New batch of cambozola

[Oberhasli]

I just made a new and probably last batch of cambozola for awhile.  I used 2 quarts of heavy cream (not ultrapasteurized) with  1 1/2 gallons of goat milk.  I think next time I will use calcium chloride to set the milk firmer.  I have never used calcium chloride in any of my cheeses, but I did read that with a higher fat cheese it will result in a firmer set.  This set wasn't as firm as it is with my other cheeses and there seemed to be a lot of fat (cream) floating on the top of the curd.  I did drain it in cheesecloth before I put it in the moulds and sprinkle with the pen. roq.  It looked like the pen. roq. was still there after unmoulding the cheeses.  Last time it was kind of washed away with the wet curds.  The last results were very edible and nice and creamy, just no blue veining.  I'm hoping this batch will be equally creamy with blue veins, but I will do some things differently next time as well. 

Do some of you routinely use calcium chloride?  I have it, I just never needed it, or so I thought. 

Bonnie

[mtncheesemaker]

Hi Bonnie;
I used it a bit this late winter when the cows who were supplying my milk were in late lactation and on late winter hay. It helped quite a bit with curd set and quality.
I don't use it regularly but sometimes I think the curd could be firmer and I wonder...
Pam

[Gina]

I dont know what the cambozola recipe suggests, but some other blue recipes call for adding the P.roq in the very beginning. The last blue I made I actually ran the innoculum (a bit of blue cheese) with some of the milk in a sterized blender for a few seconds to better disperse the spores. The resulting cheese blued up very well. If the 'store-bought' P.roq is in powder form, sometimes dry powders greatly resist being mixed with liquids.

I use calcium chloride all the time, but then I only have access to grocery milk.