Author Topic: 1st Grana - Romano  (Read 11106 times)

Flound

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1st Grana - Romano
« on: March 03, 2014, 04:21:48 PM »
So after 4 wheels under my belt, my noobity figured it's time I actually make a tasty cheese to go with the bresaola, capicola and pancettas I make. And of course, my all time great weakness, fresh handmade pasta.

So I said to the cheese minions, "Bring on the Romano!"

And they exclaimed, "Woohoo! Ro-Man-O! Ro-Man-O! Ro-Man-O!" (They're prone to chanting and the rule of threes)

Regardless, I tackled the make yesterday afternoon;

Romano. 3/02/2014

3:00 milk and cream at room temp, 20.4C - started to warm to 31C.

3:45 lipase added 0.25 teaspoon temp 32.6C

3:55 starter added temp 32.3C

4:11 CaCl added temp 31.9C

4:20 rennet added, 2.3ml in 60ml distilled water, timer started, temp 30.6C

4:37 floc at 16m30s, cut curd 5:02 temp 30.8C

4:48 temp 30.6C

4:55 temp 30.8C

5:02 cut curd into quarter cm temp 30.6C, finished 5:06 ten minutes to let curds rest

5:16 stirred curds gently temp 30.9C

5:21 stirred temp 31.8C

5:29 stirred temp 33.0C

5:40 stirred temp 35.5C

5:47 stirred temp 37.1C

5:53 stirred temp 38.5C

5:58 stirred temp 40.1C

6:01 stirred temp 41.4C

6:06 stirred temp 42.3C

6:10 stirred temp 43.4C

6:16 stirred temp 45.8C moved to sink bath

6:30 stirred twice, temp 45.4C

6:50 temp 45.7C, drained whey, transferred to mold.

7:00 pressed in mold, in bottom double boiler to keep curds warm during knit 5kg

7:35 removed from mold, nice knit, flipped and redressed, put in press under 12.5 kg for three hours.

10:30 removed, flipped, redressed, under 23kg for 12 hours

Next day

6:30 removed, removed cloth, pressed without cloth to smooth surface. Under 25kg.

11:00 removed from press, pierced lightly with fork all over, placed in saturated brine for 12 hours. Weight 1180g.

I'll post pictures when it comes out of the brine.

While in the middle of the make, I was chatting with @JeffHamm, just after making a pancetta and bresaola. Which meant my iPad lost juice and no pictures of the make.

I did get pics of the charcuterie goodies though. I know it's not directly on topic, but it's a good marrying. :)

Bresaola



Pancetta















JeffHamm

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Re: 1st Grana - Romano
« Reply #1 on: March 03, 2014, 05:32:06 PM »
Make sounds good.  Next time, though, don't do that pierce with the fork thing.  I don't know what that is supposed to do (though it is on the wiki here - or used to be) and all I can think of is that it corrupts your nice knit!  Go to the notes and put "omit" beside that for next time.

Anyway, a post of the final cheese when the batteries are charged will be nice.  This should be a good one I think.  Should be ready around Christmas time.  Nice.

- Jeff

Flound

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Re: 1st Grana - Romano
« Reply #2 on: March 03, 2014, 08:51:02 PM »
Make sounds good.  Next time, though, don't do that pierce with the fork thing.  I don't know what that is supposed to do (though it is on the wiki here - or used to be) and all I can think of is that it corrupts your nice knit!  Go to the notes and put "omit" beside that for next time.

Anyway, a post of the final cheese when the batteries are charged will be nice.  This should be a good one I think.  Should be ready around Christmas time.  Nice.

- Jeff

Lol. You know, that's the fourth time you've given me a sage piece of advice after the fact....I'm beginning to suspect a plot is afoot.

Here's a picture of the wheel safely ensconced in brine.

