Author Topic: Can I use Brie/Camembert rind to inoculate the curds with PC?  (Read 8237 times)

itayoron

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Re: Can I use Brie/Camembert rind to inoculate the curds with PC?
« Reply #15 on: August 15, 2015, 11:25:39 PM »
Alex, which of the 2 methods did you use to get your results?

sashap

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Re: Can I use Brie/Camembert rind to inoculate the curds with PC?
« Reply #16 on: August 17, 2015, 01:37:15 PM »
Alex, which of the 2 methods did you use to get your results?
Tried to use both of them, but the second time when I tried to use the spray method something went wrong with my cheese and I didn't get to use it. So the first attempt was direct inoculation, got some good rind (from 3 different cheeses, wanted to be sure!), mashed it in some clean water, filtered all the pieces to get rid of unnecessary "material" and used pouring it directly in the milk. The mold was growing like a charm.

Now the results. I made two cheeses, one of them had the smell that worried me. It was soft in 3 weeks, but it had a strong extra smell inside and was not edible... So I made a vivisection to see how the ripening process worked and got rid of the evidence.

I cut the second cheese yesterday. It was under-ripened a little, but the result was pretty ok. But it still has a little smell and taste inside, and the rind is very bitter. I don't know where's the problem. Could it be contaminated with something? I don't know how to describe the taste and the smell, but no store bought Camembert tasted like this before... The cheese on a hot toast was amazing though, exactly like a Camembert should taste like. But I want to know what led to the extra smell.

The cheese was stored in plastic tupperware for 3 weeks, then I wrapped it in parchment and stored in a colder place. My only thought is that the RH in the tupperware was too high, but still, it doesn't make complete sense to me.

Photo report of the unwrapping:

jmason

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Re: Can I use Brie/Camembert rind to inoculate the curds with PC?
« Reply #17 on: September 19, 2015, 11:45:58 AM »
Sorry for the long delay in answering you, haven't been on the forum in a while.

Your cheese looks fine, exactly like a cam should look.  The bare patches that are a little tan colored are probably B. linens.  The smell, is probably from them not being able to off gas in the tupperware and my guess is that it is ammoniation.  Truthfully, within sporting limits I like a little ammoniation in a camembert, gives it that barnyardy taste/flavor that I have come to associate with cams.  A mini cave should breath a little to allow these byproducts to off gas and to keep the molds happy with a little oxygen. 

a cheese for you

sashap

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Re: Can I use Brie/Camembert rind to inoculate the curds with PC?
« Reply #18 on: September 21, 2015, 12:25:45 PM »
Thanks jmason. I didn't stop here, now I have two other Camemberts ripening. This time at lower temperature, I aim for longer ripening at 4 degrees Celsius. They are very well covered with white fur, now that I lowered the temperature it is growing very slowly. I hope to get rid of the ammoniation and get a perfect Camembert. With your hints and previous mistakes, I should get better results now.

-Alex

coolacey

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Re: Can I use Brie/Camembert rind to inoculate the curds with PC?
« Reply #19 on: July 15, 2018, 08:09:02 PM »
Hey Alex,
I am having the same problems here in El Salvador. Can I ask you what ingredients you ended up using for your camembert? And maybe which directions your followed?

Thanks!
Caroline