Author Topic: Sainte Maure Cheese Making Recipe  (Read 17006 times)

RRR

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Re: Sainte Maure Cheese Making Recipe
« Reply #15 on: December 31, 2008, 12:03:55 AM »
I currently age my cheese in a coke cooler, one of those big, sliding door things. When the cooler is not cooling it is circulating air. These fans keep the cooler warm in the winter as well so even though the room temperature is 20 F the cooler temp is 45 - 55 F.

I am working on a root cellar type cheese cave. We dug the hole last fall and now have to finish the roof and interior. My summers are very hot...110 so I hope the hole in the ground will work. We are drilling a deeper hole in the floor of the cellar and will pump cooler air from deeper soils if it starts to get too warm or cold.


Please note that my larger forms of maure are not working well. Only the small, hand formed cheeses are tasty. I am waiting to see if the larger forms improve.

Have you seen the website http://fiascofarm.com. Interesting site. She ages her Maure in zip locks.

Tea

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Re: Sainte Maure Cheese Making Recipe
« Reply #16 on: February 02, 2009, 08:30:11 PM »
Well look what I found when I decided to open one of these again after 9 weeks.  Interesting if you look back at the cheese open earlier how runny and yucky it looks, then the cheese now.
I put the cheeses into the fridge as I thought it was too hot in the esky, as the ammonia smell was over whelming.  Now at the 9 week stage, the centre has firmed up, the ammonia smell is just present.  There is a little bit of slip, but I am stunned at the change in the cheese.  Gives me hope to try this again, although with aging in the fridge for a longer time after the initial bloom stage.
I have to say that this is the closest that I have ever come to this cheese looking even halfway acceptable.
What are everyones thoughts??

Likesspace

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Re: Sainte Maure Cheese Making Recipe
« Reply #17 on: February 03, 2009, 12:47:37 AM »
Tea, it's beautiful!!
Did you say that earlier samples were runny and now they have turned into this??
I have to say this is without a doubt the best example I've seen in the homemaking environment!
Gives me hope that I might one day turn out something acceptable.
Congrats! Now, take the challenge and move on to Cambozola and let us know how it goes. :-)
Really, that is fantastic. I'm happy for you.

Dave

Tea

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Re: Sainte Maure Cheese Making Recipe
« Reply #18 on: February 03, 2009, 01:09:11 AM »
Thanks Dave, I'm still a little bit shocked over this find.  The other pics are on the page before this one.
Now I wonder if I can replicate this?

Actually I meant to add that I think Sing's brie is still the best looking of these cheeses.  Mine has the rind slip which I think disqualifies it.
« Last Edit: February 03, 2009, 07:29:40 AM by Tea »

Offline Cartierusm

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Re: Sainte Maure Cheese Making Recipe
« Reply #19 on: February 03, 2009, 08:23:43 AM »
Tea, picture perfect.

RRR

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Re: Sainte Maure Cheese Making Recipe
« Reply #20 on: February 03, 2009, 02:44:25 PM »
Tea, that really is a beautiful hunk o cheese! I have been opening a few of my tests, none of them have looked that good, I opened one for Super Bowl party and it was good, but not as good as yours looks, it was 7 weeks old.

When I began my experiment with Mauer I started by making several different sized molds. The molds that seem to be producing the best product are the larger. The larger molds age longer without drying out and seem to produce the best tasting product.

I have a couple of large cheeses in the cooler now. They are just about 8 weeks old. They look good, and much of the ammonia has gone. I will wait at least 9 weeks and give one a go. Thanks for the great pictures and for beginning this thread, I have learned a lot.

chilipepper

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Re: Sainte Maure Cheese Making Recipe
« Reply #21 on: February 03, 2009, 03:18:32 PM »
Tea, You certainly have reason to gloat over that cheese!!!  That is beautiful!  I wouldn't be too hard on yourself regarding the rind slipping because if you'd never cut into it at that point you'd have never know! :) It finished out perfectly!  But how did it taste??

Offline Cartierusm

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Re: Sainte Maure Cheese Making Recipe
« Reply #22 on: February 03, 2009, 09:14:35 PM »
Exactly Chili nothing beats first hand experience.

Cheese Head

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Re: Sainte Maure Cheese Making Recipe
« Reply #23 on: February 03, 2009, 10:57:57 PM »
Tea big congrats, beautiful looking Camemberts, very envious, as I have no good aging rrom I just about to order some Camamberts wraps to take the stress out of getting the optimim aging humidity.

