Author Topic: Blue Camembert  (Read 6166 times)

haemish762

  • Guest
Blue Camembert
« on: May 29, 2008, 10:37:47 AM »
Hello all, i pride myself on making obnoxious foul smelling blue cheese... so very very tastey!
For anyone who has made camambert, does anyone know if you can use the blue rochforti mould spores instead of the white candida mould. I have made a blue that was thin and the centre of the cheese became brie/camambert like. Was this an accident or can blue make a cheese that becomes creamy?
Any info would be appreciated.

Cheers Haemish

reg

  • Guest
Re: Blue Camembert
« Reply #1 on: May 29, 2008, 11:19:09 AM »
wish i could help but i know nothing about blue cheese yet, to new to the hobby. if it smells good and tastes good then you did a great job !

reg

Cheese Head

  • Guest
Blue Camembert
« Reply #2 on: May 30, 2008, 02:22:32 AM »
Hello haemish762 and welcome to this forum!

Many of us here also love strong cheeses, so great to hear you have made several blue cheeses. Would love to see some pictures and tricks and traps as I've just tried to make my first blue with very poor but colourful results that I've posted here. Any advice in thst thread would be appreciated.

Sadly like reg I've have little knowledge of what you are asking, I've spent an hour checking all my books and can find no reference to blue cheeses becoming camembert like in the middle. Also I have not made Camembert but want to work my way towards it as my holy grail is Cambozola! In fact, my understanding is that Cambozola is basically Camembert inoculated with Penicillium Roqueforti mold. But I'm not sure if you should use both and I don't have and sadly couldn't find a recipe.

Lastly, there is a new Cheese Lover that has also just signed on, Mr_E_Stilton, who says his family have been making cheese for many many years and that he loves making Stilton. I've left a note in his initial post linking him to this thread, hopefully he can offer some experienced advice.

Lastly lastly, hope you try making Cambozola, I'm very envious!
« Last Edit: May 30, 2008, 02:34:16 AM by Cheese Head »

haemish762

  • Guest
Re: Blue Camembert
« Reply #3 on: May 30, 2008, 11:28:02 AM »
I am lucky to work with a french Lady whose family are licenced Rocquforte makers. She bought me in some one day and now we have an on going cheese swapping system. I gave her some of my nasty bluse cheese, she left me a note" my husband and i loved your cheese, i would be happy to buy more from you" So getting that sort of feedback from a cheese maker is a big complement.
 I have experimented with the bacteria ...something shermaii, that is used to produce the eyes in swiss cheese. I have combined it with my blue cheese recipe to try and give a more open cheese to allow the mould to grow. I have also found 'cooking' the curds at a higher temperature, around 38degrees C, will give a stiffer curd and hopefully a better infultration of mould.
 One of the experimental cheese i cooked to form a curd like romano, but when i put it into the moulds, i did it while submerged in the whey. It was more to keep some whey in the gaps in the cheese so when i pierced it the whey would drain out and leave better gaps. Strangely enough after 3 weeks of letting the mould grow, it has taken on the classic mouldy smell, however there is the hint of aged chedder! I am not sure why but i will be interested to see what happens.
 I age my cheese in a converted bar fridge and the cheeses are stored in a plastic container, to maintain humidity. They are on plastic racks. I have found that using the rubber bit off an eye dropped packed with lab cotton wool with a small hole cut in the 'nipple end and inserted into a hole made it the lid of your container. This lets a transfer of gasses to occur, transpiration i think, so that there is not a huge build up of ammonia gas that stifles the growth of the mould.
  I am rambling. I will have to take a pic of my cheese and add it on. If only we had Smell-o-photos!!

Cheers Haemish

reg

  • Guest
Re: Blue Camembert
« Reply #4 on: May 30, 2008, 11:53:43 AM »
will be looking forward to seeing the photos and more about your cheese making experiences

reg

Cheese Head

  • Guest
Blue Camembert
« Reply #5 on: May 30, 2008, 12:49:23 PM »
Wow, kudo's to you on the two thumbs up from your french IOC roquefort lady. Even more reason to ask for your blue cheese recipe, tricks and traps and sadly non-scented pictures. Great on the experimenting.

I think your cheese cave bar fridge is the radient cooling type that build up frost, I've tried using our monster US side by side fridge but way too cold and way to low humidity as forced very dry air that even if used overnight cracks my pressed cheeses. I like your idea on weeping plastic containers to regulate humidity, assume you put a gauge inside container to determine level. I'll add some info on Propionic Shermanii culture to the Cheese Glossary located here.