I actually thought that the crottin referred to the shape... the very first ones I made are still aging and they are really stinky, when tried them last weekend, my cheeseman friend suggested waiting a bit longer and now they are developing that more traditional looking wrinkly buff-ish colored skin. The first ones i tried of Francoise's recipe,( but with MA)4001 which were brined, are still just covered with a nice white fuzz, they actually tasted very good but a tad salty. I still am confused about the brining vs salting issue, Francoise said that brining provides for a more even mold growth, this is clearly visible on the cheeses i brined,..so why do all the recipes call for salting? Personally, i find it hard to get an even distribution of salt on those soft little guys, and the recipes say to just do the top and bottom..while brining also gets the sides. It also makes the surface a little easier to handle when turning during aging. Comments?? the crottin I tried from the 200 cheese recipe book are still very moist and small. Just made a new batch a la Francoise which I predrained in a cloth, and then put in four crottin molds, they are still draining and are more to the traditional size.
All this info is so great, i look forward to it every day! Thanks, Missy