This is a test attempt at a proper blue cheese, to see if I can maintain a favourable environment and get proper mould development without jeopardizing the rest of my maturing cheeses.
I made them small to mature fast and fit into plastic containers (which provide the humidity they need) in what is normally a dry environment (my maturing fridges, running at 10 Celcius with low humidity).
Recipe is Ricki Carroll's "Blue Cheese", blue culture stolen from a bit of Gorgonzola mashed up in the raw cow's milk.
I started them in the middle of February (pic 1), they showed good growth by 4 weeks (pic 2, they got scraped just after that) and I cut the first after 6 weeks.
Nice. A proper rind (I vac pack my cheeses, so mostly don't develop a real rind) and slightly squishy. Interior paste is showing a good creamy colour and the veins are developing nicely.
Texture is slightly firm (but heading in the right direction) and really smooth/creamy. Only a little "Blue" smell at this stage, and mild but full blue flavour.
I'm very happy with this cheese, it's better than I could have hoped. I have more for longer maturation, but I fear they won't last long. Space constraints mean that I can only have one batch going at a time worse luck.
I have made a few blue infused cheeses before (cheddar and Gouda, both really tasty), but as I vacuum pack my cheeses, they develop a slight blue flavour but no actual blue mould, as they run out of oxygen and hibernate early in the maturation process. The blue "Wakes up" if I unpack the cheeses, but it never lasts long enough to really develop much colour.
