Author Topic: 'Jazzing Up' Basic Hard Cheese Making Recipes  (Read 7048 times)

CdnMorganGal

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'Jazzing Up' Basic Hard Cheese Making Recipes
« on: August 28, 2010, 12:37:04 AM »
I've made my first basic hard cheese and its aging in the fridge. Due to travel commitments I can't try any other types right now, so I'd like to make a few more basic hard cheeses.  Problem is I don't want to end up with a half-dozen cheeses basically the same.  What can I use to 'jazz em up'?  Paprika? ground black pepper? any other herbs or suggestions?  Should I bake em in the oven to 'sterilize' them before adding?  At what point in the process do I add them?  Thank you - Desiree

Bowl

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Re: 'Jazzing Up' Basic Hard Cheese Making Recipes
« Reply #1 on: August 28, 2010, 10:53:39 AM »
Hi,

    Here's a recipe in which you add peppers.

http://www.cheesemaking.com/store/pg/30.html

Hope I helped :)

Offline DeejayDebi

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Re: 'Jazzing Up' Basic Hard Cheese Making Recipes
« Reply #2 on: August 29, 2010, 05:28:49 AM »
Whatever you add it generally works best if it is dried or dehydrated if you are making an aged cheese. If it's a fresh cheese it won't matter. No you don't have to sterilize them as they should be reasonably sterile.

iratherfly

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Re: 'Jazzing Up' Basic Hard Cheese Making Recipes
« Reply #3 on: August 29, 2010, 06:04:43 AM »
First of, you can experiment with cultures: inoculate different things into the milk. Switching a starter culture alone can take your cheese from chalky to butter-like texture/flavor. Just think what you can do adding cheese yeasts, and aromatic bacteria. You can add Shermanii and give the cheese big eyes like a swiss cheese or use enzymes like Lipase that can give you Italian style sharp cheese.

I also think this is a perfect opportunity for you to experiment with wild rinds. You can really build different rinds and make custom cheeses with different characteristics in each one.
Yesterday I've tasted an incredible british cheese filled with crunchy hops and barley. They weren't so much flavorants as they were texturizers. That crunch was amazing. You can also consider using herbs and spices that are aromatic but have little or no flavor.

Personally, I don't like any fruits, vegetable or spices in my cheese. It always feel supermarket-cheap and covers up for cheesemaker's inability to make cheese taste good. I can get raisins and peppers in the market and add them to my sandwich as I see fit... no reason to lock them into the cheese. I do appreciate a great rind that gives the cheese incredible aromas and builds character and lingering, layered, sophisticated flavor profile.

Something else you want to consider is dipping! Dip your cheese in red wine, brandy, balsamic, ale etc. Then age it. I have a cheese at home now that is made by monks on the coast of Brittany in France, they rub it in walnut liquor every day. It is sweet, smells like caramel and nuts - incredible (better be amazing for $40/Lb - I only got a small piece!)

One of my lazy-aging bests is a Tomme that I dip in Syrah wine (like a drunken goat but it's cow). I then age it in vacuum for 65 days, it is very flavorful and aromatic. Really hands-of set it/forget it kind of cheese that packs a punch. Here are photos:

Bowl

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Re: 'Jazzing Up' Basic Hard Cheese Making Recipes
« Reply #4 on: August 29, 2010, 08:59:20 AM »
Wow! That looks amazing.

Can I have your recipe?

iratherfly

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Re: 'Jazzing Up' Basic Hard Cheese Making Recipes
« Reply #5 on: August 29, 2010, 08:51:10 PM »
Sure!
I am doing a basic Tomme. (formula below)
I then dip it in Syrah wine for 6 hours. Dry it thoroughly for a day. Return it to the Syrah wine for another 6 hours. Dry it thoroughly for another day or two. Then, I vacuum pack it (using FoodSaver or similar machine). Age at 55F for 65 days. Turn occasionally (Few times a week in the beginning but eventually once every week or two). It's perfect for when you are away. Also this isn't sensitive to humidity because it's in vacuum. No box cleaning, no wiping, no rind washing, no brushing, no salt rubbing... you get the idea. Real strong cheese with truly easy hands-off aging process.

Note about the wine:
I do add a few drops of CalCl to the wine and lots of salt so that it wouldn't deplete the cheese of its own CalCl and the salt (which I just brined into it!) Otherwise the cheese structure will weaken and the rind you just built with the brine will get soft.
You don't have to use Syrah wine. You can use anything that's as strong in flavor and color. I have seen people do it with watered down balsamic, port wine, liquor etc. Beer/Ale can also do the trick but watch out as it does contain yeast which can either go incredible or contaminate the cheese. Try and see...

