Author Topic: Camembert not softening (ripening) in center  (Read 2464 times)

idwa

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Camembert not softening (ripening) in center
« on: November 02, 2010, 11:08:23 PM »
Hi there,

I've made my first few batches of Camembert recently and I have a question concerning ripeness, particularly in the center of the cheese. I ripened my first batch for about 35 days and while it was still ostensibly edible, the flavor was a little too strong for my liking. Despite this, the center of the cheese remained fairly unripe (that is, it hadn't softened at all and remained a "pure white" color instead of becoming a cream color like near the edges). I tasted my second batch after only 21 days and found that the flavor was highly desirable, but the center was (logically) unripe and contributed a dry, chalky texture to the cheese. Does anyone know why the center of the cheese isn't ripening? I generally followed the Peter Dixon recipe.

Here's a photo of my second batch of cheese--you can kind of see the texture of the center is different than around the edges and less cream-colored, although it's much more obvious in person. Any advice would be much appreciated!

Oberhasli

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Re: Camembert not softening (ripening) in center
« Reply #1 on: November 03, 2010, 01:09:33 AM »
idwa, at what temperature are you ripening these cheeses?  Do you allow them to ripen at a warmer temp until they get a nice bloom and then place them in a cooler environment? How about the humidity when they were ripening?  They just look like they need a bit warmer place to ripen.  What did the 35 day old cheese taste/smell like - ammonia? 

You might want to check out the recent "Problems" section on the forum.  Another cheesemaker is dealing with his camemberts as well.