I'm want to try the following Gorgonzola Picante recipe from Riki Carrol's site. However I don't have the Bulgarian yogurt that she specifies. The recipe from her book states to use Mesophilic starter for a slightly different version of this recipe which I do have. Do you think it's okay to use the mesophilic starter instead of the Bulgarian yogurt with the following recipe, or should I stick to the second recipe even though I don't think it'll be as good. (I've copied both below.)
First Recipe:
Day 1 ... firm curd for center
Begin with 5 Gal whole milk and heat to 87F.
Add .25% -.5% Bulgarian yogurt (50:50 Thermo & Bulgaricus) as starter and ripen for 30 min.
This yogurt is the Y1 culture already made up and is added as a percentage of the milk volume - 5% of 5 Gal=3.2 ozs.
Add milk w/ re-hydrated blue mold that has been previously prepared (see above note).
Add 3.5 ml rennet and let set 60-90 min for a firm set
Cut 1/2-3/4" let rest for 5 min then stir for 1 hr.
remove whey to curd and then transfer to cloth bag and drain overnite .. let acid develop @ 68F .. final pH= 4.6-4.8
Day 2 ... softer curd for outside
... 5 Gal whole milk w/NO BLUE added..
Add .5-1% Bulgarian yogurt starter to ripen milk
The ripening, rennet, and cut will be the same as above but use an intermit stir for 1-2 hrs
Then remove whey to curd level pH=5.9
Fill mold w/ fresh curd on bottom top & outside and the 1 day old curd in the center
.. press the fresh curds down around the edges well
Flip every 30 min to set surfaces.. keep flipping next day (D3) w/ no salt
Begin Salting (total salt used is 4% of cheese weight)
Distributing salt as follows:
Late on Day3=50%
Day5=30%
Day7=20 %
Next day the outside curd pH= 5.4-5.2
Punch top side @ day 15 and the bottom in another 5 days... a sterile #2 knitting needle will work well for this.
Ripen the cheese @ 52-56F and 92-97% RH
Do not allow the rind to become too sticky (reduce RH% if neeeded)
The cheese should be ripe in 3-6 months
Second Recipe:
2 gallons whole milk
1 pinch (1/64 teaspoon) Penicillium roqueforti (blue mold)
1 packet direct-set mesophilic starter or 4 ounces mesophilic starter
½ teaspoon liquid rennet (or ¼ rennet tablet) diluted in ¼ cup cool, unchlorinated water
2 tablespoons cheese salt, plus a pinch for sprinkling
*Note: To rehydrate blue mold, take ¼ cup milk at room temperature and sprinke mold on milk. Let rehydrate for 1 minute, stir, and let set 15–30 minutes.
1. Heat the milk to 86°F. Add the rehydrated mold. Add the starter and stir to distribute evenly. Cover and allow the milk to ripen for 30 minutes.
2. Add the diluted rennet and stir gently with an up-and-down motion for 1 minute. Cover and let the milk set at 86°F for 45 minutes.
3. Cut the curds into ½-inch cubes. Let set for 10 minutes.
4. Pour the curds into a cheesecloth-lined colander. Tie the corners of the cheesecloth into a knot and hang the bag to drain overnight in the kitchen at a temperature of 68 to 70°F.
5. In the morning, repeat steps 1 through 4 to make a second batch of curds from 1 gallon of milk and the same amounts and proportions of ingredients. Drain these curds in a cheesecloth bag for 1 hour.
6. Cut the first batch of drained curds (from the previous evening) into 1-inch cubes. Place in a bowl. Cut the second batch of drained curds (from this morning) into 1-inch cubes and place in another bowl.
7. Add 2 tablespoons of the salt to each bowl of curds and mix in thoroughly but gently.
8. Sterilize in boiling water one 2-pound cheese mold, two cheese mats, and two cheese boards. Put everything in a convenient spot to drain.
9. Place a mat on a cheese board and the mold on the mat (the start of a mold sandwich). Place half the morning curd on the bottom and around the perimeter of the mold. Place the evening curd mostly in the center of the mold. Cover the top with the remaining morning curd. Place a cheese mat on top of the mold and a cheese board on top of the mat. Put the mold in a room where the temperature is 55 to 60°F. Flip over the mold every 15 minutes for the first 2 hours.
10. Flip over the cheese several times a day for the next 3 days.
11. Remove the cheese from the mold and sprinkle salt over all surfaces. Shake off excess salt. Age the cheese at 55°F and a relative humidity of 85 percent.
12. Rub the cheese with salt each day for the next 4 days.
13. Using a sterilized ice pick or knitting needle with a 1/16-inch diameter, poke 25 holes from the top to the bottom of the cheese.
14. After 30 days at 55°F, age the cheese at 50°F and a relative humidity of 85 percent for 60 days longer. (A second refrigerator with a pan of water on the bottom works well.) Every few weeks, scrape the cheese clean of all mold and any smear with a long-bladed knife.
15. Age the cheese 3 months longer. It is now ready to eat, or it can be aged several months longer, if desired.
YIELD: 2 pounds
