My 2nd Caerphilly

[darius]

I see the blog at New England Cheesemaking Supply features Caerphilly today, and Gavin's recipe and photos of the make. I guess it's soon to be the new "hot" cheese!

http://cheesemakinghelp.blogspot.com/2011/03/caerphilly-almost-instant-gratification.html

[JeffHamm]

Very neat!  I notice pliezar is doing a make as we "speak" too! 

- Jeff

[darius]

Well, I'm starting another one too! I think I'll probably stick to 1 gallon batches because it's just me to eat it. I only have one mold for now and I'm not sure all the curds from a 2 gallon batch will fit.

Although at some point I need to make a 2 gallon batch just to see the difference.

[JeffHamm]

Hi Darius,

With two of them, you'll be able to compare the difference between a 0x floc and 2.5x or 3.0x, whatever you go for.  If I understand things correctly, the first one should end up much drier than this next make, with 2.5 drier than 3.0.  Will be an interesting experiment to see what happens. 

I've double checked my mold, it's 6.25" across, and  6.25" height (inside dimentions).  It tapers a wee bit, so the bottom is slightly smaller, but this hasn't been a problem for flipping, and the follower goes nearly to the bottom before it hangs up.  Anyway, this easily holds a 10 L batch, which is about 2.6 gallons.  If you get some wax, then after you cut into a larger cheese, you can wax the other half and age it longer.

- Jeff

[JeffHamm]

Hi,

Ok, today we cut this cheese.  This one has turned out much less salty and sour than the first one.  Still has lots of mechanical openings, but the taste is very nice.  I suspect the brining of the first make, and the extra rind washes I gave it, increased the salt levels quite a bit.  This has the same flavour characteristics, but less in your face.  And, it has a much more cheesey taste to it.  I think using the floc method may have helped too as the previous tang may have been due to over acidification? 

Anyway, it's a hit.  I suspect this one would be very nice if aged to 3 or 4 months, but I don't think it will make it.

- Jeff

[darius]

Looks lovely, Jeff!

I'm making a 2 gallon batch right now, tweaking the procedure, and adding some lemongrass. Somehow my scale is malfunctioning, so I just added 2 Tbs. salt because I couldn't weigh the salt. 

[pliezar (Ian)]

Jeff,

Looks good, I am glad this one worked out for you.  I have to wait another week or so until mine is ready  :'(.  I know you don't have a vacuum sealer, but are you going to let this one age longer? (wax it maybe?)

[JeffHamm]

Hi darius,

I just used 2 tbls of salt in this one, so you should be fine. 

Hi pliezar,

I might save a 1/4 wedge to age it a bit (waxed).  Not sure though.  I sort of use this as a cheese I can eat and share right away, while others age longer.  My father in law quite liked the first make, so I expect he'll want some of this one too!  I'm making a "Butterkase" right now actually, and it's just about to go into the mold.  That's another one that should be ready fairly quickly (3 or 4 weeks). 

- Jeff

P.S. Oh yah, when I weighed this it was now at 1.000 kg, so it lost 306 grams over the 3 weeks.  1 kg / 10 L is what I've heard is what to expect, so that's good.

[JeffHamm]

Darius,

Do I recall correctly that you make your own salami?  If so, I think you'll find that caerphilly will go nicely with it, and peperonies too.

- Jeff

[darius]

Jeff,  Yes I am learning charcuterie, but haven't made any dry-cured salami yet. I still need some bacterial cultures for it, but I bought some cheese stuff this month instead!

[JeffHamm]

The two hobbies will go nicely together.  I think caerphilly would go well with salami, or even pastromi (which I've not seen in New Zealand, but used to get back home in Nova Scotia easily enough).  Anyway, looking forward to see how all of these turn out. 

- Jeff

[kookookachoo]

Hi!

I've got my first Caerphilly in the cave now, too.  Sitting next to my Lancashire.   They honestly (physically) look the same, but the Lancashire has a bit of a "bite" to the smell of it.  Nothing unpleasant, just really tells you it's a wheel of cheese.  I was going to make Tomme, as everyone seems to be unanimous in their advise that it's a way better way for me to go as a newbie.  I'm a bit scared, for some reason, though...so I gave myself an out, since my surname is Welsh (Durham), what a perfect excuse for me to make a Welsh cheese!   

I'm a bit concerned, though, as when I sliced & stacked, the slices were already pretty well knit & had the texture & consistency of tofu (for lack of a better comparison).  I thought they would be a bit softer & a tad more "mushy".  Do you remember if this was different than yours, Darius?  And I didn't salt when milling, either, just relied on the brine.  I did press in the whey, though (left in a cheese cloth), mainly because my kitchen has been a tad cold since I shut off the vent that opens up there.  I had a couple of cheeses drying, prior to being taken down to the cellar & didn't want the everyday  baking/cooking to make the kitchen even warmer. 

Anyway, this is the second time I've used the flocc method, when in the past two other cheeses made, I've relied strictly on the time the recipe said.  I will be hard pressed (puns!) to wait til the 3 month mark.  We're actually having a little debate here at home.  I want to wait, but the hubby wants to open at one month.  Sigh.  It may have to come down to the arm-wrestle winner (and I cheat).   

[darius]

That sounds about like my curds, but they pressed fine. I cut my first one (just 1 gallon) at 3 weeks to taste, vac-packed it back up in 3 separate pieces so I can try each one at intervals... but probably not as long as 3 months. I do have 2 more in the aging box.

I should have pressed in the whey, but one step at a time.

[JeffHamm]

Hi kookookachoo,

the curds shouldn't be mushy when you're stacking and milling.  Tofu, or cooked chicken breast, is about the texture it should be.  Caephilly can be eaten at 3 weeks and it's quite nice.  I've been told it improves up to 3 months, when the flavour becomes more mild, however I've not aged one that long myself.  I've only made it twice, and both times it was a success as a young cheese.  I will probably age one longer for comparison.

Anyway, welcome to the caerphilly club!

- Jeff

[kookookachoo]

Hi!

Whew!  I was a bit worried there for a sec, thinking of what the cheese will become when opened.  I'm sure some version of cheese, of course, but I did want that Caerphilly taste & would be disappointed if it didn't come within a mile of it. 

To be honest, I'm hoping for the best in all my cheeses, but I'm really not expecting much.  I would be delighted if they all turn out, but I'm setting my expectation threshold at very low.  I've never had any problems with feta, I could probably do them with my eyes closed (ha! I probably just jinxed myself & end up getting burned or something).  Now, ricotta, I've dorked up a couple where they had a bitter tang to them, don't know why.  I, idiotically, made parm a month ago, thinking to myself it didn't look too hard (reading the steps, doing them, etc), only belatedly realizing I wouldn't even find out if it's halfway a decent cheese or not since I can't taste it for months & months yet!   Sooo, I've been back-tracking & doing a "cheese-a-long" with this topic, the Lancashire one..and soon, tomme.  I've had a few "old cheeses" tell me I should "start" with tomme, before doing the hard cheeses.  It's in my to-do list for tomorrow & all the while, I'll be keeping my fingers & toes crossed! 

Steff