Chaource . . . Boofer sinks into semi-lactic

[Boofer]

Chaource #1. My first semi-lactic. Quite a bit different than any of the other cheese styles I have tried. I drew upon three different recipes: one from iratherfly, one from Margaret Morris's book, and one from 200 Easy Cheeses. The last two were similar.

There are two pics of the kettle with gelled curd in it. The first one shows whey on the surface. Not too long after that I took the next pic which shows the whey at the same level as the curd.

I will post the recipe later, but for now let me just say that I learned a few things with this style and make. There are still a few troublesome issues lingering:

• How to better mix the milk fat into the milk so that when it gels, the milk fat is better distributed? The pics show yellow patches where this problem occurred. In the kettle with all the curd, you can clearly see the "island" of milk fat.
• I need to pre-drain the curd before scooping it to the molds, otherwise the curd seeps into the drain holes and blocks them.
• A problem I had is apparent with half of the curd in the molds where they didn't knit. Perhaps I needed to scoop-flip-scoop-flip more, and this happened because I was waiting for the curd to drain and it cooled (or dried) too much.
• I used my new small Bûcheron molds for the first time. Nice. I couldn't figure out how to salt the top and bottom effectively with the Bûcheron-sized cheese, which is what the two published recipes called for, but they also specified Crottin molds. My solution was to cut the cheese in half, preserving two better-formed Crottin-sized cheeses, and isolating the ill-formed, poorly-knitted halves of the cheeses.
• Because of not putting the curd into a cheesecloth bag and suspending it for 2-3 hours to drain, I had to babysit the scooping and draining for quite a while until I had put all of the curd into the molds. Not good. 

So the little cheeses are in their minicave in the black cave, doing their thing. This will also be a first for me. The cheeses are supposedly edible in two weeks, but better after four weeks. Normally, I don't see (or taste) results for a couple of months following a make. The holidays will hopefully be quite tasty this season. 

-Boofer-

[JeffHamm]

They look good Boofer!  These semi-lactics are a very different beast.  Look forward to see how your adventures go. 

- Jeff

[anutcanfly]

I might have to give Chaource a try...  It will be nice to see how yours come out. 

[Boofer]

Calibrated ExStik

2 gallons whole cream line Twin Brook Creamery milk
1/8 tsp Aroma B
1/16 tsp MA4001
1/8 tsp PC
1/16 tsp Geo 13
1/32 tsp dry calf rennet

Nov 18, 2011
7:55AM - heated milk to 77°F; pH 6.90.
7:55 - sprinkled cultures on milk, allowed to rehydrate.
8:00 – stirred in cultures.
11:00 – 75.2°F; pH 6.85
4:45PM - 78°F; pH 5.15 . . . quite a bit lower than I wanted.
4:50 – added rennet to cool distilled water; stirred in; cream had formed a semi-scab on surface.
7:50 – 78.5°F; pH 4.90; ½ inch of standing whey on surface (pics).
9:50 - 77°F; pH 4.70; curds have risen in pot so that welled whey is more shallow.
10:15 - 77°F; pH 4.66; began scooping curds to small Bûcheron molds.

Nov 19, 2011
1:45AM – finished filling last of curds into molds; put filled molds into cleaned pot, and the pot back into the double boiler to preserve heat and moisture while the curds drain.
7:30 - 73°F; pH 4.34; flipped molds; firmer…nice knit on bottom which is now the top; emptied whey.
11:30 – drained & flipped; less collected whey in pot.
3:00PM – drained & flipped.
7:15 – removed molds; ½ of each cheese has gaps between curds; I decided to cut each cheese in half, making four Crottin-size cheeses and at least creating two pristine, well-knitted cheeses. Salted the tops of all four cheeses with ½ tsp coarse salt and placed all four into minicave (pics). Placed minicave into white cave. Minicave lid is closed.

Nov 20, 2011
flipped and salted other side of all four cheeses.

Nov 21, 2011
flipped cheeses

Nov 22, 2011
flipped cheeses; some Geo or PC showing now.

[vertlook]

Looks good Boofer,
I started it last night myself, it is draining now.
I make it every 2-3 weeks, it is a great cheese to eat just after two weeks, but if you let it age for 4-5 weeks it's  heaven.
Super rich and creamy, while halving a low fat content.

[Tomer1]

Your curds looked much firmer then my attempt...
I think predraining the curds in a cheese cloth before hooping is an easier way of working as some dear member of the forum suggested.

[Boofer]

I make it every 2-3 weeks, it is a great cheese to eat just after two weeks, but if you let it age for 4-5 weeks it's  heaven.
Super rich and creamy, while halving a low fat content.

Sounds good. With whole cream line milk how is it low fat?

