Thanks for the compliments Boofer! I do make a batch of cheese every week but I only use one gallon at a time and I make mold ripened cheese so there is a relatively fast turn around time. We eat a lot of it- too much probably. And everybody knows what I will bring to any potluck or dinner.
The crottin size ripens quickly and makes a nice gift size and by keeping some in the cheese fridge and some in the regular fridge I can manage to have something ripe just about all the time.
My minimal recipe:
one gallon rew Jersey milk
a shy 1/8th tsp Choosit MM101 culture
a shy 1/8th tsp PC powder
6 drops rennet diluted in 1/4 cup water (the rennet is liquid animal rennet from New England Cheese Supply)
Heat milk to 90F
Add culture and PC, allow to dissolve for 2-4 minutes, stir well to incorporate.
Cover and let ripen for 20 min.
Add diluted rennet and stir gently to incorporate.
Try to observe flocculation and multiply by 6. Allow curd to set for ~60-90 min.
Maintain 90F temp throughout.
When curd has set, gently ladle thin slices of curd into Camembert or crottin molds. Thinner slices drain faster. Keep topping off the molds.
Let cheese drain, elevated above whey, in a box, ~6-9 hours, until cheese has shrunk by half and is firm enough to handle, then carefully flip.
Continue draining, at room temp for up to two days. Flip several more times. Keep a lid on the box to maintain temp and humidity and protect from contamination.
When draining is complete remove cheese from mold and salt with 1 tsp pickling salt (for crottin size use3/4 tsp). Do one side, allow to dry 10 min. then do other side.
Place on clean mat in clean storage box and ripen in cheese fridge at 52F. Leave lid of box ajar until no more whey accumulates in bottom. then keep lid closed.
Flip cheese every day. After PC has bloomed (~10-14 days) wrap in cheese paper and store in cheese fridge for faster ripening or regular fridge for slower.
I eat the crottin size from the cheese fridge in as early as 3 weeks, the cam size in the colder fridge has gone 8 weeks.
As far as talking about the taste.... Clearly I like mold ripened cheese since I make it every week but I feel like I don't really have the vocabulary to knowledgeably discuss it like wine enthusiasts do. But it tastes good!
Dinerdish