Peter, that is a beautiful looking cheese and I'd like to see how your recipe compares to that Yoav (iratherfly) posted as a goat's milk version of his Reblochon
Chevrotin (goat Reblochon) from Yoav
To convert, make Chevrotin, pay attention to these following steps which are crucial, some of which you may be familiar with from Reblochon:
- Milk at 92°F/32°C (+/- 4°F/2°C, depends on season and room temp)
- Cut curd large (1/2"), stir gently, cut again, stir gently. You want to repeat that 2-4 times over a period of 15 minutes until curd is "corn grain" size
- Re-heat milk to 93°F/34°C and cook/stir gently for another 15 minutes
- Once whey is removed to curd level, pour curds to cheesecloth-lined colander to pre drain (Not more than 5 min). Curd should be warm and drained - not dry.
- Mould curd quickly before it cools down. Press slightly in the mould by hand
- Drain in moulds for 12 hours minimum (turn once or twice if possible)
- After salting, dry at 55°F/13°C (cave temp) but at 75%-80% Relative Humidity -not 95% like the cave or aging container) at least 5 days (turn regularly)
- Age minimum 21 days after drying. Age up to 6 weeks (95% RH / 55°F/13°C), turn regularly, wash every 2 days until color shows, then let the Geo bloom
1. 7.5 litres of raw goats’ milk
2. Pasteurise the milk by heating to 66C and holding at that temperature for 30 minutes
3. Reduce temperature rapidly to 30-34C and hold at that
4. Sprinkle on to the milk ¼ tsp MM100, 1/16 tsp TA62, 1/16 tsp Geo15, 1/32 tsp SR3 and leave, covered, for 5 minutes to rehydrate.
5. Stir in the starters for 1 minute
6. Leave for 15 minutes then stir in ½ tsp of 33% CaCl dissolved in 2 tbls of water
7. Leave for a further 15 minutes to complete ripening
8. Add 2 ml (24 drops) of single strength animal rennet in 2 tbsp cool water and stir in deeply for 1 minute and then top stir for 2 minutes.
9. Put sterilised container on milk for floc test. Floc target is 15 to 20 minutes from adding rennet
10. After 4x time to floc, cut the curds to ½”
11. Stir gently, cut smaller, stir gently again then rest over 5 mins
12. Again, stir gently, cut smaller, stir gently again then rest over 5 mins
13. For the last time, stir gently, cut smaller, stir gently again then pitch curds and leave 5 minutes (curds should be corn grain size)
14. Reheat to 34C and stir gently for 15 mins at that temperature.
15. Remove whey down to curd level then pour into c/cloth lined colander and let drain for not more than 5 minutes
16. Put curds into moulds quickly while still warm, pressing slightly by hand
17. Drain for 12 hours minimum turning once or twice
18. Take from moulds and dry salt
19. Dry at 13C RH 75%-80% for at least 5 days turning regularly
20. Age 21 to 60 days after drying 13C 95%RH turning regularly and washing every 2 days until colour shows then let Geo bloom
To get the firmer cheese, use a taller form factor so it doesn't age like a Reblochon or Camembert. The rind doesn't affect the paste so much. Another factor could be the addition of naturally-stabilizing culture such as TA.
Yoav’s Reblochon recipe, adapted
Two gallons of this mornings fresh Nubian goat milk.
1/4 tsp Flora Danica
1/8 tsp MA 4001
1/8 tsp PLA
12 drops single strength calf rennet diluted in water
Heated milk to 94 degrees. Starting pH 6.54
Added bacteria cultures (went out to dinner last night so didn't have time to make a mother culture) and ripened 30 minutes. pH 6.50
Added rennet and got a floc time of 10 minutes (darned goat's milk coagulates quickly)
Cut at 25 minutes (2.5 floc factor)
First cut at 3/4" and let rest five minutes.
cut to pea sized pieces with a whisk.
Stirred for ten minutes until the curd was springy and would mat when squeezed.
pH is 6.4
loaded into two reblochon molds. (last time I did this I used 1.5 gal and the wheels came out thinner than I wanted.)
first press for 30 min with 3 pounds per wheel.
Kitren