Arnaud's Beaufort 2

[ArnaudForestier]

I didn't know whether just to continue my first chronicle, or start another one, with a new make beaufort. 

I guess I think the other thread is (really) tired, and am pleased to report that so far, this make promises to be much better, so hope to chronicle some differences between the two, in the hope it helps not just myself, but others like myself, new at the game, also doing their level best to improve.  Targets hit much better:  milk in at 6.71, rennet (after 2 hours) at 6.56, hooping at 6.37.  In pre-press under whey, now.

Rightly or wrongly, too, I changed my cutting and stirring routine.  I did cut into 1" squares, heal 3 minutes, then as best as I could (freehand, on a curved surface - some bizarre memory of conical sections, and an unsteadier hand than I used to have), 1/4" cubes.  Healed 10 minutes. 

However, this time, I used my large whisk (it's something like 15" of whisk length, not counting the handle) to gently, at first, work the curd, then as I progressed in the cook, more vigorously.  I decided to take it down to largish rice kernels, aware this may mean a drier cheese.  I worked the whisk according to videos I've seen of gruyere makers, and per Pav's guidance, as best as I could approximate.  The result was a target of 128 over 40 minutes.  I took the cook an additional 6 minutes - testing the curd by matting it in my hand, forming it under an approximation of lightish weight, and then flipping it lightly - a kind of easy dolphin kick - per what I saw somewhere, on a gruyere make, in a video.  The curd was lightly rubbery, adhered well as a mass, but not too rubbery.   

Hard to describe, but I am hopeful I've improved my feel for the cheese.  I'm also hopeful that this time, I've got a pH meter that is at least useful.

[ArnaudForestier]

Well, it's approaching 3 in the a.m., and I'm up as I've been up, since 6 hours in the main press for this cheese.  Giddy with joy at the prospect that I now have a meter that finally works, I was anticipating a fine read, to indicate a good end of pressing.

At 1:30ish a.m., I discovered the meter (the replacement meter), once again, bloweth.  Unless I'm missing something that may have messed it up over the last 8 hours of the press. 

If the earlier readings seemed reasonable, the meter now believes the pH 7 buffer is approaching 120F, and is, uh, the pH 4 buffer, when calibrating.  When I just do a blank read of the buffer, it starts off near 7, then flips out, plummeting down to 3, 2.4, 1.2, etc.  I'm too far out of labwork to recall whether this signals something obvious (the buffer is new, and clean) - anyone?

I have gone through the usual hoops of taking the batteries out, "rebooting," etc. - and nothing.  The only thing I can think is that it's already become gunked with the earlier readings (whey and curd), so I'm renneting it for a bit, in the hope this will cure the ill.  But irregardless of the fact a true, dependable meter can cost far more, I'm astounded at this point Extech can put out such lousy instruments, for over $100. 

I know some have had good luck.  I'm 2 strikes on 2 pH110 meters. 

[ArnaudForestier]

Rather than take up Sailor's thread with more of my stuff, moved things here.

Sailor, your 24 hours cooling/resting; I've seen this as a traditional practice, elsewhere, as well.  Can you explain the reasoning for this period of time (e.g., why not 8 hours; 12, 36?)?  From some guidance earlier given by Pav, I am pretty certain it has to do with target pH, prior to brining; again, I'm flying blind.  Pretty certain as to the decent accuracy of my reading of 6.37 at pre-press/first hooping (based on the behavior prior); my press routine is a graduated PSI over 2 hours, then 8 hours  in the main press.  I plan to dry-salt this wheel, once I can determine how to dial it down for a wheel this size.

In about a half hour, the wheel will have rested for 12 hours, so a total of 22 hours between early hooping, main pressing (both pressings were with "seedling" mat warmth), and resting at room temp.  Can you discuss the background on the "cooling/resting" period, part of this style?

Edit:  It's 4:00ish, 12 1/2 hrs in to the cooling/resting period.  As the "new" meter is on LSD, I cleaned my "old" meter as best as I could; calibrated it, and tested 3 samples.  One was a liquid slurry of curds and whey from the make; this measured 4.72  Another, just whey from the make - 5.30.  Finally, the wheel itself, which measured 4.99.  The first two samples were placed in a warm environment, same as the wheel during its press - though they were left there, longer (left in a warm environment after the wheel was pulled from warm press to cool at ambient temp).

I really don't know what the wheel pH is, at this point; again the "new" meter is gonzo, utterly (just keeps flashing a weird half "H" symbol), and there is so much variability on my old meter, that I don't know.  I am going to presume the wheel is in the neighborhood of 5.0, now, and will begin a dry-salting regimen (still investigating, how long). 

Just unpeeled:

[JeffHamm]

I don't know about the ph meter, but that sure is one nice looking cheese! 

- Jeff

[ArnaudForestier]

Thanks, Jeff!  I've learned so much through this site (I'll say again a thank you to everybody - most especially John(CH), for hosting such a wonderful forum, and Francois, linuxboy, SailorConQueso for their generous expertise), and, taking a nod from Boofer, I hope these chronicles are helpful to others, as well. 

If I've been pleased with how much I've learned with each make, the only problem is that as every cheese is an aged cheese...I won't know how any of them have turned out for a couple months, at the earliest (3 tommes, and these 2 beauforts; the oldest tomme is just over a month old).  I just hope I'm managing the affinage well.  As a maker (an old friend my wife and I recently reconnected with - and we had no idea he's been a maker, all these years!) told me, when visiting his company: "a cheese stays 24 hours in the make room, but months in the cave...." 

