Chevrotin Cheese Making Recipe

[Missy Greene]

Has anyone made  Chevrotin? I had some and the  Common Ground Fair at the Maine Cheese Guild booth. It was delicious...anyone have a recipe?
thanks Missy

[iratherfly]

So first off, I see that you are posting this in the Fresh Lactic Acid Coagulated cheese board, so I hope there is no confusion between Chevrot which is a lactic cheese and Chevrotin which in spite of its similarly sounding name is an entirely different cheese and is purely rennet-coagulated.

You and I talked Chevrotin in direct messages, but since you started a thread for it, so I am just going to copy pieces of what I wrote you to make it available for everyone else.

Chevrotin is a great cheese indeed. It's basically the goat's version of Reblochon! If you can make Reblochon, you can make Chevrotin...  Reblochon is a mixed rind cheese so it is washed -but also covered with white after the red appears.  It ages 30-60 days. Both Reblochon and Chevrotin come from the very same region (Savoie) and made by the same people. I made a very similar cheese last month but I used my own recipe (so the making of it is different from Reblochon/Chevrotin and also the flavor had some extra punch). It came out amazing. One of the best cheeses I've ever made. I later followed a traditional recipe on a different batch and it was a total bust! Disaster. I can't tell you why.

It's not great for winter milk, but early spring to late summer will give you a rich supple cheese.

The one more thing I want to point out about it is that there seems to be two styles of it out there. The first is a rather flat disc, the same shape and size as a Reblochon. This type has more supple and gooey pâté to it. The other form factor is a smaller but taller wheel. Being that this is a surface-ripened cheese, the pâté doesn't ripen all the way -but it could be ripened for a very long time like a harder cheese so the enzymes do their work. This type will not be so soft and gooey. Here are the two styles.  There are many variations on them with different form factors and different rinds too but these are the classics.

The third photo is Chevrot - the unrelated lactic cheese from Poitou, it's Crottin size and has a signature wrinkled rind. Do NOT confuse it with Chevrotin. Almost similar name, totally different cheese.

[psearle]

Hi Ira..

I would really like to have a go at making Chevrotin with my goats' milk.  You say that " It's basically the goat's version of Reblochon" and also that "I used my own recipe (so the making of it is different from Reblochon/Chevrotin)".

I have recipes/making guides for Reblochon - is it really just a matter of using goats' milk that makes the cheese Chevrotin or are there any other changes?  Would you be happy to share your own recipe?

Thanks

Pete

[iratherfly]

Can you post your Reblochon formula?  I'll compare with my Chevrotin.  There is a slight adjustment as with any Cow's milk cheese that you turn into Goat's milk.  I have 3 conflicting recipes for Chevrotin (but there are so many versions of that cheese in real life that I am not surprised).

The golden standard in Chevrotin is the Chevrotin de Aravis (Just like the Tomme de Savoie is considered a standard for Tomme or Camembert de Normandie is the standard for Camembert).

If you have not tasted it yet, I strongly suggest to begin with a trip to your cheese shop.  If the cheese monger doesn't know what it is or doesn't have it, explain the cheese to them and see if they have an alternative for you to try.  They vary a lot so once you taste a few pieces of different styles and different seasons you will have an idea of what style or maturity is your favorite Chevrotin. The Italians also make a couple of similar cheeses, can't remember their names now.

Please post your formula and I will look up the log of that cheese fabrication in the meantime

[psearle]

Hi Ira..

The recipes/guides I've collected for Reblochon are from searching this site and googling.  I'm sure that you are already aware of them  but, just in case you've missed any, I've put the links below:-

http://www.cheesemaking.com/pg/122.html - illustrated guide to making Reblochon
http://www.reblochonfermier.com/en/reblochon-making-process.html - official farmhouse Reblochon description of method
http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,7517.0.html - Boofer's recipe on this forum
http://cheeseforum.org/forum/index.php/topic,3120.15.html - SueVT's recipe on this forum

The link below is to a blogged article which refers to both Reblochon and Cheverotin:-

http://portraitoftheartisan.blogspot.com/2011/08/reblochon-de-savoie.html

My limited understanding is that temperatures should be reduced by a couple of degrees C when using goats' milk rather than cows' milk.  I also have a problem in that I usually have to use 3 milkings worth of milk (1 day plus next morning) to get a decent amount (8 - 10 litres) as I only have a couple of milkers and they are from a breed not noted for vast amounts of milk.  I'd certainly be interested in your suggestions.

Cheers

Peter

[iratherfly]

There is a lot of information about Chevrotin out there and you can also read the official AOC/AOP decree to get more details about the standards. It's identical in many ways to Reblochon but not the exact same recipe. Longer drying period (5-9 days before cave), higher milk temp by a few degrees and a different form factor. There are a few liberal interpretations out there but the official AOC ones are strict. Like Reblochon, this one is also a mixed-rind cheese where it is first washed and B.Linen appear and then it is held back and the white Geo powder blooms.

To convert, make Chevrotin, pay attention to these following steps which are crucial, some of which you may be familiar with from Reblochon:
- Milk at 92°F/32°C (+/- 4°F/2°C, depends on season and room temp)
- Cut curd large (1/2"), stir gently, cut again, stir gently. You want to repeat that 2-4 times over a period of 15 minutes until curd is "corn grain" size
- Re-heat milk to 93°F/34°C and cook/stir gently for another 15 minutes
- Once whey is removed to curd level, pour curds to cheesecloth-lined colander to pre drain (Not more than 5 min).  Curd should be warm and drained - not dry.
- Mould curd quickly before it cools down. Press slightly in the mould by hand
- Drain in moulds for 12 hours minimum (turn once or twice if possible)
- After salting, dry at 55°F/13°C (cave temp) but at 75%-80% Relative Humidity -not 95% like the cave or aging container) at least 5 days (turn regularly)
- Age minimum 21 days after drying. Age up to 6 weeks (95% RH / 55°F/13°C), turn regularly, wash every 2 days until color shows, then let the Geo bloom

[psearle]

Thanks for that Ira...

