My first washed-rind cheese . . . Esrom

[Boofer]

Thank you for that description. Very helpful.

I'm wondering if any of the other washed-rind cheeses have any such lingering bitterness? As I said, my wife and I both detected some, but I just went ahead and ate some more anyway.

Perhaps the calf rennet will minimize the bitter aspect to the cheese when I do it again. I'm hopeful.

-Boofer-

[Boofer]

I was wondering if I just vacuum-bagged the loaf when I remove it from the whey-brine...would that eliminate or reduce the ooziness?

Here's an additional description:

"Esrom is a semi-firm cheese made from partially skim raw cow's milk. Starter and Rennet are added to the milk, then the curd is cut, stirred, drained and warmed. The cheese is place into moulds and lightly pressed. The surface is then salted and rubbed with a bacteria, then aged for 10 to 12 weeks. The cheese's rind is washed during aging.

The rind ends up thin, hard and orange, feeling almost greasy. Inside, the cheese is light-yellow and semi-firm; its texture is pliable, making it easy to slice. There are small holes throughout the cheese inside.

The cheese has a strong odour, but the taste is actually mild.

The cheese is available in different fat contents, ranging from 22.5% to 60% and in different flavours such as garlic and pepper."

Maybe if there still is bitterness after using the calf rennet, it could be masked by garlic? I might just end up with a garlicky bitter cheese  .

How do they achieve the almost non-existent rind as in every photo of Esrom? I think the vacuum-bagging would do that. If the b. linens was added to the milk at the beginning as I did, the flavor would still develop...just not the crusty rind. I also see that I pressed too heavy because I had very few small holes in the paste.

The pic of the cheeses on the racks shows them with very little rind development.

Any other opinions?

-Boofer-

[mtncheesemaker]

I wouldn't vac bag a washed rind cheese.
I would encourage you to try this again. My first washed rind, a munster, was a huge disaster, much worse than yours! I had all kinds of unwanted molds which I didn't control properly. But now they have gotten better, and are quite successful.
I think if you could get the B. linens going quicker, that would be good. I do think your rind issues were caused by unwanted white molds. The moisture issue is key here; sometimes I dry off the cheese after washing the rind, sometimes I don't. I just gauge it by "feel".
Good luck with the next attempt!

[clherestian]

I'm guessing that if you switch to calf rennet from the mucor, then your bitterness will go away. I know lots of people like vegetable rennet, but I hate the stuff. It always adds a little bitterness when I use it.

[clherestian]

Also, if I had a problem with too thick of a rind, I would wash the cheese every day or every other day to knock back the growth. If that is your goal, don't just wet surface, you have to wipe off some of the growth so the rind stays thin. But you have to do that at the beginning before geo/yeasts get thick.

[Boofer]

Yeah, thanks for that. I'll probably be using those brushes I got a while back to vigorously brush the rind down early on. I can't really see the folks with the racks of cheeses doing that for each cheese loaf though. They've got to be doing something less labor-intensive.

-Boofer-

[clherestian]

The picture you showed doesn't look like the cheese was brushed. Anyhow, I tried brushing a wet cheese before and it doesn't work out too well. It makes a mess out of the brush and scrapes up the cheese. When you wash, you should be able to rub with a piece of cheese cloth to keep the rind thin.

[DeejayDebi]

Once you've developed the rind you can vacpac it but it needs air to develop.

[Boofer]

I sampled the cheese for breakfast this morning with some green grapes, dark bing cherries, and a nectarine. I stripped off the rind veneer and was left with a pristine wedge. I didn't let it sit out at room temperature as I did before so there was no ooze.

Very nice. The slight bitterness appears to be fading. I was very pleased with the taste, texture, salt level, and the way it complemented the fruit.

I was wondering:

• What would happen if I was to vacuum-seal one half of this cheese for longer aging.
• Would that work?
• What could I expect to happen?
• How long could a washed rind like this satisfactorily age that way?
• If I did this should I first remove the rind?

I recently bought a Port Salut vacuum-sealed that way so I know it is possible to carry it over for a certain length of time. Since this is supposed to be like a Danish Port Salut, it's kind of in the same ballpark. I just don't want to eat it all within the next couple weeks and I don't want it to dry out or become infected with something else.

-Boofer-

[Boofer]

Well, this is a bit like having a conversation with myself.... 

Me decided that what I thought was a good idea would be an excellent course of action for myself.

So there it is: Me, Myself, and I are all in agreement. I will vacuum-seal some of the cheese and see how it handles it.

-Boofer-

[Cheesetart]

Well you know, I always say that me, myself and I always get the job done!   
In any case, I have taken several different cheeses and cut them into smaller wedges after their initial tasting, vac sealed, and aged for various periods -- and I have been amazed at the difference in flavor with the longer aging process.   My portfolio of cheeses is probably not as expansive as others, but I have quite a few in my cave and several that were tasted, had good flavor, and have become even better with more aging!   I don't normally remove the rind -- have not seen a reason to do so.    So I would offer that you will probably be pleasantly surprised in the shift in flavor as the cheese ages -- please keep us "posted" the next time you sample it!!

[Boofer]

Cheesetart - I have a number of hard-rind cheeses in the cave that are aging. Some are over a year old.

The big difference here is that this is a washed-rind cheese with a decidedly different rind and paste. That was my concern. Thanks for your encouragement though.

-Boofer-

[DeejayDebi]

Sorry Boofer I have been catering my butt off lately - didn't mean to leave you hanging. The esrom I had did not appear to have any rind at all but did have that slight bitter after taste that I associate with the P. candidum/geo combination not the b. linens. Similar to the rachelette rind flavor.

VAc PAc it - can't hurt your've developed your rind

[Boofer]

It has been a while since I cut into and tasted this cheese. Yesterday I sliced another sample for lunch. I then vacuum-sealed the rest for continued aging. Surprisingly, the cheese paper kept the cut cheese in good shape. It didn't dry out or get moldy. I'm impressed. First time I've used the cheese paper. Highly recommended.

The sample I had for lunch was kept out for about an hour and a half before I ate it. It didn't ooze a lot, but it did get a little soft at the rind. I cut the rind off and sat down with crackers and a beer. Nice. It sliced well as this style should. It had a creamy texture with a very slight bitter aspect to it, but wasn't displeasing at all.

Now I'll see if vacuum-sealing it will ruin it, or extend its viability.

-Boofer-

[DeejayDebi]

That's a really pretty rind! Not what I would expect for an esrom but very pretty. I guess you know what I meant by slightly bitter by now. Not unpleasent just there way in the background.