Camembert #2

[Tea]

The camembert that I made is based on the following recipe.

5lt whole milk
100ml type E starter
Pinch of white mould spore.
Bring milk to a setting temp of 40-42c mix in starter and spore powders well and leave for 45 minutes.

Add 1.25ml rennet diluted. Mix in well.  Maintain setting temp and allow to set for approx 30-35min.

Cut curd into 2cm cubes.

Allow to sit for 30 mins.

Turn all the curd over gently for 3 min.

Sit for another 30 min.

Turn curd again gently for 3 min.

Sit for another 30 min.

Turn curd again for 3 min.

Sit for 30 min.

Drain off half the whey and pour the curd into hoops placed on a lined draining tray.
Invert hoops in 10 mins and again in 1/2 hour and an hour, and three, then five then eight.

Leave over night.

Next day place cheese in a cold 20% brine solution for 20 mins to 1 hour depending on size.  125gr (4oz) needs 20 min.  250gr (8oz) needs one hour.  A pinch of spore powder can be added to the brine solution.

Dry for 24 hours at room temp. then place cheeses into a humid enviroment at 11-15c and store for 8-10 days.  Turn cheeses on the third sixth and eighth day.  They should by this time be covered in mould.

Wrap cheese and store at 11-15c for another week or two.  They should be ready to eat in 2-4 weeks.

[Tea]

This recipe made three 250gr approx cheese.  To aide the turning of them, I put a piece of cheese cloth held in place with a rubber band over the open end of the basket.  This alleviated the need for a second mat to be used to turning them over.

This them going into the moist enviroment after drying 24 hours.

[Tea]

I didn't turn over the curd as much as I curd kept them moving around the pot.  I think this allowed the curd to stick together, rather than be free, which I think is why the resulting cheese came out of the molds a little lumpy, rather than smooth.
Any how I proceeded, as hopefully it won't affect the flavour.

This is the cheeses on day five, before and after turning.  Yes I know I turn a day early.  Not sure that the mould shows up very well, but I have a complete covering already, which I didn't expect.

[Cheese Head]

They do look great, yep can see the white bloom .

My first try is today, records posted here, any tips appreciated.

[Tea]

Ok here are the cheeses at day 9.  Notice in the first pic the indents on the sides of the cheese.  This is where I have picked up the cheese to turn, and will give you an idea of the depth of the mold growth.
The next are of them wrapped in plastic tightly, which smooshed the growth flat and shows the tops and bottoms of the cheese.  They will stay in the cave for another two weeks.
Last is just a closeup of them wrapped.
Now to have patience and wait.  I hope they taste alright.

[Cheese Head]

In early August my family and I are going on a holiday to New Mexico including Roswell, your last picture of closeup in plastic look like the martians that landed there in the 60's .

Look way better than mine, learn learn learn . . .

[Tea]

You saw them land and they look like my cheeses?? You need to sell that story to the media.

Actually with as much mold on them as they did, they looked like they could float away.  Weird looking stuff.

[Cheese Head]

Nope, sadly I've never seen UFO's . . . Roswell is the famous place in US where Aliens landed and the US government hid and still has the bodies!

Wiki on the incident . . . popular & colourful Roswell website.

[Tea]

Cheese Head to be honest, if I see another TV doco on Roswell, I think I will scream.

Well I decided to cut the camembert this weekend.  It is 10 days since I wrapped them, and as we were having some friend over, decided that now was the time.
As you will see from the photo's it had some holes in it, which I suspected that I would get.  The cheese, although it was allowed to come back to room temp, was soft but definately not gooey.  So I need to work on keeping the curd softer while cooking.
The smell when cut was a camembert smell, and the initial flavour was of camembert.  The after flavour however was of a very mild cheddar.  Not a bad taste, just strange and interesting.  Not sure why that happened, whether it was the fact that I didn't keep it cool enough, of whether it was the culture that was used.
So while I don't think I nailed this one, at least it was still edible and very enjoyable, if the fact the two wheels were almost consumed by everyone is anything to go by.
Decided that I am going to attempt a Brie and see what I get this weekend.

[Cheese Head]

Ozzie must have different TV shows, I asked our teenage girls if they want to go to Roswell to see the aliens and they said huh?

Your Camembert's look great, eyes/holes are fun, thanks for info on taste. We ate one of my Camembert Making #1 cheeses, picture and thoughts here.

[Cheese Head]

Made this recipe starting July 20, 2008, records and pictures posted here.

[reg]

looks good Tea, love the holes

reg