I'll look out for the official AOC/AOP decree and will have a go at making one or two Chevrotin in a week or so using your suggestions.  I'll post some photos and progress reports when I do.

Cheers

Pete

[iratherfly]

Looking forward to it!

The decree will only say things like "all milk has to come from a single herd", "drainage should take 5-9 days","aging should take no less than 3 weeks but no more than 6" - it's not really a "how to" recipe...

Just do a Reblochon and change your steps as needed to comply with the guidelines I gave you. They came from one of the foremost goat cheese experts in France, Jean Claude Le Jaouen. If anyone knows Chevrotin it's him...

[psearle]

Thanks to everyone for all the help and advice on this. 

I have tried to combine all of this into a "make procedure" so that I am quite clear what it is that I have to do to make this cheese and, for what its worth, here it is:

1. 7.5 litres of raw goats’ milk
2. Pasteurise the milk by heating to 66C and holding at that temperature for 30 minutes
3. Reduce temperature rapidly to 30-34C and hold at that
4. Sprinkle on to the milk ¼ tsp MM100, 1/16 tsp TA62, 1/16 tsp Geo15, 1/32 tsp SR3 and leave, covered, for 5 minutes to rehydrate.
5. Stir in the starters for 1 minute
6. Leave for 15 minutes then stir in ½ tsp of 33% CaCl dissolved in 2 tbls of water
7. Leave for a further 15 minutes to complete ripening
8. Add  2 ml (24 drops) of single strength animal rennet in 2 tbsp cool water and stir in deeply for 1 minute and then top stir for 2 minutes.
9. Put sterilised container on milk for floc test.  Floc target is 15 to 20 minutes from adding rennet
10. After 4x time to floc, cut the curds to ½”
11. Stir gently, cut smaller, stir gently again then rest over 5 mins
12. Again, stir gently, cut smaller, stir gently again then rest over 5 mins
13. For the last time, stir gently, cut smaller, stir gently again then pitch curds and leave 5 minutes (curds should be corn grain size)
14. Reheat to 34C and stir gently for 15 mins at that temperature.
15. Remove whey down to curd level then pour into c/cloth lined colander and let drain for not more than 5 minutes
16. Put curds into moulds quickly while still warm, pressing slightly by hand
17. Drain for 12 hours minimum turning once or twice
18. Take from moulds and dry salt
19. Dry at 13C RH 75%-80% for at least 5 days turning regularly
20. Age 21 to 60 days after drying 13C 95%RH  turning regularly and washing every 2 days until colour shows then let Geo bloom

I'd really appreciate a "sanity check" on these steps.  I'll probably be making this cheese in the second half of this week.

Cheers

Pete

Notes:  The cultures and quantities are my melding of Boofer's and SueVT's recipes modified further with what I actually have.
Although Reblochon calls for Raw milk I always pasteurise my mine.  The CaCl addition is to compensate for this.
I've guessed at a floc multiplier of 4.
Hope that I've interpreted Ira's guidelines properly in steps 19 and 20.

[iratherfly]

Thgis looks about right. I would do this and then improve on it.

Things to look at are the rennet strength. EU rennet is different than US rennet (EU strength is 10,000:1 and US is 15,000:1). Just use whatever it is you use for Reblochon

Initially when you pasteurize, if you hold for 30 minutes you can use 62°C. It will give you better milk with similar safefty. When you cool down rapidly (I assume in a sink full of ice water?) stop at 35°C-36°C because it will keep coming down for a while. Target the make for 32°C first.

Not sure what 33% Calcl2 is. I use liquid CalCl2 and for the 2 gallons that you are using I would mix 1/4 tsp in 1/4 cup water. Don't worry about having too much water, they will become part of the whey at the end.  This is a gently pasteurized milk and you don't want to overly-mineralize it.  Also, put the CalCl2 first, just after pasteurization.

The rest seems fine!

[psearle]

Thanks for your help and patience, Ira

Raring to go this week - watch this space for the results!

Pete

P.S.  A thumbs up for all your help

[iratherfly]

Thanks! Any time! Will watch for your progress

[Missy Greene]

 You guys are great! Have not had time to check in here lately. Yoav, your image "B" is what I am after...... but I won't have time to try anything new until after  the second week of Dec. can't wait. Meanwhile I will enthusiastically read this post. Sorry I put it in the wrong category, I thought it was an aged chevre in the beginning. Busy with goats in heat!!!!
 Hopefully will have lots of milk next spring.
 Thanks again, Missy
 

[iratherfly]

What keeps you busier? Goats in heat, or goats running around on a shoe and mail binge?

Sorry, I think I accidentally deleted that photo. I am on a break from goat's cheese until the good milk comes back but will take that photo for you... When is the good milk back already?  Can't wait. I usually can't get great goats cheese around March. When is your milk season starting?

[dttorun]

iratherfly,
what are the differences between chevrotin type A and B in terms of procedure? culture type, press weight, draining time, maturation? I'd like to make type B.
Thanks,
Tan