Author Topic: Arnaud's Beaufort 1  (Read 10358 times)

Brie

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Re: Arnaud's Beaufort 1
« Reply #30 on: March 05, 2011, 04:34:16 AM »
Paul--I have made many of the Alpines, including Emmenthal and Beaufort and have found the "brine washing" you are referring to in your recipes is only used to disuade mold when it is found on the surface. It's a washing method used for many cheeses to ward off unwanted molds. Perhaps Pav has a more involved explanation, but it's really quite simple.

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Re: Arnaud's Beaufort 1
« Reply #31 on: March 05, 2011, 04:47:49 AM »
Thanks, Brie.  I do understand the purpose (I think) of the saturated brine - again, please forgive my newbie (and fractured mind, at times -  :o) status, which can lead to confusions; as I understand it, the saturated brine wash is both to ward off unwanted molds (as you say), as the alpine style rinds are extremely clean and taut; additionally, and relatedly, to dry the rind out - either as part of the natural rind, or in prep for the morge treatment, if going with a bacterial surface-ripened cheese.

It's this aspect of drying out that I am confused by; again, looking at Sailor's recipe (and I've seen this expressed similarly elsewhere), there's an initial period of 7-10 days, "during which" molds, etc., will start to form.  A saturated solution is then used to wash the rind free of these molds. 

But reading Kosikowski, etc., it seems to imply a salting regimen that is continuous from the brining and "initial" drying; so, in a nutshell (I'll try to make this concise):

I. If doing a natural rind, after brining, do you leave the beaufort alone, until molds begin to appear - then wipe it off with saturated brine?  This could be anytime, really - 7, 10 days, 2 weeks - but basically, the saturated brine is used to wash the rind; there's no regular, real "salting" regimen otherwise.  If so, what is Kosikowski, etc., talking about when indicating:

Quote
brining for 2-3 days, then a cool room treatment of: 50-60F, 90ish% RH, and wiping down daily with a salt solution; turn cheese over onto a clean board, sprinkle dry salt over the surface, and replace on shelf.  Repeat for 10-14 days].  Then "Hold in a warm room at a minimum of 57F for 4 weeks or more; salt the rind periodically, and permit smearing of the surfaces during curing at 59F

?  Does anyone see where I'm getting the confusion, over this initial period, and salting, post-brine?

II. If wanting to do a morge-based beaufort, do you:

(1) again leave the wheel alone for some period after brining (this is the "drying out" period, the setting up of a truly dry rind, upon which corynebacteria, etc., are "layered"); use a saturated brine to keep off unwanted contaminations, and then, finally, after some pre-determined period of "drying"; then begin a 3% morge washing regimen, of every 3, or 6 days (which is it - and what's the reasoning), to the end of maturation? or

(2) Does one leap into a semi-regular 3% morge process, every 3, or 6 days (again, if recipes say "every 3/6 days - which is it, and why?) immediately after brining/drying?

Sorry for the morass, folks - a point I'm clearly but sincerely sticking on, and hopeful of a lantern to guide me out.
« Last Edit: March 05, 2011, 05:04:17 AM by ArnaudForestier »
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Re: Arnaud's Beaufort 1
« Reply #32 on: March 05, 2011, 07:51:17 AM »
I am truly sorry to beat a dead horse;
Sorry, Paul, I couldn't resist.   8)

What I might try is to brine for a shorter period so that I've got a little more margin before the excessive saltiness creeps in. Then I could try the dry salting post-brine and not be so concerned that I would just end up with a deer salt lick.

Man, with all of this discussion you've dished up, I am really anxious to do another Beaufort and another Tomme! Where's the milk?

And I didn't put that "This Thread" in the last pic.

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« Last Edit: March 05, 2011, 07:58:45 AM by Boofer »
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Re: Arnaud's Beaufort 1
« Reply #33 on: March 05, 2011, 12:02:13 PM »
Lol, Boof....nice way to wake up. And I haven't even grabbed my first cup of joe.  ;D

And, uh, I still don't know whether to leave the wheel alone for 7-10 days (or until moulds start showing up), to salt it (via dry rub or saturated brine) immediately, or if doing a morge, whether to do the same in prep for the morge "layering" process.