Offline Cartierusm

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Re: Sainte Maure Cheese Making Recipe
« Reply #24 on: February 04, 2009, 12:15:49 AM »
I've got my original small tabletop frig (cheese cave) that I'll be using to do camemberts. I just have to figure out the temp humidity situation.

Erin

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Re: Sainte Maure Cheese Making Recipe
« Reply #25 on: February 04, 2009, 12:38:04 AM »
Tea, I'm so glad I ran across this post!  I have a batch of this cheese that has been aging for two weeks, which is the aging time suggested in the recipe. But now maybe I'll wait a bit longer before cutting into them.

One thing I did, that I probably won't do again, is wrap them in parchment paper. It looks like the cheese might have picked up some of the color from the paper. Hard to tell, it could simply be a natural aging color. But I was expecting them to stay white, like yours.

Nice jobs with your cheese though.

Offline Cartierusm

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Re: Sainte Maure Cheese Making Recipe
« Reply #26 on: February 04, 2009, 12:42:37 AM »
Is there a testing procedure for camembert? I mean can you poke the center with a skewer and pull it out and see how gooey it is then cover the hole back UP? Or do you just take notes and have consistent batches and aging reguime?

Erin, they make special papers for Camembert to wrap in. Check out some of the cheese making supply websites. They have ones for white mold cheese and for wash rind cheeses, just make sure you know which is which before ordering. The benefit of the special paper is to help draw moisture away from the surface so you don't get over mold.

Tea

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Re: Sainte Maure Cheese Making Recipe
« Reply #27 on: February 04, 2009, 09:13:01 PM »
Erin, I think that these have taken longer to get to this point because I have had them in the fridge at colder than optimal temps.

Carter, I haven't heard of being able to pre-test this type of cheese for ripness.  I do know that once the rind has been opened, the cheese stops ripening.  So maybe not.

Someone asked what these tasted like.  umm in a word, horrible!!  I do think though that this is due to them getting to warm in the initial maturing stages, but it could also be due to the fact that these are aged longer than recommended. If nothing else, I have learnt alot of lessons with these, and it has given me courage to keep trying.

So till next time....

Erin

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Re: Sainte Maure Cheese Making Recipe
« Reply #28 on: February 05, 2009, 02:11:39 AM »
Here's a pic (hopefully) of my first Saint Maure. It has aged in my cave for two weeks wrapped in parchment paper. As I said, I think some of the color from the parchment paper was absorbed into the skin of the cheese. It tastes pretty good, now I want to go buy some, to compare!

Tea, it doesn't look as creamy as yours. I'll cut open another one in another week to see if this changes.

Likesspace

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Re: Sainte Maure Cheese Making Recipe
« Reply #29 on: February 05, 2009, 03:13:34 AM »
Erin...
Can you please let us know at what temperature you've been aging this cheese?
It really does look good although very firm.
If you are aging it at a very cool temp (38 - 42 degrees F.) it will take much longer than three weeks for this cheese to properly soften.
I just finished cutting open a Camembert that has aged for 8 weeks in a cold household fridge. I did this on the advice of another cheesemaker that specializes in mold ripend cheese (FineWino, a member on this board).
My response to what I found was exactly as Tea's experience...I was amazed.
I've been cutting cheeses open from this batch for the last several weeks.
Every one of the cheeses before this last one were a bit runny but did have a great flavor.
Well after giving this last cheese an extra two weeks, I've found that it is nice and creamy and seems to have a consistant texture throughout most of the wheel. I honestly feel that I cut this wheel open about a week too early since there is a place in the very center of the cheese that is soft, but not yet yogurt like.
Thanks to Tea for giving me the inspiriation to go ahead and open this wheel. I had just about given up on this batch and was thinking of trying another one this weekend.
As I said, I'd let your cheeses age as long as possible, especially if you have them in a cold fridge. You can pretty much tell when they are ready to cut by pressing on the wheel (through the wrapping paper). If they feel VERY soft (sort of like pressing on the palm of your hand, right below the thumb) then they are probably ready to be opened.
Granted, mine is not nearly as nice as Tea's example but I am pleased.
I'm still learning about this cheese but it seems I might be getting a handle on making it properly.
Well, other than the "alien" batch I turned out on my last attempt. :-)
Good luck with yours and thanks again to Tea.

Dave