A friend here on the forum sent me some d'Affinois to try, a cheese I had not been familiar with before. It is made by one and only one company using a unique method - before adding any cultures or rennet, the milk is concentrated using "ultra-filtration" to remove much of the liquid while retaining the fat, calcium, and proteins. Then culture including PC and (I think) geo are added along with rennet, and it is put directly into the mold. It ripens in two weeks, and results in a thick, silky, creamy cheese. Search for "d'Affinois" on the internet and you will get many links with a basic description and taste; the following link provides a bit more information on how the cheese is made:
Oxford Companion to Cheese.
I wondered if there would be any way to reproduce something like this cheese at home, despite not having access to ultra-filtration equipment. Below is a record of my experiment. The quick conclusion? Similar in texture and mouth feel, but not quite the same in taste. I've never made a lactic-set bloomy, and I've only had a limited exposure to this type (and what I've had has been goat-milk based) - but based on that limited exposure, I'm wondering if I have mostly just created a variation on a lactic-set bloomy, though maybe a bit richer.
Now, on to the experiment!
Ingredients (Picture 1):
1 gallon whole milk (I used store-bought P&H - all I have access to)
1 quart heavy cream (I used ultra-pasteurized - all I have access to)
3 cans evaporated (not sweetened) whole milk
scant 1/2 tsp CaCl (I used 1/8+ tsp CaCl crystals dissolved in water)
scant 1/4 tsp Flora Danica
scant 1/32 tsp PC
1/64 tsp geo
scant 1/2 tsp rennet
~3-1/2 tsp kosher salt
Steps:
- Combine milk, cream, and evaporated milk and warm to 90°F. Add CaCl.
- Sprinkle on cultures, wait 5 minutes, stir in; culture for 60 minutes. (Picture 2)
- Add rennet (diluted in 1/4 cup non-chlorinated water); leave undisturbed for 12-24 hours. At this point, mixture is thickened, and there is some whey gathering at the edges, but it does not really form a curd - more like thin yogurt. (Picture 3)
- Drain through cheesecloth lined colander for several hours until the volume is reduced by at least 1/2. (Pictures 4-5)
- Gather cheesecloth corners and hang to continue to drain for 12-24 hours until consistency is like thick Greek yogurt. (Pictures 6-7)
- Scoop and spread into three 6” molds (I used a small cake decorating spatula - it is about like spreading frosting). Allow to drain for another 12-24 hours; I cover it during this time with a clean cheese cloth to keep any bugs out. (Picture 8 )
- Add 1/2 of salt to the tops, still in the molds. Allow 12-24 hours to absorb (and continue to drain; again, I keep the molds covered with cheesecloth).
- Run a clean knife around the sides of each mold and turn the molds over onto plastic weave; wait for them to release. As needed, scoop out any paste that sticks to the molds and spread gently back into place. (Picture 9) Add the remaining salt to the exposed side hours. It probably would be fine just to cover them or tent them with cheesecloth at this point, but I put the molds back over them and then cover with cheese cloth. (Picture 10)
- Remove the molds, transfer to ripening boxes, and put in the cave (50-55°F). Daily flip the cheese (be careful - still VERY soft) and drain/wipe out moisture that has collected - especially the first day or two there will still be some draining occurring. It will take longer for PC to appear than for a camembert. (Picture 11)
- When the cheeses are reasonably well coated with PC (about 2 weeks from the start of the make), wrap in cheese paper and put in cold fridge for another week or more. (Picture 12)
- Finally, the time has come to taste! It does not slice like a regular cheese, not even like a brie; texture is still more like a heavy butter cream frosting, but it has firmed up quite a bit and does hold its shape unless you squish it. (Picture 13) Taste is ... very, very good, IMHO
And there you have it!