Made up a batch of brin d'amour per Mary Karlin's recipe this weekend. Looks so pretty, I only hope it tastes half as good by Christmas! Anyone else made this before?
Wow, yours looks better than the pictures in her book!
Brin d'amour from M Karlin's book
2quarts pasteurized goats milk
2 quarts pasteurized whole cow’s milk
¼ teaspoon MA 4001 powdered mesophilic starter culture
⅛ teaspoon calcium chloride diluted in ¼ cup cool nonchlorinated water
¼ teaspoon liquid rennet diluted in ¼ cup cool nonchlorinated water
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1½ teaspoons dried thyme
1½ teaspoons dried oregano
1½ teaspoons dried savory
1½ teaspoons herbes de Provence
3 tablespoons dried rosemary“¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon whole coriander seeds
¼ teaspoon whole mixed peppercorns
¼ teaspoon whole juniper berries
2 teaspoons olive oil
1. In a nonreactive 6-quart stockpot, heat the milks over low heat to 86°F; this should take about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat.
2. Sprinkle the starter over the milk and let it rehydrate for 5 minutes. Mix well using a whisk in an up-and-down motion. Add the calcium chloride and gently whisk in, and then add the rennet in the same way. Cover and maintain 72°F, allowing the milk to ripen for 8 hours, or until the curds form one large mass the consistency of thick yogurt and clear whey is floating around the sides of the pot. Check the curds for a clean break. If the cut edge is clean, the curds are ready.
3. Place a strainer over a bowl or bucket large enough to capture the whey. Line it with damp butter muslin. Gently cut ½-inch-thick slices of the curds using a ladle or skimmer and gently ladle the slices into the strainer. Gently toss the curds with 1 teaspoon of the salt, then tie the muslin into a draining sack and hang to let drain at room temperature for 6 to 10 hours, until the whey stops dripping. The longer the curds drain, the drier the finished cheese will be. Alternatively, you can drain the curds by hanging for 45 minutes, then moving the sack to a 4-inch Camembert mold without a bottom, placed on a draining rack. Drain and ripen in the mold for 6 to 10 hours, flipping the curds once during the draining process and sprinkling the remaining 1 teaspoon salt over the surface.“4. If not using the mold for the final shape, transfer the sack to a clean work surface and roll the curds into a ball, then flatten slightly with your hands. Open the sack and sprinkle the remaining 1 teaspoon salt over the cheese and lightly rub it into the surface. Set the cheese on a draining rack at room temperature for 8 hours to allow the salt to be absorbed into the cheese and excess moisture to be released. Continue to air-dry for a total of 24 hours, or until the surface is dry.
5. Combine the herbs and spices in a small bowl. Pat the cheese dry of any moisture, then rub thoroughly with the olive oil. Spread a layer of the herb mixture on a sheet of parchment or waxed paper and roll the cheese in the mixture to coat, then gently press the herbs so they stick to the surface of the cheese. Reserve the unused herbs.
6. Cover the cheese with plastic wrap and place in a ripening box at 50°F to 55°F and 80 to 85 percent humidity for 3 days. Remove the plastic wrap, coat with more herbs if needed, and place in a ripening box at 50°F to 55°F for 27 more days. The cheese will be ready to eat at this point or can be aged for another month.