Author Topic: Aged Pressed Cotija, AKA Anejo  (Read 2762 times)

DoctorCheese

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Aged Pressed Cotija, AKA Anejo
« on: January 23, 2017, 04:01:49 AM »
You know that yummy crumbly cheese that goes on top of enchiladas when you go to a Mexican restaurant? That is what I wanted to make and so the adventure began. This weekend I finally made what I hope will turn out to be similar in consistency and flavor. Looking back on my process, I wish I had cooked the curds longer. As a note, traditional Anejo is made with skimmed goats milk.  Anyhoo, here is what I did.

3 gallons P&H whole cows milk
3/8 tsp meso II
3/8 tsp themo B
3/8 tsp CaCl
3/8 tsp liquid rennet

I heated the milk to 86F, then added cultures.
Over 20 minutes I heated the milk to 100F, ripened for 30 minutes.
Added rennet, waited 90 minutes.
Cut the curds allowing them to heal between cuts.
Raised temp to 105F over 15 minutes while stirring.
Stirred for another 15 minutes until the curds had the majority of pieces the size of my pointer finger nail.
Drained  the whey for 15 minutes, then milled in 2 tsp of salt.
Placed the curd in to my mold and pressed it for 30 minutes, then flipped it, then pressed it, etc. adding weight each time.
Total press time was around 16-20 hours I would say, I forget now.
I then brine it for ~20 hours in saturated brine.
Final cheese weight, 3 Lb

After it becomes touch dry I will rub it in a mixture of olive oil and smoked paprika and then age it for 6 months.


Offline Al Lewis

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Re: Aged Pressed Cotija, AKA Anejo
« Reply #1 on: January 23, 2017, 01:50:33 PM »
Looks great! ;D
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Offline Boofer

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Re: Aged Pressed Cotija, AKA Anejo
« Reply #2 on: January 23, 2017, 07:46:55 PM »
my pointer finger nail.
Interesting reference. Typically, I see "walnut-size", "hazelnut-size", or dimensional estimates (1/4 inch, 1 cm), etc. But we can certainly enlarge that referential scope. ::)

Did you use a follower to press on? Nice job. It will be interesting following the development of this cheese.

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DoctorCheese

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Re: Aged Pressed Cotija, AKA Anejo
« Reply #3 on: January 23, 2017, 09:50:06 PM »
Did you use a follower to press on? Nice job. It will be interesting following the development of this cheese.
Yes I did use a follower, it is just hard to see because the follower itself is another Tupperware of the same dimensions as the bottom one that I turned into a mold by poking holes in it.
« Last Edit: January 24, 2017, 05:04:44 AM by DoctorCheese »

DoctorCheese

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Re: Aged Pressed Cotija, AKA Anejo
« Reply #4 on: February 12, 2017, 09:28:44 PM »
Here is an updated picture. Every three days I take it out and smeer the surface with my finger to get rid of any bits of mold that crop up. Each time it has been less and less as the rind develops. In a few more weeks I will switch to doing it just once per week. I plan to age at least 3 months.

Offline nccheesemike

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Re: Aged Pressed Cotija, AKA Anejo
« Reply #5 on: February 12, 2017, 09:53:53 PM »
Nice looking cheese Jobe! That one should be tasty :)

DoctorCheese

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Re: Aged Pressed Cotija, AKA Anejo
« Reply #6 on: April 03, 2017, 01:37:23 AM »
The cheese developed an unsavory smell. I discovered that what I thought was just a nice coating of olive oil and paprika was actually also bacterial growth (maybe linens based on the smell). I gave it a good scrubbing with some salt and vinegar then let it dry for 24 hours. After 24 hrs I notices mild rind cracks beginning and decided to cut it and bag it with my new vacuum sealer (which I am in love with!). I tasted some and at this point it is too mild to eat, but the smoked paprika is really nice and what flavor of the cheese there was I found pleasant. Looking forward to cracking these open in the months to come!

DoctorCheese

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Re: Aged Pressed Cotija, AKA Anejo
« Reply #7 on: June 25, 2017, 01:32:50 AM »
--UPDATE--
This cheese is finally getting to the lowest age it was meant to be eaten at and so I opened it up, once again, to give it a taste. The vac bag did a great job and the paste has not dried or gotten strange in any ways. Taste is very good, having developed a bit of cheddar tang, and surprisingly the smoked paprika seems to permeate the whole cheese even though it is only on the rind. I am going to leave 1/4 of this cheese in the cave to keep aging since it is really low maintenance at this point and go ahead and give this cheese make a thumbs up. Thank you to those who have been with me since the beginning (5 months ago).

Mina

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Re: Aged Pressed Cotija, AKA Anejo
« Reply #8 on: March 20, 2020, 05:35:52 PM »
--UPDATE--
This cheese is finally getting to the lowest age it was meant to be eaten at and so I opened it up, once again, to give it a taste. The vac bag did a great job and the paste has not dried or gotten strange in any ways. Taste is very good, having developed a bit of cheddar tang, and surprisingly the smoked paprika seems to permeate the whole cheese even though it is only on the rind. I am going to leave 1/4 of this cheese in the cave to keep aging since it is really low maintenance at this point and go ahead and give this cheese make a thumbs up. Thank you to those who have been with me since the beginning (5 months ago).

I know this is an old thread,  but, just wondering how this turned out?!  Attempting the same cotija from Mary Karlin and would also like to age it.  Love the oil/paprika idea.  Have done the same rub to my saffron manchego and chili flake asiago.  So far they are aging well.
Any update would be appreciated!!