Author Topic: My first Coulommiers  (Read 1631 times)

wattlebloke

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My first Coulommiers
« on: February 04, 2016, 03:02:31 AM »
A couple of weeks ago I made my third ever cheese(s): my first surface-ripened cheeses, French-style Coulommiers, to Rikki Caroll's recipe. I deviated by adding the PC  to the milk during the make, rather than sprayed on later, which was a technique I had read about for Crottins, in Sasha Davies "The Cheesemaker's Apprentice" (I had intended making cow milk Crottins that day, but hadn't managed to scrounge the molds!)
The make went seamlessly; my home-made molds (beetroot cans) performed perfectly, and the tip I picked up from another book (Susan Ogilvy "Making Cheese") of having a disc of curds to top off the filled column, well, topped it off nicely.
My problem started when I went away for the weekend on day 6 - by the time I got back on day 8 the PC had welded the cheeses, mostly around the 'rim', to the bamboo mat. They were in my cave at 7-8 c (45 f); 90% RH.
Flipping the cheese without tearing the skin was impossible. I also noticed that there was a gap between the rind and the paste, which I knew from this forum was Not Good. I was so disheartened I didn't bother taking a photo.
Rather than wrapping it in cheese wrap as per recipe, I decided to leave it in the same conditions and hope that it would heal itself, given that there was PC throughout the paste. Its now day 18, and it is looking really encouraging. The PC seems to have colonised the gap between the skin and paste.
My questionS: is adding the PC during the make unusual? Could I use this approach for Camemberts, or Bries? And is there any advantage in using cheese wrap, or can I continue to age them out as I've been doing? As a seriously-hooked newby, any other comments very welcome  :)
Edwin

AnnDee

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Re: My first Coulommiers
« Reply #1 on: February 04, 2016, 03:46:49 AM »
I am a newbie as well and I haven't made coulommiers before but I made few batches of camemberts which I am still waiting for the final result.
Having said that, your cheese is looking good! I like your hoop, is it stainless steel?
I have read in a couple of thread that bamboo mats is not recommended to be used on soft cheeses, hence the sticking, but also they said it carries bacteria and/or moulds and they are not so easy to sanitise.
I use food grade plastic sushi rolling mat that I found on a dollar store type shop.

This hobby IS addicting.

wattlebloke

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Re: My first Coulommiers
« Reply #2 on: February 04, 2016, 04:27:34 AM »
Hi AnnDee, thanks for that. I've been reading your posts: your cheeses are looking good too. I'm not sure whats difference between my Coulommiers and a Camembert: I'll have to wait and see.
Yes, I'm going to move to plastic mats for my next soft cheese make, if I can find some here. My hoops are not stainless, so probably wont be good for long. They are just empty tins saved from tinned vegetables, that I cut the tops and bottoms from. I had to search for a while before I found tins that fitted together nicely.
I read on one of your posts that you couldn't get an Australian supplier to send to you in Malaysia. If its a real problem for you, perhaps you could get them to send to me in Australia, and I can post it on for you?

AnnDee

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Re: My first Coulommiers
« Reply #3 on: February 04, 2016, 01:01:55 PM »
Wow thank you so much, it's so nice of you to offer. Thankfully the moulds and hoops I ordered from country brewer au arrived today. Yay!
But then again I might take you on your offer next time I need more supplies.  ;)

I use dollar store type plastic jars with lids to form my camemberts. I used cheap small ice pick (another dollar store type item) to make holes on them for better drainage. It works really well especially because it makes flipping a breeze, just put the lid and flip. No mess.

Offline awakephd

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Re: My first Coulommiers
« Reply #4 on: February 04, 2016, 02:51:19 PM »
Wattle (or should that be "Bloke"? :)),

A couple of comments -- first, adding the PC during the make is standard practice for many of us. Second, it sounds like you experienced slip skin in addition to tearing; I'm not absolutely sure about this, but given how early it is in the process I'd say the chances of it all growing back together are good. However, I'd recommend moving your cheese to a colder fridge to finish ripening -- this will slow it down and allow it to even out more; it will also intensify the flavor. Either way, you need to keep the humidity high; the easiest way to do this is to wrap in the cheese paper, or you can use a ripening box.

One final thought: I'd encourage you to move away from the beet root cans as soon as possible. It looks like they are standard, lined, "tin" cans (which are, I think, actually steel). The problem is that cheese is a high-acid food, and anywhere that the lining is absent -- at the ends, or a scratch in the lining -- the acid will react with the steel, leading to off-flavors in the cheese. Also, it looks like these have no drainage holes in the sides. I don't honestly know how important it is to have them, since it can drain through the bamboo mat at the bottom, and clearly it did that for you, but generally a "real" mold will have the drainage. Since there is no pressing involved in this make, you can use even a relatively flimsy container as your mold, punching holes through with an ice pick as Ann has said. For example, I've used re-purposed Cool Whip containers. (Not sure if you have that product by that name in Au?)

With all that said ... who cares if you did everything "by the book"; the only thing that matters is that you like the final result! Looking forward to the taste test ...

On edit: by the way, coulommier is pretty much the same thing as brie or camembert, from what I can tell -- it comes from a different region in France, and is made with a slightly different shape, but the basic idea is the same. Ripening paper is a huge convenience to me -- it allows me to handle the cheese more easily (ie, when flipping it) and not to have to worry about the humidity level, especially when I move to the cold (and very dry) fridge -- the cheese forms its own micro-climate inside the paper. But you can achieve just as good results using a ripening box if you don't have sufficient humidity in your ripening area. Do a search on "malembert" - Mal (OzzieCheese) is the acknowledged master of this make; his notes have been very helpful to me.
« Last Edit: February 04, 2016, 03:08:08 PM by awakephd »
-- Andy