Creamy Clifford Cheddar

[Baby Chee]

I tried Ricki Carroll's Trad English approach to a cheddar (my first). 

It just got out of the press and is sitting in a cupboard, airdrying for a few days.


3 gallons whole milk from store
1/2 gallon ultra-pasteurized whipping cream
CaCl
Canning salt

It deviated from the process in the cheddaring phase as the cream made the curds extremely moist, so draining went on and on as it languished in 95ºF heat.  Then it stacked a while, but I had no sure way to check acidity.  The run off was getting acidic to taste and I cut it off, milled, salted, and pressed.

Pressing was about 60 hours.  40 @ 70lbs., 20 @ 50lbs.

It's a much larger cheese than others I have made with just regular milk.
It'll wax in 3 or 4 days and go into the fridge for months and months of torture (my torture to wait).

[Sailor Con Queso]

Why wax so quickly? Let it breathe for a month and then wax if you still feel the urge. Looks nice. I would say the 70 pound pressing helped. 

[Baby Chee]

The recipe I am following says "dry 2-5 days or until dry to the touch", and since I'm going this far with the recipe, I might as well go the distance.

[DeejayDebi]

It looks great Chee I would have waited about a month before waxing also. Riccis boks is somewhat lacking in details and full of "differences in option."

[Baby Chee]

It seemed well dried after 7 days, so I waxed.  The fruit flies appearing at this time of year were worrying me.

[Sailor Con Queso]

Looks like a chocolate cheddar. 

[Baby Chee]

Certainly has a cake-like appearance. :d Yum.

I hate that cheddar takes so long to age.  What a struggle!

[DeejayDebi]

Looks nice though. I have to make a batch of chocolate cheddar. I bought a few packs in Wisconsin to bring home to compare and see the ingredients. I don't care for it but my family does. It's very sweet.

[Sailor Con Queso]

I was kidding about chocolate cheddar. There really is such a thing? Outside coating? or mixed inside?

[DeejayDebi]

It's like a fudge with nuts.

[Sailor Con Queso]

Cheddar Chocolate. Must be those long, cold, Winconsin Winter nights.

[Baby Chee]

Wisconsin is always progressive with cheese, to keep the edge and reputation.

I had no idea there was chocolate cheddar either.  Every year I drive through there and have never stopped at one of those huge highway cheese ...outlets.  This year I'll do it and see what they are pushing.

[DeejayDebi]

I don't know when they started making it but I've been buying it for over 20 years. I suspect they mix all the junk in there after milling. It's very sweet. If you like chocolate or fudge you'll like it. Also has walnuts