Anyone?  Bueller?



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linuxboy

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Re: Arnaud's Beaufort 1
« Reply #34 on: March 05, 2011, 04:45:50 PM »
Alright gentlemen, here you go, Beaufort affinage with small wheels.

First, a discussion of what is done on a large scale:

1-2 days into the make, the wheels are out of the brine. The salt content at this point is low, about 1%. Over the next few weeks, the cheeses are allowed to firm up, and to start undergoing the early stages of aging. During this part, bacteria will lyse, there's hydrolysis happening of fats, sugars, and proteins. During this part, the moisture level of the cheese is fairly even throughout. There is no rind "shell" on the outside. That shell is crucial to later aging, so after the cheese has had a chance to solidify it becomes easier to flip, and salting can begin.

about 1-2 weeks into aging, salting/rubbing can begin. This is for three reasons:
- One, the salt will draw moisture out, but only from the immediate rind. Crucial to rind formation
- Two, the salt will act as an abrasive to kill any molds. And it will kill them off also due to salinity
- Three, rubbing down helps to physically knock back molds, working together with the salt.

This continues for weeks, depending on how the affinage progresses. Once there's a good rind on the outside, a sort of thick, impenetrable one, the morge wash can begin.

The morge wash works in the long run primarily through heavily proteolytic b linens. This will break down protein rapidly, and will create a soft cheese if the moisture is high. But if the moisture is low, it will slowly break up the protein peptides into amino acids, creating really intense flavor. So 4-6 weeks into it, or whenever the rind is ready, you start the morge wash and keep layering it on.

You can't use the exact same process on small wheels. Especially the salting has to be different. That's why I said I don't know anyone who does that; there are not many makers of wheels this size in the US.

For small wheels, it doesn't work so well because you will be losing a good part of the cheese to the rind. A good size is perhaps a 4-5" thick, by 8-10" diameter wheel, in a smaller form factor.

So the way around it is to create a thinner rind and baby the wash to make sure you start at the right time. What does this mean? Means your make schedule is like this

- 24-48 hours, wheel should be out of the brine. Move to cave.
- In the cave, do everything you can to control molds and encourage the rind to form. Salt and rub with a rag, wash with saturated brine, scrub, all of those would work.
- Once you have a reasonable rind (will be different color uniformly), start your morge.

Oversalting is actually not a huge deal, provided that you used the right PF ratio in the milk. Lower fat cheese, like Beaufort, will not absorb salt as quickly or as much as cheese that has higher fat. If you're worried, brine less.

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Re: Arnaud's Beaufort 1
« Reply #35 on: March 05, 2011, 04:53:26 PM »
Oh my god, I BREATHED!  I actually BREATHED! 

Thanks, Pav, as usual; you come through with lucidity, for the (I speak for moi-même) challenged.  Perfect! 

I'm in the beginning stages of my second beaufort.  All of this is really, really, helpful.  I hope it has been so to others, as well.

Paul

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Re: Arnaud's Beaufort 1
« Reply #36 on: March 06, 2011, 12:32:07 AM »
Inspirational and elucidating, as always. Thanks, linuxboy.

Filing this away in the Beaufort/rind care folder....

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Re: Arnaud's Beaufort 1
« Reply #37 on: March 15, 2011, 12:43:02 PM »
Day 12 of this first beaufort.  Ceased daily 3% brine wash with PLA on day 10.

Evidence of yeast development has been continuing in an even way for several days, now.  However, as of this morning, I noticed several ringlets on both sides of the wheel, varying in size between, say, 1/32 and 1/16" in diameter.  They are at this stage, basically the same color as the rest of the flora.  (Not that that means anything, just noted it). 

It's my presumption, from everything on this board and from what I've seen elsewhere, that these alpine rinds should be as smooth and even as possible, through the entire affinage.  To that end, I took a small amount of dry salt and used a cloth to scrub the surfaces lightly, this morning, to try to smooth down the ringlets.  It didn't really work - got rid of the ringlet "ridges," but the circular patterns are still there.  Don't even know if that was a tactical error.




(Pics are again a bit modified and heightened, to show the issue better). 