[ArnaudForestier]

After chatting with Pav and Francois, I've decided upon a dry-salting regimen, and a true morge regimen.  I've tasted out two mountain cheeses I really loved; one, a Jura cheese with a white-wine wash, another, not of French but of Swiss origin - L'Etivas, a summer, alpage make. 

I've decided on the L'Etivas, in attempting to capture a good rind flora to wash onto this wheel (experimentally - my other wheel gets a pure culture, PLA wash).  Not a beaufort, obviously, but it's family.  I loved it.  Here's a pretty good description of what I tasted:

I speak of Fromage D’Alpage L’Etivaz, an under-appreciated, natural rind cheese of Swiss origin. This is a cheese made only when cows are summer grazing in Alpine meadows. The fourscore or so families that make this product move with their herds from pasture to pasture, following the growth of mountain grasses, flowers, and herbs.

The cheese must be made in traditional copper kettles, over open-wood fires....rich and buttery, it will remind you of Gruyere, but the depth and complexity of the aroma and flavors are quite astonishing.

[Boofer]

Paul, I love the look of your cheese! Wow! Very nice, indeed.

Is it naturally colored from the milk or did you help the color along (or is it just the lighting)?

And now you wait.... Such delicious anticipation. The ultimate delayed gratification. 

-Boofer-

[ArnaudForestier]

Thanks, Boof.  So far, I'm really happy with this make - not the least reason of which is that it represents the first time I deliberately tried a technique, and was able to line it up with sensory feedback (using a whisk to cut and stir the curd). 

Nah, no color effect - just the lighting, without flash.  Your standard, white baby cheese.

Going away in a few weeks, leaving the turning in the care of our good friend and neighbor.  When I get back, I plan on a reblochon make because, yep, it's really hard to wait months, now, to see what I've actually come up with...

[wharris]

Paul,
This looks fantastic.  Well done indeed. Can you elaborate on your affinage plans for this wheel?

[ArnaudForestier]

Thanks alot, Wayne.  I'm knocking on wood, as I'm pleased with what I've got so far, and know a lot can go south from here (if so, c'est la vie, learning experience).  I've got this in side-by-side comparison with my beaufort 1, which got wet-brined and dried, and is being washed with a PLA inoculated-3% brine. 

This one was dry-rubbed, without a drying period afterwords.  I mentioned the L'Etivas above - I was blown away by this cheese, and am simply washing my wheel with a 3% salt brine; then, I've found it's pretty easy to simply rub the L'Etivas rind directly on the wheel (I had originally rubbed a cloth on the rind, then transferred the cloth/flora to the wheel). 

I'm doing it daily.  Not every other day, etc., as I was doing with my tommes, but daily. I'll have to watch these carefully, as I've been made aware of the danger of rind rot, from such an early morge.  I plan to do this daily until the flora is good and established, then pull back, watching for rot and bad patches.  And I'd hate to see it.  But after talking with Francois and Pav, I'm after both a traditional gruyere approach, and stronger flavor via a good penetration of the morge, and so going for it in this way.

Wish me luck!

[Boofer]

Wish me luck!

Okay, good luck, Paul.

We'll be watching for updates on your progress. You seem to be breaking new ground in hard cheese rind treatments here on the forum. Hey, I'm looking over your shoulder! 

-Boofer-

[ArnaudForestier]

Wish me luck!

Okay, good luck, Paul.

We'll be watching for updates on your progress. You seem to be breaking new ground in hard cheese rind treatments here on the forum. Hey, I'm looking over your shoulder! 

-Boofer-

Thanks, Boof, that's really kind of you to say.  I really can't claim to be breaking any new ground of any kind, as I know so little, and beyond that, I am almost tragically orthodox in my view of learning "ways."  I think we're all doing it - just trying to grab everything we can from a few key people (perfectly legit in Japanese traditions, "stealing the mind of one's master..."). 

All I have is a palate, which I've tried to hone for a long time; and the hope to understand the principles behind and practice of traditional methods.  I really do hope to learn to master those, before (if ever - I really don't have the chops) attempting anything in the way of "innovation." 

Will keep posting, good or bad, what comes down the pike.

[ArnaudForestier]

Well, call this on the side of "bad" down the pike.

Been sick as a dog the last several days, and discovered yesterday that one of my humidifiers in the cave has apparently been leaking water.  The beaufort shelving got soaked, and the cheeses overnight got waterlogged, in part.  The result is that on both cheeses, where there was previously a beautiful, even mat of flora developing, I now have weird gradients across the wheel surface, with entire swaths seemingly died or washed away. 

Sigh...does anyone feel like building me an underground cave, in exchange for a memorable French meal, or 3?   Did what I could do, washed the wheels, exchanged the shelving, and will see.  I suspect both will recover, though neither will be as perfect as I had hoped. 

Will never be, so the next wheel's got to be made.

[Boofer]

Felicitations, my friend. Tomorrow's another cheese day.

We've all had downturns. File them under "hard won education". During the time I've been at this cheesemaking enterprise hobby, I have done a few things or had a few things happen that I didn't expect or intend. I worked to correct the difficulty at that moment in time and told myself not to have that negative experience again.

Somehow I have the feeling that you will surmount this momentary setback and rise to the occasion.

Press on, O Cheese Meister!   

-Boofer-

[ArnaudForestier]

lol - thanks, Boof. 

Well, I've just been monitoring and washing as needed.  The blues, I think, really are having a tough time gaining traction, since the desired flora have gotten a great foothold, so we'll see...nothing really coming back. 

Having tapped 2 of my 3 tommes, I now have more room in the cooler, and I think I'm just going to be in beaufort land for the indefinite future.  (Tapped my budget, but am actually eyeing these hoops, pretty keenly). 

Marching on, dutch-press guru!