Made some more!

[mtncheesemaker]

Good job! Looks perfect.

[Boofer]

Thanks Boofer! Just ordered that book! I was going to pitch a producer to do a documentary about that very subject.

By the way, the yellow is more than just Beta Carotene, it also has to do with the type of feed, cellulose in the diet, butterfat, minerals, and the way it ages.

Point taken.

That book has a new revision. I saw it after I posted. The one I posted is the one I read several years ago. Excellent history of milk.

Bishop, those cheeses look amazing. The rind looks like it was browned in a pan. The paste looks mouth-watering.

-Boofer-

[Bishop]

Thanks Boofer, Pam, Hande, Iratherfly and Tome1 for the kind words!

I learnt a couple of things making this batch, I hurried the air drying stage and found myself constantly battling too much moisure on the surface of the Cam in the aging container.  That's why the PC looks like it may be receding or browned in a pan, i was wiping the surface with paper towel in the end.  As far as the paste goes I am happy with the structure, the look, the feel in the mouth but I have definitely over salted them.

Looks like I'll just have to make some more

[iratherfly]

haha, you made an incidental washed rind
Whenever I under-dry them (which, as you commented shows immediately when you transfer them to an aging container), I just keep the container open inside the cave, then gradually partially cover it more and more every day until I get the right moisture I am looking for.  Having them too moist in a close container will accelerate the creation of rind, and we all know what happens when your rind shows up before sufficient moisture departed from the cheese.  I actually think that the fact that you over-salted them might have helped you avoid a skin slip. It expelled most of the whey and moisture out early enough.

[Bishop]

Well now that you mentioned it, I did have to defend myself, everytime I opened the fridge door I was getting accused of making unpleasant smells   
Oberhasli was kind enough to advise me the same meathod of bringing the rind back to where I wanted it by leaving the container lid off, I felt the rind started to get a little hard after a couple of days so i tried to do it sparingly.  I was a little suspicious I may have had a slip skin crisis on my hands at first but it all worked out well enough in the end, next time I'll know to whip the b.linens out if i make the same mistake and pretend It all went as planned

[iratherfly]

That's funny Bishop. I know the issue... It's a problem whenever I have a lot of cheese moving from the cave to the kitchen fridge and whoa... that smell.

If your rind gets hard before the mold blooms, yet your humidity is high, than it is usually a sign of over salting.

By the way, a little b.linen in the Camembert isn't bad. Most quality Camemberts/Bries would expose some slight brown/orange in sporadic spotting under the rind.  The cheese isn't washed but B.linen can still show up. You can put a tiny pinch of it next time or use PLA (reduce or eliminate Geo from your recipe if you are using PLA).

I love that you signed with the comment I wrote to that guy; that's really funny!

Here is a mini (3") Camembert I did with B.Linen sometime last year (grr... can't find a photo of it cut). See how nice are those spots under the rind? It was possibly the best Camembert I've ever made.

[Tomer1]

10x again for the pre draining tip yoav,
It truly makes a difference regarding shape retantion and better,more even draining.

[iratherfly]

Thanks Tomer! It also helps prevent slip skin and early ammoniation. It extends the life of the cheese.

[Bishop]

You can put a tiny pinch of it next time or use PLA (reduce or eliminate Geo from your recipe if you are using PLA).

Never seen or used PLA before, what exactly is it (is it B.linens and Geo in one?) and where else can it be used for?

CHOOZIT™ PLA Brevibacterium linens, Arthrobacter nicotianae, Complex blend for aspect and flavour of the main
Debaryomyces hansenii, Geotrichum candidum European (or French) style cheeses

[iratherfly]

PLA is a direct set culture mix which contains Yeasts, B.Linen and Geo. It is used for aromatic ripening and complex rinds and can also be used to wash cheese. The Geo and Yeast deacidify the surface so that the B.Linen can grow on it. The yeast also produce aroma. If used in the milk (meaning not just in the wash/spray) the yeast produces aromatic properties that are the results of gas production when it dies off. If used in combination with bloomy cheese it may expose itself later after the PC have settled and show as orangy strikes below. If used for washing, expect it to produce a very light and rather faint orange color - this isn't the crazy orange B.Linen and doesn't smell or look like that strain. Don't over use it because it may eventually overwhelm the cheese quality.

[Bishop]

Thanks