Your curds looked much firmer then my attempt...
I think predraining the curds in a cheese cloth before hooping is an easier way of working as some dear member of the forum suggested.

Actually, my curds were very wet and sloppy. Doesn't that show in the pic? So wet that it came out the mold drainage holes.

What recipe are you two using?

-Boofer-

[Tomer1]

Non really, I just add calcium ,ripen for 2-4 hours with probat 222 , tiny bit of rennet and wait for ph to reach about 4.6 which at this time of year (temps are down a bit) takes about 16-18 hours and drain.
Last one had to be dried for 4 days at room temp before it was firm enough to dry salt.

[george]

Hey Boofer, I just noticed something in the background of one of your pics - the Morton kosher salt.  Doesn't that have some additive in it (keeping it "pourable" or whatever they call it).  Around here it does, so I get the big boxes of Diamond Crystal.  Can you get that around there?

Just wondering.

[Boofer]

Hey Boofer, I just noticed something in the background of one of your pics - the Morton kosher salt.  Doesn't that have some additive in it (keeping it "pourable" or whatever they call it).  Around here it does, so I get the big boxes of Diamond Crystal.  Can you get that around there?

Just wondering.

Ingredients are limited to salt. Also because it's coarse, there's little concern that it won't pour.

In 1911, Morton created free-flowing salt by adding magnesium carbonate as an absorbing element.

-Boofer-

[george]

Oh.  Oops, sorry, never mind, forget I asked.   I'll have to look again next time I'm in a grocery store, maybe it's not the coarse that they sell here in that box, maybe it IS "kosher" and that's the difference.  Only reason I really remember it is because once I bought it and only realized halfway through the box that it had the additive.

1911, huh?  Always a fount of miscellaneous facts, Boofer.   

[Boofer]

1911, huh?  Always a fount of miscellaneous facts, Boofer.   

At your service, MaryJ. 

Got some serious fuzz going on now. Even the cut ends are responding well. Seems like a little wrinkle to the rind under the fuzz...maybe slipskin. We'll see.

-Boofer-

[anutcanfly]

They are looking very edible! 

[iratherfly]

Boofer - nice going! and thanks for putting my recipe in MS word format. I did forget the part about moving it to the fridge though...
By the looks of it they look very nice but I am slightly concerned that it's growing too fast and you get that gummy skin. Is the skin tight? If so -ignore my comment.  Which PC strain did you use? Are they refrigerated now?

George (MaryJ) - I saw that too. I don't use Morton for the very same reason; artificial anti caking agents. I use Diamond brand because it's pure.  Morton however is a national brand and may be made differently in different places so I am not sure; maybe it is sold additive free where Boofer is?

Tomer - you are right. Boofer and I had some back and forth about the type of rennet he is using (very strong powder) and the temperature setting (I voted for 72°F and the other recipes were 77°F). This makes for a slightly stiffer curd. This is still going to turn out very good I am sure.

[Boofer]

Boofer - nice going! and thanks for putting my recipe in MS word format. I did forget the part about moving it to the fridge though...
By the looks of it they look very nice but I am slightly concerned that it's growing too fast and you get that gummy skin. Is the skin tight? If so -ignore my comment.  Which PC strain did you use? Are they refrigerated now?

Yes, they are refrigerated now. Sorry, I'm not at home as I write this so I can't say which PC. As I mentioned, there may be a little slack in the skin. I'm trying to monitor it, but I have been away from home most of the time since last Sunday, only breaking away every couple days to shower, tend to my Chaource and Esrom, and then return. What takes me away at such a crucial time? My father burned his face and the backs of his hands on Nov 20th. He was involved in a car explosion and fire. I have been camping out in his house tending to his bandaging and his needs. He was very lucky and should be okay in a couple weeks (as okay as 88 years will permit).

George (MaryJ) - I saw that too. I don't use Morton for the very same reason; artificial anti caking agents. I use Diamond brand because it's pure.  Morton however is a national brand and may be made differently in different places so I am not sure; maybe it is sold additive free where Boofer is?

Morton produces a number of additive-free products, including the Kosher coarse salt and pickling salt. They have also recently jumped on the sea salt bandwagon and moved in that direction. Again...additive-free. Just sea salt. I don't use their sea salt but have used the other two for some years.

Tomer - you are right. Boofer and I had some back and forth about the type of rennet he is using (very strong powder) and the temperature setting (I voted for 72°F and the other recipes were 77°F). This makes for a slightly stiffer curd. This is still going to turn out very good I am sure.

This was my first effort at a semi-lactic. A starting point. With some hindsight, I now see areas where I can tweak my recipe and technique...that is, if these turn out reasonably edible. I would use a lower temp and a lot less rennet and I would most likely predrain the curds before molding them.

-Boofer-