Cambozola #2 & 3

[shaneb]

I forgot to add that the only reason I've wrapped the cheeses is that I wanted to stack them on each other in a container in my normal fridge.

Shane

[shaneb]

The smaller of my two cheeses has ripened and ready to eat. I had forgotten that I never put PR in this cheese though as I wasn't exactly sure where the mid line was going to be (this was the leftovers). I wish I had remembered this earlier as I wouldn't have bothered poking holes in it.

Below is a photo. The bigger cheese still has a little while to go.

Shane

[awakephd]

Looks great! How's it taste?

AC4U!

[shaneb]

Thanks. It tastes good to me. Creamy with a faint hint of mushroom. I'm not the connoisseur of camembert/brie that my wife is though. She'll taste test tomorrow to give her tick of approval.

Shane

[awakephd]

I have to confess that I've only ever had a tiny taste or two of cam/brie/etc., so I don't know if my recent effort tastes like it "should" -- but I don't really care, since I love it!

[shaneb]

When I was younger the only cheese I knew was made by Kraft and was wrapped in foil on the non refrigerated shelves at the supermarket. It's amazing how things have changed since then. I'll keep on trying new cheeses to what I really like. My problem is that I'm lactose intolerant.  That makes this hobby of cheesemaking a tad frustrating. I do still eat cheese and absolutely love it, but I need to take it easy.

Shane

[Frodage]

Shane, that is one nice, nice looking cheese. AC4U.

[shaneb]

Thanks Jim. It has received the tick of approval from my wife. The only problem is the quantity. There's just too much for us to get through. I'll have to look into recipes where we can include it. I saw one for mashed potatoes with camembert. Any other suggestions? There are millions of baked camembert recipes, but I'm not sure they would work with wedges of a large brie sized cheese.

Shane

[OzzieCheese]

Very nice Shane even without the blue!

-- A cheese for ya !

Mal

[shaneb]

Thanks Mal. I have a feeling I'm not going to see any blue in the other one either. That is despite putting a truckload of PR in the middle and poking holes from both sides. I cut a wedge out of the bigger cheese and didn't see any blue. It still has a while to go on the ripening, but not a good sign.

Shane

[Kern]

Here, I think, is the problem:  The Wiki recipe calls for adding the P. candidum to the milk.  Thus, it is contact with the P. roqueforti when it is sprinkled on the draining curd.  Not good. 

Caldwell in Mastering Artisan Cheesemaking states on page 226 regarding a Cambozola recipe (Ann Hansen's Blue-Brie Cheese) that the blue can be hindered by the white when present in the milk.  Hansen's recipe calls for NO P. candidum in the milk.  Rather it is sprayed on the cheese AFTER the wheel has been pierced and the blue has had time to develop.  This keeps the two molds separate, which is a good thing.   

[shaneb]

Thanks Kern. That makes perfect sense. How do we have this wiki recipe modified to prevent anyone else wasting PR. I won't say it is a waste of milk as it's still an edible camembert at the end of the day.

Shane