Author Topic: 11 week old tomme  (Read 4834 times)

mtncheesemaker

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11 week old tomme
« on: March 13, 2010, 06:17:04 PM »
Here are a couple of pics of a 3 gal raw cow tomme. I cut into it today as I had noticed it was swelling a bit. It is quite tasty with no off flavors. It is definitely "softer" along the rind parts than in the middle. I read that swelling after a month or two could be from legumes in the feed.
The recipe is from 200 Cheeses. I inoculated the milk with B. linens and Geo 17. (If you inoculate the milk, is there a reason you should use the bacteria in the brine wash too?) I like this cheese as it is fairly easy to make and quite good.
Comments welcome.
Pam

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: 11 week old tomme
« Reply #1 on: March 13, 2010, 07:34:23 PM »
Pam that cheese texture looks great. Appears to be really creamy. Congrats!

gotta watch those beans - brurp!

Missy Greene

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Re: 11 week old tomme
« Reply #2 on: March 18, 2010, 05:11:23 PM »
Those look great. I have my first two goat tommes aging they are 6 weeks old. I also use 200 cheese recipe.. will let you know how they are....a little later!
 Missy

SueVT

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Re: 11 week old tomme
« Reply #3 on: March 18, 2010, 11:50:11 PM »
I know that yellow mold is very desirable for a tomme.  I haven't gotten that yet...
Mine is coming out firmer and looks like the surface of the moon.... I like yours better!

Sue

iratherfly

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Re: 11 week old tomme
« Reply #4 on: March 19, 2010, 01:48:11 AM »
Looks beautiful, I want a wedge! The colors are so gorgeous and rustic, the inside looks soft.

So the eyes are result of feed only? You didn't have to age it in warmer room or use some mesophilic/shermanii that does that?  There are 3 or 4 Tomme recipes in the 200 cheese book, which one is it?

I am now drying the brine off an experimental Petit-Tomme. I used that book for inspiration but didn't perfectly follow the recipe. I did not have any b.linens left but I did have PLA which contains b.linens (as well as Geo and other stinky grassy). I had the same question - did you use anything on the rind, or was the inoculation of b.linen in the milk enough?

See my post here: http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,3497.0/topicseen.html

mtncheesemaker

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Re: 11 week old tomme
« Reply #5 on: March 19, 2010, 05:45:34 PM »
I used the recipe for Tomme on page 206, more or less. I used 3 gal raw Jersey milk, from which I removed 1 qt of cream.
I don't use CaCl. I used .25t MA 4001 for starter and inoculated the milk with a pinch of B. linens and Geo 17. ( I don't have any Cylindrocarpon.) I used those 2 molds in my brine wash until I got a good coverage with orange, then just washed with brine.
The first Tomme I made, I didn't inoculate the milk and had less success getting the B. linens to take off.
I didn't add anything to make the eyes; I don't even know if they should be there.
I just made another one last weekend, hope it turns out as good.
Good luck to you all,
Pam

SueVT

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Re: 11 week old tomme
« Reply #6 on: March 20, 2010, 12:49:47 AM »
I keep looking at this cheese... I really like it.... ok it's in the queue now, right after the next cheddar.
Sue

Missy Greene

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Re: 11 week old tomme
« Reply #7 on: March 23, 2010, 01:40:35 AM »
ok, so here finally is a photo of one of my tommes... the rind looks way different than yours! it has an uneven, bumpy textured rind, and is a little sticky..I have been rubbing the rind  once a week or so.it was made on 30th of Jan..... comments???
Missy

SueVT

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Re: 11 week old tomme
« Reply #8 on: March 23, 2010, 02:29:19 AM »
Beautiful!!! 

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: 11 week old tomme
« Reply #9 on: March 23, 2010, 03:40:26 AM »
Looks great !

iratherfly

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Re: 11 week old tomme
« Reply #10 on: March 23, 2010, 04:31:44 AM »
Looks Fantastic Missy! Geo/B.Linens on the rind? I wonder how it is sticky if you rub it so often. Is it soft? How does it smell?

Missy Greene

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Re: 11 week old tomme
« Reply #11 on: March 24, 2010, 06:07:26 PM »
yes b linens on the rind  it smells a little strong..not in a bad way.. ..not sure why it is sticky..it is a little soft, like pliable if you press on it.  thanks for the positive comments....i'll let yo know when I open it....what are yours doing iratherfly????
 aren't they about the same age??
Missy

iratherfly

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Re: 11 week old tomme
« Reply #12 on: March 24, 2010, 07:25:41 PM »
Yes, I had two. The first one had difficulty getting the curd set which resulted in too-small curd after cooking/stirring so I got a rather dry and hard cheese that couldn't be aged more than 2 months as it was turning into a fossil. I washed it in Belgian Ale. When it was time to crack it open it was dry like an 18 months Parmesan but it lacked the maturity and long-term enzyme effect on protein formation for such cheese so it was rather flaky, un-melty and lacking deep flavor profile. Looks nice though...

The other one was made Jan 26 and the curd control was way better. This one was dipped in Syrah wine brine twice and then vacuumed. Call it a "Drunken Cow" if you will. It seems to be maturing very nicely under vacuum. The color looks great and no mold anywhere. Under my fingers it feels like a proper semi-soft cheese so I expect success on this one. The vacuum gives me the luxurious option of waiting until April 26 to open it.

The third one I made about 10 days ago is an experimental Petit-Tomme (536 grams, about 18 Oz.). The milk was inoculated with Geo and PLA (which contains B.Linens amongst other things). I started a question/suggestion thread about it here: http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,3497.0.html - my attempt in building a community-generated cheese but only Linuxboy replied so far. Please feel free to contribute...

Photos of the hard Tomme and the Drunken Cow Tomme below:

iratherfly

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Re: 11 week old tomme
« Reply #13 on: April 06, 2010, 02:20:08 AM »
UPDATE:
As my "drunken cow"/"Tomme de Syrah" vacuum began to losen up I suspected a gas buildup. I re-vacuumed it and vacuum was lost again in 2 days. Since it was already 65 days old I figured I should really smell it - it smelled wonderful; packed of wine and cheese aromas. I decided to crack it open. It is delicious and tender, mild saltiness, lots of wine aroma. It almost have the effects of Shermanii bacteria without the bite on the tongue.
The texture is a fun contrast it feels on the tongue very buttery (almost like re-heated cheese such as Laughing Cow/La Vache Qui Rit/Bel Pease or Flora Danica) but it's not at all - it is rather flaky and slightly brittle (more than I wanted). Random tiny eyes too. It melts well too - I am VERY happy with it and I think this one will become regular. Next time I would cut the curd a bit larger to have better moisture and knotting and less flakiness. Photos below.
Check out the third photo: Is this gas buildup? What do you guys/gals think?

FRANCOIS

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Re: 11 week old tomme
« Reply #14 on: April 06, 2010, 02:40:16 AM »
The crack is from brittleness due to low pH.  Low pH is giving you the flaky texture as well.  The milk most likely ripened too much before rennet addition.  Did you wash the curd?  No washing will generally exascerbate the pH situation in a tomme.