Cambozola #2 & 3

[shaneb]

Hi Larry,

I used the wiki recipe for cambozola (http://cheeseforum.org/articles/wiki-cambozola-cheese-making-recipe/). I stirred for the two minutes it called for. Do you suggest cooking the curds longer?

It seems I overlooked one important step though. I missed the step of draining the curds through cheesecloth first. Bugger! Oh well, I guess I will remember for next time.  It was right there in front of me and I still missed it.....

I didn't take pH measurements this time. It was a rushed make. I hadn't planned on making cheese that day, but cheap milk was sitting there and I decided to bite.

Shane

[LoftyNotions]

Hi Larry,

I used the wiki recipe for cambozola (http://cheeseforum.org/articles/wiki-cambozola-cheese-making-recipe/). I stirred for the two minutes it called for. Do you suggest cooking the curds longer?

It seems I overlooked one important step though. I missed the step of draining the curds through cheesecloth first. Bugger! Oh well, I guess I will remember for next time.  It was right there in front of me and I still missed it.....

I didn't take pH measurements this time. It was a rushed make. I hadn't planned on making cheese that day, but cheap milk was sitting there and I decided to bite.

Shane

In looking over the wiki recipe, it looks like pretty much a straight-up Camembert make, with an addition of some blue mold internally. There isn't really any provision for trying to get some crevasses internally for blue  aeration. It's a relatively low temperature make, with minimal stirring. If you look at some other recipes, I think you'll find that there is more cook time/stirring for Cambozolas than there is for Camemberts. For example, look at the Camblue and Camembert recipes on the New England Cheese site.

Not pre-draining the curds is probably part of the problem also. One other thing that might have added to the runniness is the cheese form factor. If the cheeses were taller, the weight of the curds would help express more water.

With the Cambozolas I have going, I probably erred too much on the side of providing a curd that was dryer to create internal air gaps for blue development. I guess time will tell on that front.

Caldwell's bloomy rind recipe calls for cutting the curd, resting 15-30 minutes, gently stirring and resting again for another 15-30 minutes, continuing the rest/stir cycle  "until curd texture is even throughout" (whatever that means) and pH is 6.40 to 6.45. For the Camemberts I just made, that was about 4 hours of stirring and resting before ladling curds into the molds. Again, I might well have gone way too long at this step. 

Anyway, your cheeses are looking great, and I'm sure they'll taste great when they're done.

Lots of ways to get to an end result.

Larry

[Danbo]

Yeah! The white mould is looking good! :-)

[Al Lewis]

That PC growth is looking fantastic.  I did three of the 5.1" ones last week and they too are growing well.  AC4U for your fine looking cambozola! BTW  I nearly always allow mine to drain overnight. 

[shaneb]

Thanks Guys. The PC growth is going really well. I started patting this morning. I'll look at poking holes in it soon.

Larry - Thanks for your extra information. Yes, it is pretty much a camembert make. I was aiming for a blue brie. I didn't realise there was a difference between the makes. I'll check out those recipes. I'll try one of those next time. That's interesting about the stirring time on Caldwell's recipe. Is this continuous stirring or do you wander in and out stirring over that time?

Al - Glad to hear yours are going well also. What approximate spacing are your holes? How long do you leave yours in the cave after adding the holes? The wiki recipe calls for it to go into the fridge straight afterwards.

Thanks Danbo 

Shane

[Al Lewis]

I pierced mine today.  I stick a thermometer into the sides at the bottom and angled up about every 2 inches around the circumference.  I then flip the cheese over and do the same between the existing holes.  I only pierce to just shy of the center.  Once my PC has developed, after 4-5 days, I wrap mine in cheese paper and leave them in the cave to ripen for a further 3-4 weeks.  Once they soften I place them in cheese boxes.

[shaneb]

Thanks Al. Looking great! I'm not sure my cheeses are tall enough to work through the sides. Is going through the top/bottom okay? Should a hole be closed ended?

Shane

[Al Lewis]

If I spoke through the top I just press it down.  No biggie.

[LoftyNotions]

That's interesting about the stirring time on Caldwell's recipe. Is this continuous stirring or do you wander in and out stirring over that time?



Shane

Shane, The stirring was 1 minute on, 15 to 30 minutes off. Just enough to keep the curds from clumping. Pretty laid back cheese tending.

Regarding piercing, I went top to bottom on mine, and didn't worry about going all the way through. I'll attach a pic. It's about a 5 or 5.5 inch mold. I actually pierced mine before I even sprayed P.c. on the exteriors to give the blue a little head start. As you can see from the photo, the blue that grew on the exterior probably won't be overtaken by the white. Oh well, live and learn. I wanted to give blue every chance possible to grow with this make. I'll make adjustments next time.

Regarding cave vs. refrigeration, after mine were pretty solid white and they had their second piercing, I took the temperature down to 46°F (8°C). The only reason for that temperature is that's as low as the "cave" they're in goes. As soon as I detect any softening, they'll get wrapped and put in the regular refrigerator at about 38°F (3°C).

Read through Mal's Malembert make. He really lays out the logic behind aging white fuzzies.

Larry

[shaneb]

They look brilliant Larry. The stirring doesn't sound too bad then. I was worried you were going to say you stood there stirring for four hours.

I can understand the logic with your later introduction of PC. I have seen photos of them with blue rinds as well. With the piercing, would it be worth dipping the spike in a little PR to ensure where spiked is in contact with it?

Thanks on the detail of the cave details. My cave is set at 11°C (51°F) right now. I could take it lower, but that means taking everything lower. Our normal fridge is at 3°C (37°C), but I'm concerned where the PR will continue to do it's thing. Do you think it will be okay?

I do refer to Mal's make. It is excellent. I have followed them in the past for maturing. I'm just a little unsure of the blue aspect.

Shane

[LoftyNotions]

These Cambozolas weren't Caldwell's recipe. For these, I sort of followed the Camblu recipe on NEC. I just did a white bloomey from Caldwell, and I'll post that maybe tomorrow. As I mentioned, it's very possible I went too long with the cook/stir on the whites, but wanted to start out at least hitting the pH targets.

Also, on the Cambozolas, I skewed everything in the recipe toward getting good blue development. We'll see how that plays out.

I guess it wouldn't hurt to dip your poker in some P.r., but if you have a layer in the middle of your cheeses, I don't think it'll help much. I believe the lack of blue development is usually a lack of oxygen, not a lack of spores.

You can probably wait a little before going to a colder temperature, but you run the risk of slipskin and a liquid layer toward the outside, with a more solid center. It's kind of a balancing act from here. It just depends on what your priorities are.

It'll be good, no matter what. 

Larry

[shaneb]

Thanks for that. Yeah, I had a double cream brie that ammoniated by leaving in the cave for too long. I don't wish to do that again.

Shane

[shaneb]

Here are some more progress photos. I had a little accident with the larger of the two cheeses. It stuck to the mat a little and broke off a section. If squashed it back on to hopefully grow back together. In the past I had one brie snap in half. I wrapped it and when it came time for eating you'd never have known it broke.

Today I also did the first piercing.

Shane

[Danbo]

Looking good! :-)

[shaneb]

Thanks Danbo. This morning I decided it was time to move the cheeses to a cooler fridge. I have punctured the other side and have now wrapped them. They weighed 800g and  650g. Below are some photos from before wrapping. I will keep my fingers crossed that the PR works its magic now.

Shane