3 goat cheeses.

[mtncheesemaker]

OK, I'm game. I could do it next week. Chevre molds are the closest thing I have to the proper size. Will you add pc or anything to the milk?
I like the long periods in between having to do something, too.
Thanks for posting this; it's my kind of cheese!
Pam

[iratherfly]

Oh yes, I am so sorry, something went wrong with the post because of the nested bulleted lists. I just fixed (check out the previous post now) it to include the PC and Geo. Weird.

I just got milk and will be doing one right now. I'll keep you posted. Maybe take a few photos.  You can use large Crottin mold if you want, this will work out too. You can use your chèvre molds but perhaps when the cheese is out of the mold, just hand shape it (that curd will be so soft anyway, it will be easy to shape to the right size). You can also use Camembert molds or small Ricotta baskets and make a St Félicien.

[mtncheesemaker]

OK, I'll be doing it early next week.

[iratherfly]

Too late but you can learn from my mistakes (which I hope there will be none).  Will be molding that curd in 3 hours. Almost done...

I just thought about it and maybe Geo 13 will be better than 15

[mtncheesemaker]

OK, Yoav. My cheeses are draining.
You mention that the standard size for the St Marcellin is 24 oz, but my French Cheeses book says they are more like 3 oz. So, I made them in my chevre molds. (How do you keep the butterfat from rising to the top when making a lactic/semi-lactic cheese?) I'll take pics when I take them out of the molds.
Also, where can I buy the straw ripening mats like you use? I can't find any straw here right now that isn't a bit funky.
Thanks,
Pam

[iratherfly]

24Oz??? I said that? No, no, maybe I meant 2-4 Oz.? They have similar volume as a double espresso shot.  They should fit in the little terracotta dish once they are ripe.  These guys age really fast!

These are a week old. As my second photo demonstrates, they will fit in the terracotta dish, but it's too early for that so not just yet! I expect it to get soft and kind of collapse into the dish and hit all of its sides eventually.

The French straw - I get it from the affineur at Murray's cheese.  PM me, I can get some for you the next time I am there. They come in tied mats, about 12"x15". I often cut them to use only some of the straw in an aging box (see the 1st photo).

More to the subject of this thread, see below a photo of a tasting of my cheeses I did in Israel. Notice the top right photo; this is a new aging technique I've recently learned.  The cheese actually ages in the poplar box (day 7 or 8 and on) - over wood shavings. They are so stiff and curly that they kind of lifts the cheese up and provide a great pocket of air while really sucking the moisture from the rind. This was a very good cheese. I believe it is 18 days old here (last photo)

[ArnaudForestier]

Following this thread with keen interest. 

Yoav, absolutely gorgeous work.

[iratherfly]

Thank you! That's so nice!

[mtncheesemaker]

Yoav, those are some gorgeous looking cheeses! I love the ash-covered one like a doughnut.
My cheeses are drying now. They are a little taller, and average about 4.5 oz. I made 8 from 1 gallon of milk. Should have probably made 10 to get the proper size.
Hope mine come out as well as yours.
Pam

[iratherfly]

Thanks Pam!
They will dry and shrink and loose lots of moisture after salting.

8 per gallon sounds okay though 10 per gallon is perfect.
The form factor is essential to the quick  and even ripening of this cheese, so they do need to look like a flat disc. Even mine are a bit too high.  The drum shape you currently have may take longer to age inside.  If they are too tall and are still wet, draining and not yet salted, perhaps you should consider cutting off about 25% of each wheel and use it to create 2 new ones.  Mark the new ones because they may come out slightly drier than the rest (as if you pre-drained them a little). In any event, do this very gently.