For the basic Tomme, this is the recipe:
•   2 gallons milk (I use good quality non-homogenized) - bring to 88F
•   Add 1/4 tsp starter (MA4000, MA4001 or MA4002 are good). Optional: add a pinch of MD89 for butteriness and small eyes
•   Ripen for 30 min
•   Add 1/4 teaspoon CaCl2 (dilute in 1/3 cup water) - skip this step if you are using raw milk.
•   Add 1/2 teaspoon rennet (dilute in 1/3 cup water), stir in gently.
•   Wait for flocculation, multiply by 3 to get total ripening time. Check curd for clean-ish break (will end up around 30-50 min.)
•   Cut into 1/4 inch cubes, rest 5 min stir once or twice to prevent matting.
•   Wash curd: Remove a few cups of whey and replace them warm (140F) water. Stir lightly a few seconds to prevent matting. Repeat this step every 5-10 min over the next 30 minutes and measure temperature. Aim to get the temperature raised to 100F within 30 minutes. Curd should release lots of whey and shrink to grain size. It should feel springy and mat together in the hand if you squeeze it.
•   Line cheese mold with cloth, wash it with the warm whey (prevents sticking and abrupt cooling or pH change).
•   Pack mold with curd (under whey if you can). Place follower and press under own weight or 5Lbs. (can remove from whey now)
•   After 15 min. turn and redress. Repeat 30 min later and 1 more hour later. Increase weight to 10 lbs. overnight.
•   Brine in fully saturated brine 3.5 hrs per side, per lb. (1 part salt to 4.5 parts water, add CalCl2 and a few drops of vinegar) 
•   Dry in room temp on mat or wooden board for 2-3 days. (turn occasionally)
•   Do the wine dipping as explained above. Vacuum, age 65 days at 55F, turn occasionally.

I use 7.5" Tomme mold so I get a disc shaped cheese.
Looks like a lot of steps but actually rather easy. Takes less time than making a Camembert.

Good luck and tell me if you have any questions or problems!

Bowl

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Re: 'Jazzing Up' Basic Hard Cheese Making Recipes
« Reply #6 on: August 29, 2010, 09:59:54 PM »
Thanks iratherFly, will definately try this! :)

CdnMorganGal

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Re: 'Jazzing Up' Basic Hard Cheese Making Recipes
« Reply #7 on: August 30, 2010, 06:18:43 AM »
Thank you for the Tome recipe - will definitely make it, but it will have to wait - I don't have the proper starters - another item to add to my shopping list when I go back to Canada.

Re. that cheese dipped in walnut liqueur you mentioned - what cheese recipes do you think would suit an Amaretto liqueur?

I'd forgotten the hard cheese recipe offered a range of temps in which to cook the curds.  For my first one I cooked it at the high end of the range cause I wanted a firmer cheese.  Guess I'll go back and try the low and middle temps.

Thanks for the help and ideas.


iratherfly

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Re: 'Jazzing Up' Basic Hard Cheese Making Recipes
« Reply #8 on: August 30, 2010, 08:22:15 AM »
CdnMorganGal, you don't have to cook curds high to get a hard cheese, sometimes cutting the curd small enough and giving it a good stir can do it. Cooking high is more typical of Swiss and some dutch cheese that use thermophilic or farmstead culture as starter (farmstead culture is a mix of thero and meso).

As for the starters on the tomme - the MA4000 series is is just a recommendation. You can certainly use cultured buttermilk or MM100, Flora Danica or some of New England Cheesemaking's mystery cultures (They call it C101?).

Who do you use in Canada for culture? Have you tried buying from Danlac?

As for your other question... Ah, Amaretto; I personally love it with a bit of lemon squeezed into it and some ice late at night :) But it would definitely work for cheese.  I think you can use the same recipe for it too. I would maybe make it in smaller wheels (5") as a "petit tomme". Washing it with the liquor time after time while growing a rind (not in vaccum) can also bring out great qualities of the cheese - if you have time for that and don't need a hands-off aging.  That cheese I mentioned is called Timanoix. Look here http://www.forkandbottle.com/cheese/cheesefind/chfind0807.htm

CdnMorganGal

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Re: 'Jazzing Up' Basic Hard Cheese Making Recipes
« Reply #9 on: August 30, 2010, 12:49:55 PM »
CdnMorganGal, you don't have to cook curds high to get a hard cheese, sometimes cutting the curd small enough and giving it a good stir can do it. [


Fankhauser's basic hard cheese recipe gave a range of temps so you could choose whether you wanted the cheese harder or softer - I think I'll try those permutations, then later the smaller curds/extra stirring.

Quote
  As for the starters on the tomme - the MA4000 series is is just a recommendation. You can certainly use cultured buttermilk or MM100, Flora Danica or some of New England Cheesemaking's mystery cultures (They call it C101?).


At the moment I have MA11, Geo candidum, , Pen candidum, sharp lipase, Pen roqu PV.  I can't find cultured buttermilk here.

Quote
Who do you use in Canada for culture? Have you tried buying from Danlac?


