Lancashire # 10 - with smoked paprika

[awakephd]

For my tenth Lancashire, I decided to try something different. I followed the same make that I have used for most of my Lanc's (as described here: http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,14315.0.html), but this time, after the cheese had dried for a few days, I oiled it with olive oil and rubbed in smoked paprika. After another week or so, I was getting ready to travel, so to be safe I went ahead and vac-bagged it. It is now at six weeks and tastes marvelous. As expected, the paprika flavor doesn't really extend into the paste to any great degree ... but nonetheless the edges provide a wonderful hint of sweet smokiness, and the paste has turned out to be one of my better Lanc's. Highly recommended for repeating!

[JeffHamm]

Very nice looking Lanc!  A cheese to you.  I really like Lancashire at the 3-4 month age.  Makes a great cheese.  I've not tried a paprika rind treatment yet.  Certainly makes a very presentable cheese though. 

[awakephd]

Thanks for the cheese! I would guess that any paprika would give the lovely red rind. But if you want the smoky taste, pay the extra for the smoked paprika -- umm, umm, good!

[Boofer]

Excellent job, Andy. I am intrigued with your smoked paprika & EVOO rind treatment.

Have a cheese.

-Boofer-

[awakephd]

Thanks! It was purely on a whim, but I'm pleased with the results. The next time I do it, though, I hope I will not need to vac-bag -- I like Lanc's better when they simply age in the cave. It would be interesting to see whether I would have to fight off molds with the oil/paprika on it ...

[WisconsinDan]

I am aging a piquant cheese now that I have been rubbing olive oil and paprika, so far it has been over 5 weeks and I have not seen a spot of mold, can't say I know there won't be any mold to fight off before the end of the 4-6 months, but I believe I read somewhere on here that paprika is a natural mold inhibitor. If it doesn't stop the fight altogether I would say it will at least fix the odds a bit.

[Kern]

Interesting about paprika.  Several months ago I did a washed curd cheese with olive oil and paprika and within a couple of weeks I had white mold (Geo?) over most of it.  I used smoked paprika.  Maybe that makes a difference.    

[awakephd]

Hi Kern -- been a while since I've seen you post. I was thinking about you when I posted in another thread, trying to work through the calculations for how to size a cheese mold to keep the proportions when changing volume. I needed an engineer!!

[Kern]

We've spent a great deal of the summer traveling and have one trip left on the schedule before the Fall.  I haven't made any cheese since late May but have been lurking around the Forum when "in town".  If you've got a specific engineering problem describe it and I'll see if I can offer an answer.   

[awakephd]

This was the thread: http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,14911.0.html

There have been no responses to my post, so either I got the math right, or (more likely) I bored everyone to tears ...

[Kern]

It looks to me like you got the math right.  If you cube 4.76 (4.76x4.76x4.76) you get 108 (rounded up).  If you cube 6 you get 216.  108/216 equals 1/2.  Keeping the aspect ratio the same for both cheeses  (H/D) the diameter and height ought to in the ratio of 4.76/6.00 or about 80%.