity down.  It certainly would have looked different if it had been kept in my old wine fridge.  The area just under the rind is a bit musty but the rest of the cheese is not impacted. 

Denise, the leaves are from a perennial Geranium macrorhizum (I don't promise that the spelling is correct but I'm too "early morning bemused" to look it up.  I dried the cheese and then used coconut oil that had liquified at warm room temps to coat the cheese and then layer over the leaves.  The leavess had been picked and stacked flat and then vacuum-bagged and frozen.  This renders them limp when thawed which makes them cling easily to the coconut oil during the application process.  You could probably search and find photos of Caerphilly And Valencay style cheeses that I used these leaves on and there have been some very cool outcomes.....especially my first leaf adorned Caerphilly.  That one I used raw honey as a glue to stick the leaves with.  The white bloomy cheeses are beautiful with leaves so those photos are worth looking for.....and it's an easy and fun version of the cheeses.  As far as taste, I don't notice a difference but then I'm no expert.  It does, at a minimum impact whether the rind has contact with air which would have subtle impact I guess.  Hope your questions are answered...   

[JeffHamm]

The cheese tally has just gone up again!  That's a very nice looking tomme.  A wild rind on them lets them develop a musty (but in a good way) and earthy flavour (Tomme de Savoi).  The coconut oil would prevent too much of that happening, but it sounds like you have a hint of it.  Nicely done, and great presentation.

- Jeff

[Spellogue]

some folks are coming by to see/buy some goats ... The taste is a bit sharp like a cheddar and at first I wasn't sure how much I liked it...  But I notice I keep wanting to walk back to the kitchen and have some more so I think I'll do okay with it.

Such a lovely looking cheese!  I hope sampling the goods will clinch the deal with the folks coming to see your goats. 

Yes, I notice that many of my pressed and aged goat cheeses that may be assertive or peculiar on the attack exhibit a long and delightful finish.  They make good cheeses for lingering snacks over conversation.  When wine isn't an option I like them with strong hot tea.

Tell us about the bread too. 

Another cheese to you!

[Boofer]

Beautiful cheese, Kathrin.

I wish I could see more detail in that last pic but the resolution is so small that I can't make out the bubbles clearly. No zooming allowed.

-Boofer

[Tiarella]

Beautiful cheese, Kathrin.

I wish I could see more detail in that last pic but the resolution is so small that I can't make out the bubbles clearly. No zooming allowed.

-Boofer

ooh, sorry.  Definitely don't want to deprive you of bubble inspection!  That would be too rude.   . I'll post a bigger res phot next time I'm at my computer.  I'm on the kitchen daybed now, Felix curled purring against my side while I wait to take some Graham crackers out of the oven.  Made poppy seed bars and two loaves of bread.  Picked about 3 quarts of our raspberries to eat with map,e syrup sweetened chevre that I made yesterday.  Life is good bit if I don't watch out I'll have more lap than Felix needs.

[Smurfmacaw]

Have a cheese for a beautiful cheese.  I'm trying really hard not to open my Tomme....It's got a beautiful rind (not artistic though) but I want to age to 5 or six months before I try it.  School is definitely messing with my cheese fun though  so I may not be able to make another for a couple of weeks.

Mike

[Tiarella]

Thank you Jeff, Smurf and Spellogue! Your cheese gifts make me want to make even MORE cheese!   Okay, will attach photo of the bread.....just a basic soft dough 5 minute bread baked in a covered pan.  Yummy.  Boofer wants a close up of the bubbles so I'll do a higher res version of the slice.

Spellogue, didn't sell the goats yet but hopefully.......need to put out the word I guess.  This young woman may or may not come up with the funds even for my low discounted price but I AM a motivated seller going into winter.  I'm going to try to get down to just 4 goats to keep the dogs company all winter and then buy a few Kinder goats in the spring.  I've already sold 6 of my best stock to a really wonderful farm nearby.  I'll be butchering a couple next weekend.....ones that aren't good enough to want to put my name on and not willing to have them sit in a backyard somewhere going without the type of attention they deserve.  I'll be splitting 2 Kinder bucklings with another forum member who lives nearby.  I'll be getting a doe in milk and 2 doelings also.....all this around late May or June. 

[Geodyne]

You're making me want to give you another cheese!

[Tomer1]

Very artisinal!
What gas producing starter culture did you use?

[Tiarella]

Thank you, Geodyne!  Made more bread last night and used some pre-cooked Einkorn whole grain in the dough.  That was yummy too!

THank you, Tomer. I used KAZU. MVA and LBC80  Can't remember much about MVA but I think the LBC80 has a small amount of bubble producing ability. 

[jwalker]

Wow , that DOES look good , the cheese AND the bread !

And they go so well together.

Another cheese to you !