More camembert

[Andrew Marshallsay]

I haven't done one of these for a while so it's about time.
The procedure so far:
•   3L Fleurieu Jersey milk. P = 3.3% F = 4.8%
•   3/20tsp / 0.83g (tad) of Flora Danica; 0.36g (pinch) PC
•   0.8 ml calcium chloride dissolved in 20ml of water.
•   1.0 ml of 140 IMCU animal rennet in 20 ml of water.
Warmed milk to 32C
Stirred cultures in for 1 min. and ripened for 40 min.
Stirred in CaCl2 and rested for 5 min.
Stirred in rennet for 4min.
(Here a glitch occurred. I have been getting fairly consistent flocculation times of around15 minutes and I thought that maybe I should increase the rennet rate just a little; from 0.8 ml to 1.0 ml in this case. I was sure it wouldn't make much difference but I should have kept a closer eye on it. The next time I checked it was at 9 ½ min and flocculation had already occurred. I watched it carefully from here on and when whey started to appear on the surface, at 40 min I checked the break and decided that it was time to cut.)
Cut to 25 mm. Rested 5 min.
Stirred gently for 10 min. Rested 5 min.
Ladled curds into two 95mm lined moulds and allowed to drain for  hrs. Turned at 15min, 30min, 1hr, 2hrs, 3hrs, 4hrs and 6hrs. Temp kept in the low 20s.

I will continue to let them drain overnight and then salt them and place them in a ripening container in the fridge.

[Andrew Marshallsay]

After draining for 29 hrs I salted the camemberts today: 1/2 tsp per cheese on one side, rubbed in by hand and, four hours later, the same on the other side.
I'll leave them at room temperature overnight to drain and tomorrow thay go into the beer fridge which is curently running at about 7.5C.

[awakephd]

They are looking good! And the curds look super -- is that raw milk? LTP? In any case, AC4U.

[OzzieCheese]

Yep.. And from me too - lookin good.  No better companions for your Beer fridge.  The temp might be a little low to get PC growth in 5-7 days but, I would sweat it - 7.5 sounds like a great temperature for the rest of the ripening.  Will be interested to see how they develop.

-- Mal

Oh and cheese

[Andrew Marshallsay]

Thanks Andy, Mal. I'll see how they go for a few days at 7.5C. If I don't look like getting anywhere I'll move tham to the cheese fridge at 13C for a while. Recipes seem to vary in the temperatures they recommend but the firt ones I made were in the 6-9C range and they were probably my best.
The milk is a pasteurised, non-homogenised Jersey milk. It comes in at 4.8% fat so i don't bother adding cream.

[Andrew Marshallsay]

After 5 days the PC started to appear but a couple of days later it was still rather patchy and developing slowly. I decided at that stage to move it to 13C as suggested by Mal. Two weeks on and the PC has made great progress so it's back to the beer fridge and 7.5C or thereabouts. I'm expecting them to be ready in about another month.

[awakephd]

Looking good! Now just have to wait for the taste test ...

[Andrew Marshallsay]

Two months on and I've just opened this. A very satisfying outcome: soft rich and creamy as a Camembert should be.
I'm just in the process of making two more which should be ready for a very cheesey Christmas.

[awakephd]

Beautiful! And gorgeous color to that paste. I have some cams that are getting close, but like you I think I need to go ahead and make another batch to be ready for Christmas ...

[Andrew Marshallsay]

Thanks Andy.
Unfortunately, part way through yesterday's make I realised that I had bought the wrong milk in my haste. Instead of the 4.8% fat Jersey milk that I normally use I picked up the standard 3.8% milk from nondescript cows. Hopefully it will turn out alright anyway.

[OzzieCheese]

A cheese from me on your wonderful Cams....  I'm making a batch (6) of my 'Malemberts' today that should be close to ready for Christmas.  Again well done.

-- Mal

[Andrew Marshallsay]

Thanks, Mal.
No doubt they'll be up to your ussual high standards.

[Boofer]

Beautiful cheese, Andrew. Perhaps this delicious-looking pic will replace your avatar.

Have a cheese. Yum!

-Boofer-