I've an issue with condensation on the refrigerator ceiling, which can drip down onto these wheels (drag) unless I catch the buildup and wipe down several times a day.  My first thought is that perhaps these are water droplets, making for a different substrate locally?  Any diagnostics as to what these are?  Solutions?
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Re: Arnaud's Beaufort 1
« Reply #38 on: March 15, 2011, 01:50:25 PM »
Seems like you've identified a possible cause and explanation for the rings. Now you can be extra cautious along those lines. Those rings are probably there now as part of the cheese character. Last June-July when I was making my two Goutaler wheels, the lid on one container touched the top of one of the wheels. I caught it pretty quickly but not before it dampened the top of the wheel and forever changed the look of that surface. I took it as something to watch for and ensure never happened again.

That cheese was successfully carried through to affinage where it is now.

You can see where the problem was in the pic. Live and learn.

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Re: Arnaud's Beaufort 1
« Reply #39 on: March 15, 2011, 01:53:30 PM »
Thanks, Boof.  I'm going to have to rig something up on the ceiling to allow dripping to go down to the sides, as opposed to gathering on top, as it's impossible for me to catch it all the time - the ceiling condensation is constant, in my cave, at this humidity level.  Drag.
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FRANCOIS

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Re: Arnaud's Beaufort 1
« Reply #40 on: March 15, 2011, 08:12:11 PM »
I'd have to see it in real life.  I'd guess one of two things:
1.  Condensation drips
2.  Whey wells

If you are having trouble with condensation in a fridge you can do two things, both have worked for me in the past, I used to use fridges for cam blooming:
1.  Move a shelf to the top position and put a towel on it, replace the towel every few days.
2.  Fabricate a sheet metal pan that you can put on the top shelf, empty every week or so.

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Re: Arnaud's Beaufort 1
« Reply #41 on: March 15, 2011, 08:53:50 PM »
Thanks, Francois.  Unfortunately I'm out of shelf space, so I did a jury-rigged tent that extends to the sides, and allows condensate to drip down the walls.  Not sure that's going to work, either - the condensate has exploded on the underside of this tent, and I only hope the angle is steep enough for the water to roll down and escape, not drop off the tent onto the cheeses, same problem.

I'll have to investigate what whey wells are (a flaw, I'm guessing, in the make? - uneven syneresis, something like this?), but just before putting the tent up, another drop landed - and immediately made the weird pattern.  Not happy about it, but c'est la vie.
« Last Edit: March 15, 2011, 09:16:39 PM by ArnaudForestier »
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Re: Arnaud's Beaufort 1
« Reply #42 on: March 16, 2011, 04:44:34 PM »
Francois, if you're reading this, more of these patterns have showed up, though I can confirm there's no more condensate coming down onto the cheese.  I've searched, but haven't found anything on this - can you (Pav? or anyone with knowledge on these) go into the causes of "whey wells," as you mention above?

Thanks.
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FRANCOIS

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Re: Arnaud's Beaufort 1
« Reply #43 on: March 16, 2011, 08:29:08 PM »
Whey wells, or at least I call them that, happen when trapped whey inside the cheese finds an exit.  It makes a pin hole sized spot where it exits and then a larger ring around the area.  The whey creates localised pH gradients and provides food for all sorts of things to grow.  I usually attributed the wells to incomplete cutting of curd, so a big chunk got trapped when I hooped up.
« Last Edit: March 16, 2011, 11:25:11 PM by FRANCOIS »

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Re: Arnaud's Beaufort 1
« Reply #44 on: March 16, 2011, 10:35:41 PM »
OK, great, thanks, Francois.  That makes perfect sense on this wheel, because it was the first time I attempted a 1/4" cut with a knife on a stockpot, so my "conical sections" at 45 deg. were all over the place and unlike my second beaufort, I made no corrective "ricing" with a whisk.  I got anything but even curd cuts, and many were "set" by  the cook in this irregular way, I know. 

Any means during affinage to mitigate the damage, that you could suggest?  This beaufort is off of its first 10 days of daily washings, and gets a 3% saline PLA wash, 2x weekly.   

« Last Edit: March 16, 2011, 10:47:01 PM by ArnaudForestier »
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