So far I've only bought from from TheCheesemaker.com

Quote
Ah, Amaretto; I personally love it with a bit of lemon squeezed into it and some ice late at night :) But it would definitely work for cheese.  I think you can use the same recipe for it too. I would maybe make it in smaller wheels (5") as a "petit tomme". Washing it with the liquor time after time while growing a rind (not in vaccum) can also bring out great qualities of the cheese - if you have time for that and don't need a hands-off aging.  That cheese I mentioned is called Timanoix. Look here http://www.forkandbottle.com/cheese/cheesefind/chfind0807.htm


Sorry, its not clear from your post - do you think the Tome would work with the Amaretto?  Personally I love Amaretto in my homemade chocolate milk.  Thx for the link - I'll check it out.  I'll have time for more hands-on aging after I get my border run done - at the moment I'm only here on a tourist visa.

iratherfly

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Re: 'Jazzing Up' Basic Hard Cheese Making Recipes
« Reply #10 on: August 30, 2010, 03:42:37 PM »
Yes, I do think that Amaretto will work but as I said you may want a smaller cheese made. As I suggested, you may also want to experience with washing instead of dunking, but the dunk-dry-dunk-dry-vacuum method may work out just fine. You may want to try it once or twice before you figure out if two dunk-and-dry sessions are enough or if you need three or only one. I would do two my very first time.

Haven't worked with MA11 but it may work out for you too. If you want to improvise otherwise, you may want to do a cooked curd at high temp like you said (above 104F) and use yogurt as your starter. It's a proper thermophilic. (just make sure it's not one of those yogurts with colors, preservatives, starches, stabilizers, gums and pectin. Just pure nice yogurt). You can also do a combination yogurt and MA11

CdnMorganGal

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Re: 'Jazzing Up' Basic Hard Cheese Making Recipes
« Reply #11 on: August 30, 2010, 07:18:47 PM »
Haven't worked with MA11 but it may work out for you too. If you want to improvise otherwise, you may want to do a cooked curd at high temp like you said (above 104F) and use yogurt as your starter. It's a proper thermophilic. (just make sure it's not one of those yogurts with colors, preservatives, starches, stabilizers, gums and pectin. Just pure nice yogurt). You can also do a combination yogurt and MA11

In my area of Costa Rica its almost impossible to find a non-flavored yogurt.  I did find some plain yogurt at a local walmart but didn't think to look for all that other stuff - which I will, next time. 

Sorry, a bit of miscommunication re the 'high' temp - Fankhauser's recipe, which I used for my basic hard cheese, gave a temp range of 92-102F - so I had no problems using a mesophilic starter for it.  Will definitely be buying a thermolphilic starter next time I'm in N America.

OudeKaas

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Re: 'Jazzing Up' Basic Hard Cheese Making Recipes
« Reply #12 on: February 13, 2011, 08:23:45 PM »
So, I have followed with interest the discussions about 'drunken' cheeses and ways of using alcoholic products to impart flavor to cheeses, mostly after the rind has developed.

To that end, I took one of my 1-lb cow's milk tommes that was about 1 week old out of the cave and immersed it in a strong (~11% ABV) stout brine (3% brine). I immersed it for like three 12-to-24 hour periods, with a day or so between each (call it an hour or two of drying at room temp, then overnight in the cave at about 53 deg and 80 pct RH).

These are little cheeses that I had cut in half before a final pressing, so one side of the cheese is a bit more open in the rind, with some small holes, etc. That side quickly took on a solid medium-dark brown color, but the other sides with tighter rinds got kind of mottled, with selected small areas getting brownish and the rest just becoming a kind of dark yellow-taupe in color.

Anyhow, after doing all of the above, a final 3 hrs at room temp, overnight in the cave again and another hour or so out in the open, I vac-bagged this today. Within an hour or two of bagging, I could plainly see beer being drawn out of the cheese and into the folds of the bag. Anyone have any insight into this based on past experience? Will this eventually re-absorb, or be OK as is? Or should I remove from the vac-bag, let dry longer and re-package?

OudeKaas

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Re: 'Jazzing Up' Basic Hard Cheese Making Recipes
« Reply #13 on: February 15, 2011, 04:48:51 AM »
BUMP for quite a bit of beer seems to have come out now. Pretty much visible on all surfaces of the cheese and in the folds of the vacuum bag.

I'm pretty sure if I leave this as-is, I'll have a wet, beer-soaked cheese even if I wait a few months? Would be interested to hear if there are strong other opinions, else my inclination is to open this back up and let it dry at room temp and regular RH for maybe a day (or two?) and then re-bad.

smilingcalico

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Re: 'Jazzing Up' Basic Hard Cheese Making Recipes
« Reply #14 on: February 15, 2011, 06:06:26 AM »
Brandnetel, definitely unbag and dry it.  I don't have the experience with beer, but from the sound of it, it's released a lot.  The same amount of whey would give off flavor to the cheese and it would be slimy.