Offline Al Lewis

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Re: 1st Grana - Romano
« Reply #3 on: March 03, 2014, 10:12:45 PM »
That's one good looking wheel of cheese there!! ;D
Making the World a Safer Place, One Cheese at a Time! My Food Blog and Videos

JeffHamm

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Re: 1st Grana - Romano
« Reply #4 on: March 04, 2014, 12:29:09 AM »
:)  Sometimes it's easier to spot things after they're done! :)

- Jeff

Flound

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Re: 1st Grana - Romano
« Reply #5 on: March 04, 2014, 01:39:29 AM »
That's one good looking wheel of cheese there!! ;D

Thanks, Al. Its beauty marred only by countless pinpricks of a fork.

After I told the fork of Jeff Hamm's advice to banish it from cheese-making, it was quite irate. As I consigned to the silverware drawer, I heard it exclaim, "From the Hell's heart, I stab at thee..."

Who knew cutlery were fans of Melville and Ricardo Montalbán?

« Last Edit: March 04, 2014, 01:52:02 AM by Flound »

Flound

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Re: 1st Grana - Romano
« Reply #6 on: March 04, 2014, 02:27:40 AM »
Voila! Fresh out of the brine.

1150g. It even has that sharp aroma of a Romano. Color me impressed...
« Last Edit: March 04, 2014, 02:52:11 AM by Flound »

JeffHamm

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Re: 1st Grana - Romano
« Reply #7 on: March 04, 2014, 04:33:24 AM »
That looks very good.  A cheese to you!

- Jeff

Flound

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Re: 1st Grana - Romano
« Reply #8 on: March 04, 2014, 01:14:38 PM »
This morning's flip presented me with a mostly dry wheel. It's not bone dry, but the wheel hasn't expelled much, if any, whey. There's some moisture on the underlying plate, but I suspect that's mostly the surface moisture from the brine bath.

It could be a 24 hour air dry...


Offline Al Lewis

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Re: 1st Grana - Romano
« Reply #9 on: March 04, 2014, 03:01:12 PM »
Look like it swelled up everywhere you stuck it with that fork. LOL  Gotta love bumps! ;D
Making the World a Safer Place, One Cheese at a Time! My Food Blog and Videos

JeffHamm

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Re: 1st Grana - Romano
« Reply #10 on: March 04, 2014, 05:28:52 PM »
The weight of the final cheese also indicates it probably hadn't retained much whey.  The small size of the curd, from bashing it with the whisk, pretty much ensures good whey removal.  However, give it three days prior to caving to firm the rind up really well.  Keep an eye on it though, and check for cracking ; just in case.  If you can, give it a freshly sterilized ripening box.  Keep it isolated from mouldy and b.linen rinds.  It should, after a few months and an oiling or two, be pretty self reliant. 

- Jeff

Flound

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Re: 1st Grana - Romano
« Reply #11 on: March 04, 2014, 06:30:55 PM »
Look like it swelled up everywhere you stuck it with that fork. LOL  Gotta love bumps! ;D

Okay, leaving aside the fact that the line you wrote could be applied to a fair number of other activities that are (or more accurately, used to be in my life), the bumps are from the mould.  :D

In truth, Geo turned me onto doing a final, short pressing without any cloth to smooth out linen lines - makes for a clean looking cheese with little bumps. So far, they seem to dry and fall off with a day or two leaving a pretty wheel.

So sayeth the noob!


Offline Al Lewis

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Re: 1st Grana - Romano
« Reply #12 on: March 04, 2014, 07:26:13 PM »
Yeah, I get the same bumps from my molds.  Just pulling your proverbial leg. LOL >:D
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Flound

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Re: 1st Grana - Romano
« Reply #13 on: March 04, 2014, 08:39:03 PM »
Yeah, I get the same bumps from my molds.  Just pulling your proverbial leg. LOL >:D

Well, then I bit hard on that bait. My leg appears to be longer... :D

Flound

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Re: 1st Grana - Romano
« Reply #14 on: March 07, 2014, 04:15:10 AM »
After 4 days of drying, this cheese is looking, and smelling, like a grana. I love smelling this cheese.

Christmas seems so far away....