White Cheddar with blueberries - need help formulating a recipe

[homeacremom]

Several years ago I had a small slice of a white cheddar with blueberries. The flavor was very mild almost sweet, and the texture moist and creamy. It might not have been as great as I remember, but I have the itch to make one.

Anyone have pointers in making a similar cheese?

I'm planning on increasing my floc time and curd size to increase moisture in comparison to my regular cheddar recipe, and plan on a 4-5 month aging period (should be ready around Christmas). I might make another one in a couple months for a younger 3 month version just in case the first gets a bit sharp.

I've toyed with the idea of adding some extra cream to my whole goat milk for this recipe. Any thoughts on that?

I have my home dried blueberries to get around the sugar and sulpher issues.

My main question is about achieving the slight sweetness I remember. Was it simply the contrast of cheese against the tartness of dried blueberries?

[9mmruger]

I wonder if adding a touch of Flora Danica along with your Meso culture would help?  Just a thought.

[Sailor Con Queso]

Flora Danica contains Leuc. m. cremoris which produces CO2, and eyes - not a good choice for cheddar. I would use an MM100 which includes Lc. b. diacetylactis. This bacteria produces a buttery (diacetyl) flavor and sometimes a tiny bit of CO2.

I can't help you with goats milk procedures (and it will be a little different) but you are on the right track with your curds and floc time and a little extra cream never hurts. But the real key to a milder softer cheddar is acidity. With a cow's milk cheddar, you typically drain at pH 6.1, cheddar, then salt and hoop at pH 5.3-5.5. If you want a cheddar that isn't so dry just don't let it develop as much acidity before salting.

You might look at a recipe for a Double Gloucester. This is a style of cheddar that is not "cheddared" for as long and has a higher pH. It is a wonderful, smooth, mild cheddar even without extra cream. I have one cheddaring right now and will salt it at pH 5.7

I may have to try this one.