Author Topic: Trying to make Garrotxa cheese  (Read 4870 times)

Offline Albert

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Trying to make Garrotxa cheese
« on: November 17, 2013, 02:48:58 PM »
Hi everyone
I'm still trying to make Garrotxa cheese, a semi-hard goat's cheese. The first attempts were failed, but now I hope I'm on the right way. Here some pictures.
Sorry if my english is not correct.

BR

GlennK

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Re: Trying to make Garrotxa cheese
« Reply #1 on: November 18, 2013, 05:52:32 PM »
Nice looking cheese.  What were your failures?

Offline Albert

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Re: Trying to make Garrotxa cheese
« Reply #2 on: November 18, 2013, 07:53:49 PM »
My first cheeses were too crumbly than expected and I did'nt know why. Finally I contact with an expert cheesemaker and he told me that it was because an excessive acidification. Doing a shorter pre-ripening acidification and washing the curd I think now the cheeses will be ok. I will tell you in two weeks, when I will cut the first one.

Cheers


Albert

linuxboy

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Re: Trying to make Garrotxa cheese
« Reply #3 on: November 18, 2013, 09:29:14 PM »
Crumbliness is usually from excess moisture retention/ph gradients after the point of curd fuse. What happens is that you have large or uneven curds for the cheese type, then they keep excess lactose, and meso bacteria keep eating the lactose and producing lactic acid, even after brining. The fix is not so much about ripening time pre rennet, as it is focusing on drain pH, even curd size, and pH at brine.  So yes, it is excessive acidification, but the acid is created after gelation. While milk is in the liquid state, the acid is distributed evenly, and won't really result in too much crumbliness... unless you're waiting many hours before adding rennet.

Washing does help. Garrotxa has a 10-15% wash usually. Good luck. Hope they turn out well.

Offline Albert

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Re: Trying to make Garrotxa cheese
« Reply #4 on: November 18, 2013, 10:05:00 PM »
Thank you very much Linuxboy for sharing your knowledge

Best Regards

Albert

Offline Albert

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Re: Trying to make Garrotxa cheese
« Reply #5 on: November 24, 2013, 03:53:21 PM »
This is the aspect of the cheeses at 5 weeks old. One of the particularities of the Garrotxa cheese is his rind full of moulds, so when the moulds appears you have to preserve it. The cutting day is near, but I'm not sure if this is the aspect that must be. Please let me know your opinions.


Spellogue

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Re: Trying to make Garrotxa cheese
« Reply #6 on: November 24, 2013, 04:03:45 PM »
Your garrotxa looks beautiful Albert.  I believe a blush-grey rind is traditional and that seems to be what you've acheived.  I'm anxiously awaiting your tasting notes.

Can you share the recipe?  I haven't made one yet, but I'd like to put garrotxa on my short list for next season.

Offline mgasparotto

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Re: Trying to make Garrotxa cheese
« Reply #7 on: November 24, 2013, 11:55:44 PM »
Albert, this looks wonderful! I'd also like to hear your recipe if you don't mind sharing.
Melissa

Offline Albert

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Re: Trying to make Garrotxa cheese
« Reply #8 on: December 04, 2013, 08:35:05 PM »
Well, the cut day has arrived and.... I'm so pleased to share with all of you!!! Finally my Garrotxa cheeses are EXACTLY than expected. The cheese is amazing!!! Goaty smell, easy to cut so not crumbly, elastic, exciting flavour, a bit acidic taste. Wow!!!

Please take a look at the pics below and let me know your opinions. I'm gonna translate to english language my adapted recipe to share with all of you.


Offline Albert

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Re: Trying to make Garrotxa cheese
« Reply #9 on: December 04, 2013, 09:16:29 PM »
Here is my particular and adapted recipe for Garrotxa cheese. There are many different things than the original recipe, for example Garrotxa cheese always must be made from pasteurized goat's milk, but I don't like it, so I made it always from raw goat's milk.

INGREDIENTS:

5 Liters of raw goat's milk
0,15 gr. Mesophilic cultures Danisco's MA4001 (very important to use L. l. diacetylactis)
2,25 ml. animal rennet

METHOD:

Heat the milk to 32ºC add the cultures and left ripen only for 10 minutes.

Add the rennet diluted in 40 ml. of boiled water and stir well. Let set at target temperature untill a clean break is archieved.

Cut the curds into a 1 cm cubes and let set for 10 minutes.

Stir slowly but continuously and heat very slowly to 36ºC. At this point, draw off a 10% of the whey (a half liter) and add the same amount of water at the same temperature.

Increase a bit more the temperature untill 38ºC. Do it very slowly again.

At this point you can pack the curds into a mold with a cheesecloth. Press at 2 kg. for 20 minutes. Turn the cheese and press again at 5 kg. for one hour. Turn the cheese again and press at 15 kg. overnight.

The morning after, remove the cheese from the press and mold and put it in brine solution (brine at 20% salt) for 8-10 hours turning the cheese in the middle of this time.

Remove from the brine and let it dry for 2-3 days at room temperature.

Store the cheese in your cave at 10-12ºC and 85-95% RH.

Turn the cheese daily in the first 2 weeks, and after twice a week.  Age your cheese for two months.


This is my adapted recipe for Garrotxa cheese. Any suggestion will be accepted.

Best regards from Catalunya, the Garrotxa's birthplace...



Albert

Offline Albert

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Re: Trying to make Garrotxa cheese
« Reply #10 on: December 04, 2013, 09:20:35 PM »
Sorry I forgot to say that you don't have to brush the appearing moulds during the age period. You must be preserve it, so this is one of the particularities of the Garrotxa cheese

BR


Albert

JeffHamm

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Re: Trying to make Garrotxa cheese
« Reply #11 on: December 05, 2013, 08:36:19 PM »
What a great looking result!  A cheese to you for your success, and for sharing your notes.  I'm sure we'll see a few of these now.

- Jeff

Offline mgasparotto

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Re: Trying to make Garrotxa cheese
« Reply #12 on: December 06, 2013, 03:40:02 PM »
Albert - these are gorgeous! Congrats on a great cheese. Looking forward to trying your recipe. If you know of any great websites or books for Spanish and Portuguese cheesemaking recipes, let me know. No translation necessary. -Melissa