Another cheese for my daughter's wedding 7-5-14, so aging about 4 months. Probably this would not have been a good cheese to age longer due to the high fat content. I worried over this cheese the whole time, due to all that cream. However, my son in law said it was the best cheese he had ever tasted! (Knows how to flatter this one!) My own notes are that the paste was flexible, and very creamy with an aroma of saffron, and a beautiful golden color. It was very good. I did not really notice anything from the lipase or the saffron, but others did notice the saffron flavor.
Saffron Hispanico (Manchego-style) 3-9-14
2 Gallons cream-top milk (Holstein) pH6.6
2 cups heavy cream (not ultra-pasteurized)
¼ tsp MA4001
1/8 tsp crushed saffron threads in 1/8 cup boiling water
1/32 tsp lipase
½ tsp calcium chloride in ¼ cup water
1.5 ml single strength rennet in ¼ cup water
Flocculation multiplier: 2.5
Targets for pH: Rennet, 6.5 Drain, 6.4 Brine, 5.3
Temps: Ripen, 90 degrees Cook, 100 degrees
11:30 Milk at 80 degrees, added culture and started raising to temp for ripening
11:45 Temp = 90 degrees, saffron stirred in.
12:20 Added lipase, and calcium
12:28 Rennet stirred in. Flocculation in 13 mins x 2.5 = 33 mins target for clean break
1:00 Good clean break, cut curds ½ inch and let rest about 5 mins
1:07 Began cutting curds down to rice size with SS whisk, cutting and stirring for about 30 mins.
1:45 Began cooking curd with target to be reached in 30 mins. This went a bit slow at first, then faster.
2:15 Target reached of 100 degrees, pH a little low at 6.3. Let curds settle to be drained.
2:20 Drained curds, pressing together in pot with draining mat and hands
2:28 Managed to squeeze curds into cloth lined form, and placed back into pot on rack to keep warm.
2:50 Out of pot into press with weight of arm alone
3:25 Redressed very carefully since cheese was fragile, back into press with 18#, whey pH 6.1
4:00 Redressed, cheese holding together well, back into press with 27#, whey pH 5.8
4:50 Redressed, forming up nicely, not much whey coming off, still at 5.8. Back into press at 27#.
6:00 Redressed. Knit looks very good, body of cheese is quite soft. Whey pH 5.5. Into press at 45#.
6:30 Whey pH 5.3, back into form with no cloth, and into cave to slow it down. It is the wrong time to put it in the brine! Brine is already in the cave waiting….
9:45 Weighing in at 2#, 8 oz. Generally the cheeses I make from 2 gallons are just a bit under 2 #. So the extra 16 oz of cream turns into 8 oz of cheese! Into the brine for a 9 hour nap! Salted well on top… It will have to do without flipping, unless I get up during the night!
6:45 AM Removed from brine and into ripening box in cave.
3-16-14: Cave temp a little low at 48 degrees. Humidity in ripening box running 90 %
3-20-14: Humidity still hovering around 90 %. Cheese cleaned from small amounts of white mold.
3-26-14: Humidity in box with it cracked open quite a bit is still remaining close to 90%. Had been out of town for a few days. Ends of the wheel almost too moist and perhaps a little yeasty smelling. Cheese rubbed down with salt and touch of vinegar. Changed box set up for more controlled humidity. Positioned wheel so the moist ends were more exposed.
4-10-14: Humidity in ripening box finally down to about 75 %. The ends of the cheese are dry now. Smell is great. Nice fine white mold covering cheese. Weighing in at 2 # 5 oz. Vacuum sealed it!
