Which cheddar style?

[anutcanfly]

Boofers blues have been making me drool as of late, so I'm planning to run a blue on a cheddar base this week.  I have several styles in my cheese cave, but they are still too young to open.  Which style of cheddar lends itself to a more open texture?  I've been looking at cheshire, caerphilly, cantal and lancashire.  Any recommendations??

[Tomer1]

Stilton.
The way its made is accually pretty simmilar to cheddaring.

[Sailor Con Queso]

Definitely not Caerphilly or Cantal. Cheshire would work. The Lancashire would have more moisture. I personally would use a Derby base. Whatever you use, don't press it as firm as a "normal" cheddar.

[fied]

There are blue Cheshires, Derbys and Wensleydales of the Cheddar type. Derby is probably the easiest to make.

[anutcanfly]

Thanks for the input!  Didn't know that...Stilton it is!  Later, Lancashire and Cheshire.  If I run a Derby I'll split the curds between two molds and use half for Sage Derby and half for a Blue. Sometimes it's hard to make up one's mind...they all sound soooo gooood!  Sailor Con Queso brings to mind another question.  I ran a Fourme d'Ambert a few months ago and I thought I was pressing lightly, but the curd developed a smooth closed interior and rind.  So the only blue development was in the holes I poked, and on the rind.  What pressure with what sized follower would be light enough to avoid the same mistake?      The recipe I use doesn't state a weight, it just says light.  Her idea of light is 5 to 10 PSI???    Well that cleared up the confusion...not!   This is the first time I ever joined a forum.  Nice to have others to talk to who share the addiction! 

[Tomer1]

I think i'l make a sage derby this weekend, I bought some last month and my mother loved it.

[smilingcalico]

I've not made fourme d' ambert, but it looks like a very open cheese.  You can probably just put the curds in the mold and flip them a couple of times to even out the exterior, without ever adding weight.  At the very most I think you'd find pressing the cheese under it's own weight to be sufficient.

[anutcanfly]

Let me know how it turns out Tomer1.  I've been debating trying Sage Derby for a while...  The Fourme d'Ambert was the biggest reason I wanted to try a blue with a cheddar base.  Fourme d'Ambert was nice to slice and mild enough to put on crackers, but the flavor of the paste though creamy was rather bland.  Hopefully a few more months ripening will give it a little more life.  I figured if I started with a cheese that stood alone well, then the degree of blue development wouldn't be as important.  Even trace blue development would still leave you with a delightful cheese!

[anutcanfly]

Hi Smilingcalico,

Yes, this may be one of those times when ignoring what the recipes says is a good idea!