My milk supplier now offers raw cream so I decided to give Roomkaas a try. From what I understand, Roomkaas is Dutch meaning 'cream cheese'. There are many variations such as a soft cream cheese up to a double cream Gouda. Having not found a Roomkaas recipe so I followed a basic Gouda and adjusted accordingly. Based on my calculations I should end up with a 65-75% butterfat content once the cheese has cured for about a month. I followed the Cornell University guidelines for pH markers. It is attached below.
I took great care not to lose much fat in the whey. A long floc time, pre-cutting the curds, slow stirring with a rounded edge spoon all led to fat retention. The whey was remarkably clear and I ended up with a massive 5 lb. 8 oz. cheese. The firmness of the cheese is much like a Butterkase so I don't think this will be a long aged cheese.
Ingredients:
4 Gallons Raw Milk
2 Quarts Raw Cream
1/3rd Tsp Mesophile Type ll
1 Tsp Calcium Chloride (to play well with my brine)
1-1/2 Tsp Single Strength Rennet
24% Brine Solution
Process:
1. Bring milk up to 86-89F and sprinkle in culture. Wait 5 minutes then stir in well.
2. Let mature for 30 minutes.
3. Add calcium chloride.
4. Add rennet and wait approximately 30-40 minutes or use 3.5 floc. Multiplier.
5. Cut curds vertically only with one inch spacing and wait five minutes.
6. Continue to cut curds ½ inch spacing and gently stir for fifteen minutes.
7. Let curds settle to bottom and remove one third of the whey.
8. Add the same volume of hot purified water back into the pot to raise the temperature to 90-102F. This should be done over a period of about fifteen minutes.
9. Stir to cook the curds for approximately 30-45 minutes depending on how dry you want the curds.
10. Place the curds in a 7 inch diameter mold covered in a bath of warm whey and press using 5-10 lbs. for fifteen minutes.
11. Remove the mold from the whey, flip and press again with 10 lbs. for thirty minutes.
12. Flip and increase pressure to 15 lbs. for thirty minutes two more times.
13. Flip and increase pressure to 25 lbs. for one hour.
14. Final flip and wait approximately twelve hours. Pressure can be increased to 50 lbs. if desired.
15. Place cheese in brine solution with salt sprinkled on top for ten hours. Flip and repeat for another ten hours for a total bringing time of twenty hours.
16. Remove from brine and pat dry. Place cheese in a cave set to 55F with 85% humidity.
17. Cheese can be coated or bagged after about seven days of drying or continue without coating for a natural rind.
My pH Markers:
Raw Milk, 6.75
After Ripening, 6.52
Whey Drain, 6.43
Molding, 6.19
