Fourme d'Ambert

[Brie]

Are you "pouring" the wine over the cheese? Are you "washing" the cheese with the wine? What the heck are you doing? All experimental, but each method has different outcomes. I am using an injector needle to infuse the fouorme once per week--should be ready to cut in a few weeks--how interesting it all is!

[CheeseSnipe]

Sorry for the late response I somehow missed this reply.

I started just pouring it over the top but I've found it doesn't stick, so now I've started giving it a little Vouvray massage. 

[Brie]

We'll continue to commiserate on this one--I continue to inject once per week.

[Brie]

Last injection of vitamin Vouvrey yesterday--scraped the Fourme and cleaned the cave for its final affinage--getting excited about this experiment--how is yours coming along?

[Brie]

Second post on this topic to include this thread. It appears that d'Ambert has a sister that is doused in wine:
Produced in Belgium, production of Fourme au Sauternes was developed by affineur Jacquy Cange and is inextricably related to its sister cheese, Fourme d'Ambert.

In order to make Fourme au Sauternes, Monsieur Cange (who has worked for more than 20 years at mastering the art of creating new cheeses and developing the perfect affinage for each) cuts cylinders of Fourme d'Ambert horizontally in half and proceeds to both inject and wash the half wheels with Sauternes before maturing them for two months.
Perhaps this is why we don't see the wine injection in any of our d'Ambert recipes. Nonetheless, I did inject and it was wonderful!

[jawdog]

I'm thinking about making this cheese.  My first blue. 

What floc multiplier should I use?  What is pH at drain?

And, to age it 10 months as Sailor did, does it age in cave for a couple of months and then in fridge?  Or, eventually clean rind and oil?

Thanks for your help.

John

[Brie]

Great blue to start out with. Flocc is 4--should be about 90 minutes. Have not tested PH with this cheese. It is normally aged only for a few months, which is why it is a great blue to start with. Sailor let his age longer (probably because he has so many blues aging). They all do taste better when they age longer. I would suggest a taste after the normal 2 month aging period-it should be great. If yo're thinking about injecting with wine, do if after it has aged at least a month, and  then inject once per week for the next month. Let it age another month. All should be done at 50-55 degrees with 70% humidity.
Good luck and keep us posted!

[RolandWilk]

Two weeks ago I made a large Fourme d'Ambert using the recipe from 200 Easy Home Made Cheeses. The cheese is now totally covered in a thick blue mould and looks nothing like the photos of this kind of cheese elsewhere. The recipe says that the cheese should be covered in a crusty blue grey mould, but this looks like the mould has taken over totally. This mould is not tasty at all.

Anyone have suggestions?

Roland

[Brie]

Just wipe it down with brine--it will be fine--happens all the time.